Dumfries House and Gardens, Cumnock, Ayrshire KA18 2NJ
Details
Accessibility
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/visitors/accessibility
Brief description
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumfries_House
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Queen Elizabeth Walled Garden
2025: "Dumfries House is a Palladian country house in Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located within a large estate, around two miles (3 km) west of Cumnock. Noted for being one of the few such houses with much of its original 18th-century furniture still present, including specially commissioned Thomas Chippendale pieces, the house and estate is now owned by The King's Foundation, a charity which maintains it as a visitor attraction and hospitality and wedding venue. Both the house and the gardens are listed as significant aspects of Scottish heritage.
The estate and an earlier house were originally called Lefnoreis Castle, owned by a branch of the Craufurds of Loudoun. The present house was built in the 1750s for William Dalrymple, 5th Earl of Dumfries, by John and Robert Adam. Having been inherited by the 2nd Marquess of Bute in 1814, it remained in his family until 2007 when the 7th Marquess sold it.[1]
Due to its significance and the risk of the furniture collection being distributed and auctioned, in 2007 the estate and its contents were purchased by a consortium headed by the Prince of Wales, including a £20m loan from the Prince's charitable trust. The intention was to renovate the estate to become self-sufficient, both to preserve it and regenerate the local economy. As well as donors and sponsorship, funding was also intended to come from constructing the nearby housing development of Knockroon, a planned community along the lines of the Prince's similar venture, Poundbury in Dorset.
The house reopened in 2008, equipped for public tours. Since then various other parts of the estate have been reopened for various uses, to provide both education and employment, as well as funding the trust's running costs. The Prince of Wales was in residence at the estate on 8 September 2022, when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, became gravely ill; he was transported by helicopter to Balmoral Castle, where she died later the same day, and he became king.[2] "
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/about/explore-the-house
Address
Dumfries House
Cumnock
KA18 2NJ
Phone
01290 425959
Website
https://www.facebook.com/dumfrieshouse/#
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/
Directions
Dumfries House estate: Main Entrance
A70
Cumnock
KA18 2NJ
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/visitors/getting-to-dumfries-house
Opening Times
Always check with the venue directly for up-to-date information including opening times and admission charges as they may be subject to change
Transport
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/visitors/getting-to-dumfries-house
Amenities
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/attractions/adventure-playground
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/hospitality/weddings
Accommodation https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/lodge/guest-rooms
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/attractions/arboretum
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/attractions/walled-garden
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/attractions/maze
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/attractions/woodlands-restaurant
https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/visitors/visitor-centre-and-shop
The Coach House Café at Dumfries House estate https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/attractions/coach-house-cafe
Dumfries House Estate
Cumnock
KA18 2NJ
+ Queen Elizabeth Walled Garden, Dumfries House https://www.dumfries-house.org.uk/attractions/walled-garden
Unnamed Road
Cumnock
KA18 2LN
+ The Lost Distillery Company Whisky Lounge
Travel Information
For further travel information in Scotland please see: www.travelinescotland.com
Or call Traveline Scotland on 0871 200 22 33
(Calls cost 12p per minute plus your phone company's access charge)
