Dumfries House
To complement the splendid Rococo interiors of Dumfries
House the Earl bought many pieces of furniture from Thomas
Chippendale of London and from the Edinburgh craftsmen Francis
Brodie, Alexander Peden and William Mathie, virtually all of it
made for specific rooms of the house and all of which survives
today. The walls displayed the Earl's collection of Dutch, Italian
and French Old Master paintings and new works by Thomas Hudson and
others.
In 1792 Dumfries House passed through marriage to the
Crichton-Stuarts, Marquesses of Bute. The 3rd Marquess commissioned
Robert Weir Schultz to add a chapel, library and tapestry room.
These and later works from the 1890s to the 1930s were completed
without compromising the character of the house.
In 2007 the house, its contents and the estate were to be
sold at auction and the unique collection would have been broken up
and scattered after 250 years. A nationwide appeal by SAVE and
other bodies to purchase the house and contents raised several
million pounds, and an eleventh-hour pledge by Prince Charles
ensured the success of this endeavour. A trust will be set up to
run the house so that it can be seen by the public and the genius
of Adam and the craftsmen enjoyed for many years to
come.
