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Dumfries House, Cumnock

Architectural Building · Tourist Spot
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Dumfries House (Scottish Gaelic: Taigh Dhùn Phris) is a Palladian country house located in the town of Cumnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It is 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 Prince'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 or Lochnorris, 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 Adam 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, after three years of uncertainty, due to the cost of upkeep.
Due to its significance and the risk of the furniture collection being distributed and auctioned in 2007 the estate and its entire contents was purchased for £45m for the country by a consortium headed by the Prince of Wales (later King Charles III) 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 duly 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 then 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.
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Dumfries House reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
951 reviews
Google
4.7
TripAdvisor
  • A most lovely, precious gem of a house. Well done the king and all the benefactors that enabled this estate to be saved for the prosperity and benefit of all the local people - and beyond! 
    A most lovely, precious gem of a house. Well done the king and all the benefactors that enabled this estate to be saved for the prosperity and benefit of all the local people - and beyond!  more »
  • We watched the documentary at Christmas of the transformation of Dumfries House.. This prompted us too come up North too visit the house. We booked the Grand Tour of the house.. WE were not... 
    We watched the documentary at Christmas of the transformation of Dumfries House.. This prompted us too come up North too visit the house. We booked the Grand Tour of the house.. WE were not...  more »
  • We love Dumfries House as a family, we visit regularly as we like to grab a coffee and let the kids run around the park. However on Sunday November 27th we spotted a young man, heavy build alone in.....  more
    We love Dumfries House as a family, we visit regularly as we like to grab a coffee and let the kids run around the park. However on Sunday November 27th we spotted a young man, heavy build alone in.....  more »
Google
  • Wonderful place to visit. Gardens are lovely and well maintained. Plenty of open space to enjoy walks and sit to enjoy the atmosphere and tranquility in certain sections of the gardens. Recommend taking your own picnic/ lunch as cafe is small / not much seating and not adequate to deal with large crowds arriving at same time . Toilet facilities are available however more toilets would benefit the public as there was large ques waiting to use toilets. Fantastic family day out can be had at Dumfries House highly recommended
  • Beautiful Adams house furnished with many Chippendale pieces. The house was excellent bringing it all to life. Extensive grounds with children's play area and an awesome walked garden.
  • Loved this place, can’t wait to go back. A great selection of little walks around the grounds, some spectacular trees and shrubs around the gardens and the arboretum. The walled garden and the maze were closed (winter) but another reason to go back again and again.
  • Lots of nice walks to take. Lovely play area for the kids. Didn't do a tour of the house as there was a wedding. Grounds of the house are lovely too. Cafe was very nice and very well priced too.
  • We had a lovely walk round the grounds and up to the Barony A Frame. There aren't signs for the path but head up the hill and you can't miss it! Dumfries House gardens are beautiful, and we particularly appreciated the café for delicious cakes and coffee.

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