The Hugo Burge Foundation - Marchmont Estate

Scottish Borders

The Hugo Burge Foundation is an independent arts charity based in the Scottish Borders. Our campus includes renovated historic buildings that now house craft and artist studios, including a silversmithing workshop and a traditional furniture workshop, as well as our beautiful Walled Garden and Glasshouses, including our newly reopened Japanese-inspired garden. 

Our studios house craftspeople who are actively protecting and working on endangered crafts, ensuring a new future for their practice. The Marchmont Workshop is one of the last homes of the rush-seated chair, using traditional methods passed down from master to apprentice. The silversmiths will also be demonstrating endangered techniques, including chasing and repoussé. We also have heritage focused textile artist and designer Scarlett Farrer who hand spins wool and weaves using traditional looms and equipment to make sure her  work is as sustainable, ethical and traditional as possible. Our garden team also use traditional and innovative methods to make the green spaces as sustainable as possible.  

We bring together tradition with creativity and innovation to make the future of craft and artistic practice brighter for this generation and the next.  

The Hugo Burge Foundation’s Open Studios is weekend event showcasing the incredible people and spaces that make up our organisation. During the event, visitors can tour the working studios of resident and visiting artists, ranging from poets and weavers to traditional rush-seat chairmakers, while exploring a curated makers market, watching live craft demonstrations, and taking part in hands-on workshops. Alongside the arts, guests can enjoy live music, local food stalls, and talks from our garden team, making it a vibrant, community-focused celebration of Scottish art, heritage, and craft culture. 

Facilities

• Disabled WC
• Refreshments
• WC
• Events For Children
• Parking
• Limited Access

Additional Access Information

Most studio spaces are accessible, but some are not due to the historic nature of the building. 

The Glasshouses have an accessible entrance, but the gardens are lawn. 

Dogs are allowed everywhere but the Walled Gardens and Glasshouses. 

Parking must be booked in advance.