THE IDEA
What you know. How you live.
Most of us already know the gestures: how to set a table, write a note, welcome a guest. The residency lives in the space between knowing and becoming. Five days at the New Castle, a house built in 1902 by Sir Robert Lorimer, designed for a small circle of ten women.
Not a retreat. A school that lives in a castle for one week.
Arrive
Tuesday 13 July
Programme
Wednesday 14 to Sunday 18 July
Depart
Monday 19 July
Your room
A private room for each guest is planned.
THE JOURNEY
Five days, five practices
Proposed programme, subject to refinement.
Wed 14 · Presence
How you enter a room, and how you stay in it.
Thu 15 · The Written Arts
Handwriting, letters and the thank-you note.
Fri 16 · The Table
Setting, seating and dining with ease.
Sat 17 · Hosting
Being a gracious guest, and welcoming others.
Sun 18 · Connection & Gala
Conversation, and a closing gala evening at the castle.
THE CLOSING EVENING
A gala at the castle
On Sunday 18 July the students host a gala dinner of their own at the New Castle: their invitations, their flowers and their cards on the table, for guests of their choosing.
You leave with notes from each day and simple practices to keep at your own table, in your letters, and in the way you welcome people.
Fernanda Luz, founder of The Social Arts Club
YOUR HOST
Fernanda Luz
Fernanda trained in international etiquette and protocol at a finishing school in Switzerland, and brings women together around beautiful tables in Toronto. Rowallan is where that table becomes five days.
“We said we would meet again. I found us a castle.”
QUESTIONS
Good to know
Is registering a commitment? No. Registering your interest simply means we keep you informed. Do I need any experience? No, only curiosity and the wish to practise.
When
13 to 19 July 2027
Where
The New Castle, Rowallan Castle estate, Ayrshire, Scotland
Price
Sent personally to everyone who registers interest, with the full programme.
Group
Designed for a group of ten women.