Dumfries House
Encyclopedia
Dumfries House is a Palladian
country house in Ayrshire
, Scotland
. It is located within a large estate, around 3 km west of Cumnock
. It was built in the 1750s by John Adam
and Robert Adam
for William Dalrymple
, 5th Earl of Dumfries
, and inherited in due course by the Marquesses of Bute
, in which family it remained until 2007. It is notable for having preserved much of its original 18th-century furniture in situ, some of which was specially commissioned for the house from Thomas Chippendale
.
" of Europe. As such it represents an early independent work by the Adam Brothers, who had taken over the architecture business of their father William Adam on his death in 1748. The house is a finely proportioned, if unoriginal, Palladian design, with a three-storey central block connected to smaller pavilions by linking wings.
In 1885, the then-owner John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute
commissioned Robert Weir Schultz to design the pavilions.
on the Isle of Bute
. In summer 2004 it was announced that the present owner, the 7th Marquess
, was intending to sell the house, contents and estate; and by early 2007 continued attempts to purchase it for preservation by the National Trust for Scotland
had fallen through. The house was scheduled for sale through Savills
and its contents for auction by Christie's
. It was thought that some of the art and furniture might fetch nearly as much as the house itself; one Chippendale rosewood
bookcase, for example, was valued at £2m-£4m. Preservationists and campaigns such as Save Britain's Heritage
lamented the imminent dispersal of an ensemble said to have remained virtually untouched since an 1803 inventory.
On 27 June 2007 it was announced that a consortium, led by HRH The Prince of Wales, including various heritage charities and the Scottish Government, had raised £45 million to purchase the house and contents (along with its roughly 2000 acres (8.1 km²) estate) and to endow a trust for maintaining it. This is to be called "The Great Steward of Scotland's Dumfries House Trust" — a reference to the title Great Steward of Scotland held by Prince Charles
in his Scottish role as the Duke of Rothesay
. A major element of the financial package was a £20m loan backed by The Prince's Charities Foundation
.
The Great Steward of Scotland's Dumfries House Trust, is sometimes referred to as being one of The Prince's Charities
.
Dumfries House opened to the public for pre-booked tours on 6 June 2008.
His Royal Highness has pledged that Dumfries House will revitalise the local economy once again and contribute to the community; although in order to do this some of the House's preserved and unused furniture may need to be sold as there is no more revenue to keep the house soon, despite the Prince's investment in the House.
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
country house in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is located within a large estate, around 3 km west of Cumnock
Cumnock
Cumnock is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water...
. It was built in the 1750s by John Adam
John Adam (architect)
John Adam was a Scottish architect. Born in Linktown of Abbotshall, now part of Kirkcaldy, Fife, he was the eldest son of architect and entrepreneur William Adam. His younger brothers Robert and James Adam also became architects.The Adam family moved to Edinburgh in 1728, as William Adam's career...
and Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
for William Dalrymple
William Dalrymple-Crichton, 5th Earl of Dumfries, 4th Earl of Stair
William Dalrymple-Crichton, 5th Earl of Dumfries KT was a Scottish peer.He inherited the title of Earl of Dumfries in 1742, upon the death of his mother Penelope Crichton, 4th Countess of Dumfries....
, 5th Earl of Dumfries
Earl of Dumfries
Earl of Dumfries is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was originally created for William Crichton, 9th Lord Crichton of Sanquhar, in 1633, and stayed in the Crichton family until the death of the fourth earl in 1758, at which point the title passed to first the Dalrymple and then the McDouall...
, and inherited in due course by the Marquesses of Bute
Marquess of Bute
Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.-Family history:...
, in which family it remained until 2007. It is notable for having preserved much of its original 18th-century furniture in situ, some of which was specially commissioned for the house from Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director...
.
History
The house was designed and built between 1754 and 1759, by John and Robert Adam, although the style of the house is more in keeping with John Adam's other work. Robert Adam oversaw construction until his departure on the "Grand TourGrand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
" of Europe. As such it represents an early independent work by the Adam Brothers, who had taken over the architecture business of their father William Adam on his death in 1748. The house is a finely proportioned, if unoriginal, Palladian design, with a three-storey central block connected to smaller pavilions by linking wings.
In 1885, the then-owner John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute
John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute
John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute KT, KSG, KGCHS was a landed aristocrat, industrial magnate, antiquarian, scholar, philanthropist and architectural patron.-Early life:...
commissioned Robert Weir Schultz to design the pavilions.
2007 sale
The family of the Marquesses has always had its main residence at Mount Stuart HouseMount Stuart House
Mount Stuart House on the east coast of the Isle of Bute, Scotland is a Neo-Gothic country house with extensive gardens. Mount Stuart was designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson for the 3rd Marquess of Bute in the late 1870s, to replace an earlier house by Alexander McGill, which burnt down in...
on the Isle of Bute
Isle of Bute
Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Formerly part of the county of Buteshire, it now constitutes part of the council area of Argyll and Bute. Its resident population was 7,228 in April 2001.-Geography:...
. In summer 2004 it was announced that the present owner, the 7th Marquess
John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute
John Colum Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute , styled Earl of Dumfries before 1993 and from this courtesy title usually known as Johnny Dumfries, is a Scottish peer and a former racing driver. He does not use his title and prefers to be known solely as John Bute...
, was intending to sell the house, contents and estate; and by early 2007 continued attempts to purchase it for preservation by the National Trust for Scotland
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
had fallen through. The house was scheduled for sale through Savills
Savills
Savills plc is a global real estate services provider listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. They have an international network of more than 200 offices and associates throughout the Americas, the UK, continental Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle...
and its contents for auction by Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
. It was thought that some of the art and furniture might fetch nearly as much as the house itself; one Chippendale rosewood
Rosewood
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for guitars, marimbas, turnery , handles, furniture, luxury flooring, etc.In general,...
bookcase, for example, was valued at £2m-£4m. Preservationists and campaigns such as Save Britain's Heritage
SAVE Britain's Heritage
SAVE Britain's Heritage has been described as the most influential conservation group to have been established since William Morris founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877. It was created in 1975 - European Architectural Heritage Year - by a group of journalists,...
lamented the imminent dispersal of an ensemble said to have remained virtually untouched since an 1803 inventory.
On 27 June 2007 it was announced that a consortium, led by HRH The Prince of Wales, including various heritage charities and the Scottish Government, had raised £45 million to purchase the house and contents (along with its roughly 2000 acres (8.1 km²) estate) and to endow a trust for maintaining it. This is to be called "The Great Steward of Scotland's Dumfries House Trust" — a reference to the title Great Steward of Scotland held by Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
in his Scottish role as the Duke of Rothesay
Duke of Rothesay
Duke of Rothesay was a title of the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707, of the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1707 to 1801, and now of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland....
. A major element of the financial package was a £20m loan backed by The Prince's Charities Foundation
The Prince's Charities Foundation
The Prince’s Charities Foundation was founded by The Prince of Wales in 1979 and was previously called the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation. The intention of the Prince’s Charities Foundation is to support charitable bodies and purposes in which the Prince of Wales has a particular interest...
.
The Great Steward of Scotland's Dumfries House Trust, is sometimes referred to as being one of The Prince's Charities
The Prince's Charities
The Prince's Charities is a group of twenty not-for-profit organisations of which HRH The Prince of Wales is Patron or President, eighteen of which were founded personally by The Prince. The group is supported by The Prince's Charities Foundation....
.
Dumfries House opened to the public for pre-booked tours on 6 June 2008.
His Royal Highness has pledged that Dumfries House will revitalise the local economy once again and contribute to the community; although in order to do this some of the House's preserved and unused furniture may need to be sold as there is no more revenue to keep the house soon, despite the Prince's investment in the House.