Visiting Dunkeld Cathedral is a must when visiting Perthshire.
Every year thousands of visitors enjoy the picturesque setting of the Cathedral and take in its religious history.
Visitor Amenities
Nestled in the heart of Dunkeld, the Cathedral enjoys a perfect location for people of all ages and mobility. Shops, cafes, accommodation, the train station, bus stops and car parks are all nearby, and the area is ideal for exploring on foot as well as by car or for those less mobile. Local information can be found online at Dunkeld and Birnam Tourist Information and The Hipshire Partnership.
April-September
9.30am – 6.30pm
October-March
9.30am – 4.00pm
ADMISSION IS FREE
The archive room is open
every Monday 10am-12noon
when visitors are welcome to browse and the stewards would be pleased to try and help with particular enquiries.
Visits may be made or enquiries met at other times by arrangement. Contact:
Mrs Joan Brookes, The Smithy, Tombane, Trochry, Dunkeld, PH8 0BT.
Tel. 01350 723 222
The Cathedral Chapter House was built in 1457, and served as a sacristy and meeting place for 100 years. After the Reformation, when the Dukes of Atholl became responsible for the upkeep of the church they used the Chapter House as their Mausoleum and it still contains some magnificent monuments and memorials. The Atholl coat of arms is mounted above the entrance door and former members of the family lie buried in an under floor vault.
The present museum, which was refurbished by the Friends of Dunkeld Cathedral in 1994, is a permanent local history exhibition telling the history of the town and the redevelopment of the reformed church. Mention is made of the connection with the Atholl Family and also notable local people; Niel Gow, the fiddler, Sir Donald Currie the benefactor and Beatrice Potter, the children’s author who spent summer holidays in Dunkeld and wrote the Story of Peter Rabbit there.
The Archive Room
is situated in the room above the above the museum that was originally used for storing vestments and church valuables. Opened in 1995, it contains a fast growing collection of photographs, records and memorabilia relating to the Cathedral and community of Dunkeld and Birnam. Including census records and tombstone inscription of the graveyards in the parish. The regimental records The Scottish Horse are also held.
The Museum and Archives are run by a small group of volunteers. We receive some grant funding for major items, but the major part of our expenditure must be covered by donations and charges for research work.
Short research work; please give a donation at your discretion, £5
Detailed research work taking of more than one hour £20 per hour
In addition we charge for expenses such as photocopying of pictures £2 including postage , copies of documents 20p per sheet plus any postage.
All charges and donations go towards the cost of running the Archive .
Online resources can be found at Perth & Kinross Archives, Tay Valley Family History Society, North Perthshire History Group.
voluntarily conduct guided tours of the 14C cathedral and museum throughout the year for visitors, community organisations and educational groups. The tour covers the history of the cathedral, its architectural details, its place in the community and some of the interesting monuments.
A guide is also present in the cathedral every weekday through June, July, August and September between 10.30am-12.30pm to welcome people, answer questions and show them around if required.
An information leaflet is available free of charge in many languages including: Czech, Dutch, French, Gaelic, German, Hungarian, Italian, Russian and Chinese.
It is advisable to book a guided tour which takes approximately an hour. This can be done by contacting:
Mrs Joan Brookes
The Smithy,
Tombane,
Trochry
Dunkeld PH8 0BT
Tel. 01350 723 222 or Email
The Guides particularly welcome young people and a set of Treasure Hunt sheets are available to take the children round the cathedral. They are designed for all abilities and can support different units of schoolwork.
No fee is ever charged for taking visitors round the cathedral but many tour groups and visitors give a voluntary donation and this goes towards the work of the Friends of the Cathedral.
Access to the whole of the Cathedral is available for the less mobile and disabled.
Both Dunkeld Cathedral and Little Dunkeld have Hearing Loop systems installed.
A Cathedral needs friends. The Society of Friends of Dunkeld Cathedral was founded to stimulate interest in the Cathedral as a part of the history of Scotland.
Who are the friends?The people who care about the history, the place and the community in the 21st Century. We live in different times from when our great establishments benefited from the protection and support of individuals or families. Now, however, the warmth of support is more likely to come from groups of like-minded people with shared interests, whether these be history (secular or religious), education, architecture or landscape. All these elements are here in Dunkeld and the objectives of the Society of Friends include “the preservation of the fittings and furnishing of the Choir and stimulation of interest in the Cathedral”.
For information on what the Friends do, and how to become a member.