Philanthropy, the Hunter Foundation has acquired the Blair Castle and the 220 acre Estate as its new headquarters and home to all of its leadership programmes.

The acquisition of the 900 year old Castle will enable the Hunter Foundation to accelerate its work in entrepreneurial scale-ups, head teacher and public sector leadership.*

Commenting on the acquisition, Sir Tom Hunter noted;

“We are delighted to become custodians of this incredible Castle and to headquarter our Foundation here in Ayrshire. In turn we are honoured to offer Blair as Columba 1400’s home in the central belt (complementing their home on Skye) where their values based leadership programmes are transforming lives.

“Owning Blair will enable us to scale our work in leadership across the system and support, in some small way, Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic.” 

The history at Blair Castle in Ayrshire stretches back over 900 years, the walls, it is said, constructed by Norman Invaders.

With the heritage unquestionable – in 1165, King William I of Scotland conferred the Barony of Blair upon Jean Francois. His son, William, then changed the family name to Blair. Bryce de Blair fought with William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and his descendant, Sir David de Blair, was knighted by Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn in 1314.  

The Castle was acquired from previous owners Charles and Sallie Hendry for an undisclosed sum in February 2022.