Manderston Mill House

Explorer Tom Manderston House near Duns has a staircase with silver-plated rails, a marble hall and gardens arranged with the confidence of someone told that money was no object. Tom has offered to polish the whole staircase for the price of a biscuit, which may be the least plausible bargain in this extravagant place. Visit on a public day and see how thoroughly the Edwardian age could dress a house. Architect John Kinross transformed an older mansion for Sir James Miller in the early twentieth century. The house kept earlier fabric, but its 1900–05 remodelling produced the grand interiors visitors see now. Kinross also shaped the terraces, formal gardens and buildings across the estate. The silver staircase is a showpiece, though its balustrade is silver plated rather than a staircase carved from solid silver. Tom will be disappointed; your wallet should be relieved. A tour moves through state rooms made for entertaining and impressing guests. Outside, ordered terraces give way to a wider designed landscape, while the stable buildings show how much work supported the elegant rooms. Look beyond the shiny surfaces for the planning and labour underneath them. One historic photograph shows more than 150 workers gathered on the garden stair during the building campaign. The house is spectacular, but it took many hands to make a rich man's idea real. Manderston opens for limited public days rather than daily admission, and groups can arrange separate visits. Check the house's current dates and book the guided tour that suits you before travelling. It stands east of Duns, with parking on site. Tom may linger at the silver staircase; remember the garden has ambitions of its own.