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News

HRH visits Dumfries House in Ayrshire

12th July 2007

The Prince of Wales paid his first-ever visit today to a stately home that he helped save for the nation in a £45 million deal.

His Royal Highness was given a guided tour of Dumfries House in Ayrshire, which was bought in a landmark deal last month.

The 250-year-old property had been put up for sale by its owner, former racing driver and aristocrat John Bute, sparking The Prince to put together a consortium to buy the property and keep its unique contents intact.

Dumfries House has been described as one of the world's finest Georgian properties and features one of the finest collections of furniture made by master carpenter Thomas Chippendale.

The Prince, who is known as The Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, was joined by First Minister Alex Salmond as he was shown round the building by the Marquess of Bute and his wife Serena.

Contributions to the purchase price included £5 million from the Scottish Executive, £7 million from the National Heritage Lottery Fund and £20 million from The Prince's Charities Foundation.

The Prince enjoyed his tour through some of the 31 rooms, and admired the ornate carved ceilings and the banks of portraits lining the walls.

His Royal Highness also expressed interest in a four-poster Chippendale bed that took pride of place in one of the bedrooms.

Dumfries House's contents had been due to be auctioned off this week and many pictures and pieces of furniture still have their lot number stickers attached.

The house will formally transfer in November this year to a new trust that has been set up, and will open to the public for the first time next year after being renovated.

The Prince also met representatives from the charities and trusts involved in the purchase, as well as members of staff from the Dumfries estate.

The Marquess, a 49-year-old father of six who was raised under the name of Johnny Dumfries, first announced his intention to sell Dumfries House three years ago.

He said he wanted to restructure his family finances and concentrate on his family home, Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute in the Firth of Clyde.

He said today he was delighted with the outcome of the sale.

"It's an emotional time for me but I'm delighted about what has happened," he said.

"I've got no doubt whatsoever about what this means - it's very, very positive for the house and the local community.

"The end result is a hugely important new heritage project in Scotland."

Also included in the deal is 66 acres of land in nearby Cumnock which it is hoped can be developed for housing.

Other outbuildings on the 2,000-acre estate will also be upgraded and used as workshops and other business opportunities.

First Minister Alex Salmond heralded the purchase as the "last-minute save of the century".

"What a magnificent property this is, so well done to The Duke of Rothesay for taking the initiative.

"The Scottish government were delighted to do our bit to help," he said.

He also said that, once up and running, Dumfries House would be used to host Scottish Executive receptions.

Later The Prince visited Cumnock town centre where he was greeted by a large crowd of cheering, flag-waving residents.

His Royal Highness met members of the public, shaking hands with many of them and chatting with some of the people gathered, before meeting local dignitaries in the town's Baird Institute Museum.

Civic leaders also hailed the purchase of Dumfries House.

Douglas Reid, leader of East Ayrshire Council, said: "It's a great thing in terms of tourism and in terms of jobs.

"Ayrshire is all about tourism just now and this will bring it over to the eastern side of the county.

"It really will put us on the map."

Mr Reid said he expected up to 1,000 homes to be built on the land that was included in the estate's purchase.

East Ayrshire Council's provost, Stephanie Young, added: "This is absolutely wonderful for the people of East Ayrshire.

"It's just as though Christmas, Easter and all the holidays in one have arrived.

"It is so surprising that it happened in such a short space of time."

Local residents also gave the project their backing.

Kirk Howie, 26, said Cumnock had always been somewhere the people drove through, but now hopefully they would stop to visit the property.

He added: "It's a lovely part of the country.

"I think a lot of people will be looking forward to seeing Dumfries House when it opens - it's just what this area needs."

Local resident Helen McLean said: "Everybody thinks it's a wonderful thing that's happened.

"This will really put Cumnock on the map.

"I can imagine that the house will be a very good tourist attraction and bring people into the town.”

Click here to read the press release.

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