Our September Open Studios are coming in fast! Join us as we celebrate the end of summer and the return of autumn with our wonderful makers, creators, and community!
Our beloved Makers Market will be returning along with another chance to meet our new Springboard Studio tenants, along with a new silversmithing resident. We'll have a range of new and returning tours and craft demonstrations and once again be inviting visitors to wander through our blossoming Walled Garden. There will be plenty to eat, drink, and experience, so make sure to book your free ticket now.
Makers Market
We have a fantastic roster of exciting new and returning artists and creators at our Makers Market this year. Grain and Groove, previous Chippendale students now in their own collective, will be returning with an array of magnificently crafted wooden objects. LoveTuppence will also be with us with a cosy collection of items for home and garden. Roslyn Whiting will be joining us with her high quality handmade leather goods. Oleksandra Novatska will have her fine art prints for sale, including beautiful botanical pieces. Hannah Keddie, former Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop resident, will be back with her beautiful jewellery and vessels.
Our wonderful garden team will also have a stall where you can purchase Hugo Burge Foundation merch and take part in some family friendly creative activities, including our Garden Adventure Trail and flower crafts, the act of pressing flowers into fabric to decorate it with floral prints!
Meet our Residents!
Our residents are so excited to welcome you all into their creative havens where they do some of their most inspirational work!
Meet our visiting residents, including Arts and Engagement Resident Katrine Turner who will be in the Old Squash Court with a participatory art opportunity. While specifically suited for young children, it will also be open to adults.
The 7th generation rush seat chair-makers and craftsmen Richard Platt and Sam Cooper will also have their workshop doors open, offering a fascinating glimpse into their work methods and tools at The Marchmont Workshop.
We'll also have the residents of the Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop with us, our newly announced as Lead Silversmith Katie Watson and our new silversmithing tenants, including Jessica Awaritefe.
If you missed them in June, now is your chance to meet our three Springboard Studio residents, Anna Olafsson, Sara Rhys, and Scarlett Farrer!
Sara Rhys is a mixed media artist and illustrator who is based in our Upper Powerhouse Studio!
Scarlett Farrer is a sustainability-focused textile designer who specialises in hand spinning yarn and hand weaving who was was recently awarded Heritage Crafts Young Weaver of the Year 2024. Scarlett will be in our North Studio.
Anna Ólafsson is painter, printmaker, sculptor, designer and metalworker who engraves, carves, and chases precious metals, working also in steel, aluminium and bronze. She will be based in our South Studio.
Live Events!
We are beyond thrilled to announce that we will be joined by world-class musicians as part of a taster for the Melrose Music Festival, a week long celebration of music, musicians and composers for a wide variety of genres taking place September 5th to September 14th, 2025. Melrose Musical Festival does a fantastic job of featuring local musicians, bringing in leading performers, and uplifting young people around the Borders.
This Open Studios, we'll be partnering with Melrose Music Festival with a very special performance on Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 PM in our Glasshouses. You'll be able to enjoy music from one of Britain's leading violinist Gina McCormack, accomplished organist Simon Leach, and internationally recognised pianist Marianna Abrahamyan.
Our Creative Director Dr James Fox will also be around to talk about his new book Craftland, A Journey Through Britain’s Lost Arts and Vanishing Trades. James will speak about his time seeking out the country’s last remaining master craftspeople and chronicling "the vanishing skills and traditions that once governed every aspect of life on these shores."
We'll also have talks from Head Gardener Toby Loveday as he shares what it takes to plan and maintain our gardens and green spaces, and we'll all be buzzing about bees with Shaun Adams, garden team member who owns the beehives that provide our fantastic honey!
Our residents will be holding craft demonstrations throughout the day, and we'll be joined by visiting craftspeople from the Chicken Shed Forge. They'll be coming along with their travelling forge to host metalworking demonstrations on-site and share their knowledge!
Print artist and creative facilitator Georgie Fay will be running print workshops for all-ages in the morning and afternoon. Bring home your own beautiful creation!
Walled Garden and Glasshouse Tours
One of the creative hearts of the Hugo Burge Foundation is our tranquil walled garden and beautifully restored glasshouses. Our Walled Garden and Glasshouses will be open throughout the day. We'll be joined by Coffee End, who will be hosting lunch items, hot and cold drinks, and plenty of sweet treats to keep you happy while you relax!
There will also be the opportunity to do some apple pressing with our garden team. A fun activity that highlights a fresh harvest, come with your little ones to learn about turning apples into juice or cider and maybe even have a go yourself!
Plenty of Food and Drinks
We'll have Three Hills Coffee with us in the Courtyard as well as Scottish Pizza Co. serving pizza in Redbraes Meadow alongside the best of local Scottish food from Ròst.
Coffee End will be in the Glasshouses with food and drinks!
Important Information
Tickets are free but timed so make sure to book early to ensure you snag a time-slot that works for you! Last entry will be 3 PM.
If you would like to make an optional donation, you will be entered into a raffle to receive a handcrafted chair from the award-winning traditional furniture maker The Marchmont Workshop. This chair is a special opportunity to own a piece of furniture made using techniques, tools, and patterns passed down through six generations of master and apprenticeship starting in 1890.
Parking will be available on-site. There will be a one-way traffic system in operation during the Open Studios events so that cars will arrive from our Greenlaw entrance and depart via Polwarth. More information to follow before the event.
Location
This event will take place at the HBF Creative Spaces on Marchmont Estate. You can find us here on Google Maps or use What3Words (nets.routine.glimmers) to find us.
Our event is more accessible than ever for those without a car! We'll be hosting a bus from Tweedbank station on both the Saturday and the Sunday! You'll need to book in advance, so make sure to snag a spot!
Bus Pick up time from Tweedbank:
10am (meeting the 09.45am arrival)
1pm (meeting the 12.44pm arrival)
Return time:
4pm (meeting the 4.50pm train to Waverley)
The Hugo Burge Foundation is an independent organisation and has no relation to Marchmont House except via a commercial lease. Access to the House is not a part of our Open Studios.