News
HRH opens Dumfries House to the public
5th June 2008
The Prince of Wales today said he hoped the transformation of Dumfries House would go on to regenerate the whole area as he opened the house to the public for the first time in 250 years.
The internationally renowned 18th Century Georgian mansion and its collection of Chippendale and other unique furniture, was saved from sale and certain break-up almost a year ago after a dramatic last minute intervention by The Prince, who is known as The Duke of Rothesay in Scotland. Click here to visit the official Dumfries House website.
With £25million contributed by the Scottish Government and heritage organisations and trusts, and £20million borrowed and provided by His Royal Highness personally, the House, its wonderful collection of furniture and its 2,000 acre estate were saved for the Nation only hours before expiry of the deadline for sale at auction.
The acquisition was subsequently described by the First Minister Alex Salmond as the “save of the century”.
During the opening, where His Royal Highness was joined by the first 30 paying visitors, he paid tribute to everyone involved in turning the former private home Dumfries House into a visitor attraction.
First Minister Alex Salmond and representatives of the Great Steward of Scotland's Dumfries House Trust, which administers the house and estate, were among those at today's ceremony.
As he unveiled the plaque to officially open the house, The Prince said he hoped it would benefit the local area.
His Royal Highness said: "What an exciting day it is as far as I am concerned and I think quite a lot of others, that finally we've managed to open this remarkable house after really quite a lot of effort.
"We owe a huge debt of gratitude to a very large number of people who have helped make all this possible and I did want to say just how immensely appreciative I am of East Ayrshire Council, who have been so wonderful and so incredibly supportive in everything that we've tried to do here.
"And I pray that as a result of Dumfries House and what we might be able to do here it will indeed help provide a catalyst for the regeneration of this remarkable area."
He thanked all the volunteers and people involved in restoring the house and paid tribute to the trust's Chief Executive, Mike Schafer, and to his staff who have worked incredibly hard to get the property ready to open.
The Prince also paid tribute to the help of the Marquis of Bute, former owner of the property.
He said: "As you can imagine trying to bring the house back to life has been an immense challenge.
"All we have to do now is find enough resources to be able to continue the work doing restoration and regeneration here."
The house, the former home of the Marquises of Bute, was last inhabited in 1993 and has since been looked after by a caretaker.
The last member of the family to live in the house was Eileen, the Dowager Marchioness of Bute who died in 1993.
Major work needed to be done to make it suitable for visitors after more than two centuries in private hands.
Restoration work on the A-listed property began in January and has been carried out at "breakneck speed" to ensure it is ready to open this week.
On arrival at the house, His Royal Highness, who is President of the Trust, was introduced to staff and volunteers.
Among those he met was David Gemmell, 49, who was caretaker for 11 years while the house was empty.
Mr Gemmell said it was lovely to see the house restored.
He said: "Now it's open it's really tremendous. That's what it has been needing for years, now it's tremendous that other people can come in and see the beautiful contents that are in the house.
"The Prince thanked us very much for everything we had done in the house. He is really nice - you are at ease when you speak to The Prince.
"What we want is for people to come and look at the house and make the house come alive again."
The Prince then moved on to the cafe where met the first tour group to be shown round the house.
Among the visitors he met was Elizabeth Challis, 68, from Minishant near Ayr, who was impressed by the building.
She said: "I think it's wonderful and I think Prince Charles has done a wonderful thing here to save this, and I told him so.
"He talked about the fact that it's wonderful that it has been saved and how fabulous the contents are and how well it is looking."
The Palladian mansion is famed for its collection of Scottish furniture and furniture by master craftsman Thomas Chippendale, which was specially made for the house.
Pieces include a black-and-gold lacquered clothes press, a rosewood bookcase and a library table.
The property, which was designed by the Adam brothers, was put up for sale by its former owner, the aristocrat and former racing driver Johnny Bute, who is now the 7th Marquess of Bute and is one of the trustees.
The Prince then attended a reception with trustees and local dignitaries.
The 50-year-old Marquess, dressed in a suit of Stuart of Bute tartan, said he was pleased with the way things had turned out.
He said: "The house is looking fantastic and the objectives of the trust are really just what the local economy needs so I think that in terms of the house and estate moving forward in the 21st Century it's 100 per cent positive.
"We are not really sad to see the house go as a family because we made a decision about five or six years ago and there was a long process of negotiation."
He paid tribute to what The Prince had achieved.
He said: "The Georgian aesthetic is really The Prince's type of architecture. Clearly he loves it and he had the vision to pull the funds together to create an independent trust and allow it to evolve from there."
After the reception The Prince went outside to unveil the plaque as the sun emerged from the clouds.
Mike Schafer, Chief Executive of The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust, said it was wonderful to see the house open at last. He said: "What you see before you today is an example of what teamwork can achieve.
"We've come a long way in a very short time and I'm looking forward to what can be achieved in the future."
First Minister Alex Salmond said: "The opening of Dumfries House to the public is a historic and exciting occasion.
"The property itself is stunning, its furniture collection exquisite, all of which will leave a lasting impression on the great number of visitors it will undoubtedly attract.
"The benefits of its opening will be experienced far wider than Cumnock, Ayrshire and the South West of Scotland.
"An internationally-acclaimed house is now open to Scotland and visitors from around the world."
Also included in the deal was 66 acres of land adjoining Cumnock for development with housing.
Its development is being led by The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, founded by His Royal Highness, which has been consulting with local people to come up with ideas for the area, called Knockroon.
Click here to visit the Dumfries House website and book tickets.