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Trust seeking to save Robert Burns' farm secures support

Molly ArmstrongBBC Scotland News
News imageColin Hattersley An image of a man in a black suit jacket in front of some greeneryColin Hattersley
Project curator Adam Dickson said the project would provide a "world-class experience for the local community and visitors"

The trust trying to raise £12m to save the historic farm where Robert Burns wrote some of his most famous works has secured a slice of funding.

The £60,000 will be used to help design the restored farmhouse and steading at Ellisland Farm, near Dumfries, to tell the story of the poet, his wife Jean Armour and their young family.

The Robert Burns Ellisland Trust received the funding in the latest round of the Museum Development Fund - administered by Museums Galleries Scotland with support from the Scottish government.

It was one of 12 museums across the country to receive a share of the funding and the only successful recipient in Dumfries and Galloway.

News imageIan Findlay An image of a farmhouse below a blue sky, with green grass and a pavement in frontIan Findlay
The grant will help the trust to turn years of research into plans for a new interpretation of the historic site once restoration work is complete

Visitors will be able to experience Ellisland through Burns' eyes while learning more about the family life he shared with Jean in the house he designed and built in 1788.

The trust said songs and poems written during Burns' time at Ellisland, including Auld Lang Syne and Tam o' Shanter, would be woven into the visitor experience.

More than a quarter of Burns' literary output was created during his years at the farm, which is regarded as the best-preserved of all his homes.

Project curator Adam Dickson said the funding would help deliver an "authentic and world-class experience" for local people and visitors.

Project director Joan McAlpine said the award marked an important step in efforts to restore and safeguard the historic property for future generations.

The funding is the latest development in the trust's £12m Save the Home of Auld Lang Syne campaign.

Planning permission for the restoration project was granted by Dumfries and Galloway Council earlier this year, with detailed design work now under way.

Ellisland remains open to visitors while plans for its future continue to take shape.