Created ten years ago from an abandoned courtyard, the Secret Garden quickly won a regeneration award and became the Domecq la Ina Most Civilised Diningroom. Entered from the courtyard above via a stone staircase, this enchanting room looks onto a hidden urn-filled terrace where guests can dine in summer.

The splendid painted ceiling in Scots vernacular style is similar to the Rossend ceiling now housed in the nearby Museum of Scotland and portrays imagery from the tarot as well as the mischievous bagpipe-playing cherub featured on our website. A series of painted doors portray elements of Edinburgh's wine trade with France, reflecting our award-winning wine cellar of almost 1,000 bins. A stone turret incorporating the arms of the Duke of Gordon, keeper of the keys of Edinburgh Castle in the sixteen century, is the Secret Garden's hidden treasure.