Dumfries House, headquarters of The Prince’s Foundation, sits at the heart of a 2,000-acre mixed arable and woodland estate two miles west of Cumnock in Ayrshire. Built for William Crichton-Dalrymple, 5th Earl of Dumfries between 1754 and 1759, it was the first country house commission for architect siblings Robert, John and James Adam, whose practice later became one of the most renowned in Britain. In the early 18th century, the estate passed by succession into the ownership of the Marquesses of Bute and remained in their possession until the death of Lady Eileen, Dowager Marchioness of Bute in 1993. Tragically, her son, the 6th Marquis, died just two weeks later and the estate passed to the 7th Marquess of Bute, who eventually put it up for sale in 2007.
Attempts to find a buyer failed, but a national effort raised £25m to save the estate
