History of Dorward House

In February, 1838, William Dorward wrote to the Town Council offering to build a “House of Refuge” for the poor and destitute men, women and children of Montrose and Ferryden. His donation was £10,000 and on June 28th, 1838, the foundation stone was laid. The House was completed in June 1839 and provided accommodation for 100 people.

In 1950, as a result of changes in legislation, Dorward House was registered as a Residential Home for Older People and has remained as a Care Home since then.

As you can imagine, there have been many changes to the building since 1839, the most significant being a major renovation of the main house and a new-build extension at the rear. This was completed in August 2008 and enhanced our ability to care for local people by delivering:

• 32 rooms in the main house, all of which are en-suite, with  8 having full bathrooms.
• a specific dementia care unit for 8 people, called Fairview, with its own properly designed sensory garden.

In 2016, the gardens were further enhanced by the building of the Jean Adam Pavilion, a bright and airy garden building in which our residents enjoy the summer weather and the colours and scents of nearby flowers.

This has been an exciting and worthwhile journey for all involved with Dorward House and has enabled us to provide quality residential care suitable for the 21st Century.