June 2019



From the Great Lakes to our Great Lake



Introducing Tour Guide Dean Skerven


We are delighted that we have husband and wife Dean and Heather Skerven as part of our team of wonderful Tour Guides here at Mellerstain.



Originally an aerospace engineer, Dean originally hails from the midwestern state of Wisconsin in the USA but he has now lived in Britain for the last 31 years. It was wife Heather who first introduced Dean to tour guiding through meeting fellow guide Gill Harrop at Heiton Village Hall. But much more on that in Heather’s story!


As an American, tour guiding has provided Dean with the perfect opportunity to delve into all aspects of British history. Indeed, Mellerstain alone provides 380 years of history since George Baillie purchased Jerviswood Estate in 1642.


Now in his second season as a Tour Guide here, Dean admits that the knowledge required is endless and he finds that the more questions he is asked by visitors, this leads to more and more reading. But not only does he find this fascinating, it is also a very fulfilling and rewarding part of the job.


A keen linguist, although keen to stress that he is not a master of any other language, Dean can converse in German and Dutch Flemish and he also has a smattering of Spanish and Italian. In fact, languages are something that Dean spends as much time as he can learning and improving and he loves putting his language skills to good use as he guides groups around the house.



It is obvious that Dean absolutely loves being a guide at Mellerstain, in fact he firmly believes they are the best team of guides anywhere because the team can share ideas and that everyone is constantly learning from each other. But special mention was given to Angus, the Caretaker, who is an absolute mine of information and a true library in his own right!


Which brings us on to Dean’s favourite part of Mellerstain, he says that it has to be the Library because of the incredible collection of books and that it captures the Romans and Greek mythology, both of which Dean has a strong interest in. When asked about his favourite view, the view from the south lawn looking over the lake towards Hundy Mundy and the Cheviot Hills is something that he never tires of, nor does he believe that anyone would.


As an American, we wondered what response Dean got from fellow American’s who visit Mellerstain and it seems that this has surprised quite a few visitors. Not least a lady from Florida who decided to visit Mellerstain because it is one of the few remaining Robert Adam examples of architecture which still exist in its entirety. ‘I flew 3,000 miles and drove hundreds of miles to visit Mellerstain and here I am standing in the Library of this prestigious house flabbergasted that I should be greeted by an American!’ Much laughter ensued.


There is no doubt that Heather has given her passion for Scotland to her husband Dean and that he is loving his role as a Tour Guide. Whilst Dean might hail from a state that is surrounded by Great Lakes, it is clear that he is enchanted by Mellerstain and its own great lake.








Mellerstain House, Gordon, Scottish Borders TD3 6LG
© 2020 The Mellerstain Trust (SC011009)


Tel: 01573 410 225


Privacy Policy
Site by Lunncreative