Archerfield Golf Course
Brooks Murray designed the new Masterplan which comprises two 18-hole championship-standard golf courses, served by a new clubhouse, a sports health and fitness complex and some 400 houses and flats for permanent and holiday residential use. The Grade A Listed Adam mansion was to be refurbished and extended to provide a five-star 200-bedroom hotel.
The Duke of Hamilton’s Archerfield estate lies 15 miles to the east of Edinburgh, adjacent to Muirfield Golf Course and on the Firth of Forth Coast. Around 500 acres of it have been acquired by Parkdale/ Pavilion Leisure for Development with Leisure and tourism-related uses.
The first recognisable course at Archerfield was laid out for the enjoyment of the estate staff in the mid-19th century. The course was extended from the original 13 to a full 18 holes by North Berwick golfing great Ben Sayers in 1910, and became renowned as a charming, if compact course. Nestled between the world-famous courses of Muirfield and the North Berwick West Links, Archerfield seemed set to become another of the famous courses dotted around East Lothian.
However, the outbreak of World War II signalled the end of tranquil golf at Archerfield as the estate was taken over by the Ministry of Defence as part of the war effort. The entire estate, including the golf course, was left to become overgrown and all but forgotten by those who had played there. Until construction of the modern golf courses began the land was freely open to the public and used for dog walking, camping and outdoor events.
