Former home of Robert Burns toasts funding boost

Efforts to save the farm where Robert Burns wrote his international anthem Auld Lang Syne have received a significant boost.

We have awarded Robert Burns Ellisland Trust with a £313,210 grant to assist its plans to restore Ellisland Farm, north of Dumfries, and move a step closer to turning the site into a first-class visitor attraction.

SOSE’s support - alongside a £489,207 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in October 2024 - will allow the first phase of the ‘Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne’ project to be carried out.

Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne

This will see completion of the design work for the renovation and adaptation of the historic buildings on the site, as well as three accommodation units.

The funding will also allow the Trust to move towards its long-term vision to showcase Burns in a modern and interactive way and establish Ellisland as a creative destination for artists workshops and residencies.

What did Burns achieve while staying at Ellisland?

Robert Burns experienced his most fruitful years at Ellisland, having taken up the lease at the farm and built a home there in 1788.

He brought his wife Jean Armour, and his two year-old son Robert (Bobby) to Ellisland and two further sons, Francis Wallace and William Nicol, were born at the farm.

Burns was especially creative at Ellisland, writing a quarter of his songs and poems, including Auld Lang Syne and Tam o Shanter.

Two of the rooms in his former home have been preserved, alongside a considerable collection of artefacts and manuscripts which can be viewed today at Ellisland.

But work is now needed to restore Ellisland and help make the nationally important site financially sustainable.

The Trust is seeking to procure a conservation architect-led team to take forward the design work funded by SOSE and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Expressions of interest have been submitted through the Public Contracts Scotland website and invitations to tender will be issued soon.

Dumfries & Galloway and Burns 

• Ellisland Farm hopes to capitalise on the continued fascination with Robert Burns, with a report in 2020 finding his economic and cultural importance to Scotland is worth over £200 million per year.
• The Burns Tourism Partnership also launched a campaign last year to establish Dumfries as The Bard’s Town and celebrate Dumfriesshire’s unparalleled connections to Robert Burns. 

Robert Burns Ellisland Farm Trust’s Project Director, Joan McAlpine said:

 “This support from SOSE is transformational and, together with the National Lottery Heritage Fund money, gives us the resources to begin the development stage of the campaign to Save the Home of Auld Lang Syne.

“We will shortly invite tenders from design teams to adapt and preserve these exceptionally significant buildings, which were erected for Burns on a site he described as ‘sweet poetic ground’.”

Russel Griggs OBE, Chair of SOSE, added:

“Robert Burns lived, composed and performed in Dumfriesshire during some of the most prolific years of his life, with Ellisland Farm playing a pivotal role in his time in the South of Scotland.

“That is why South of Scotland Enterprise has over a number of years supported the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust with their ambitious plans.

“The project not only aims to preserve the home built by Burns, but also develop skills and create jobs in our rural economy.

“It will also bring more visitors to our region to discover the story of Scotland’s Bard.”

James Proctor, a Community Development Specialist with SOSE who has supported the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, said:

“Ellisland Farm is an asset of national significance and SOSE is delighted to be supporting the Trust to move closer to achieving its vision, which will provide so many benefits and opportunities for the local community.”

Business Minister Richard Lochhead said:

“Burns is part of the fabric of Scotland’s identity both at home and overseas. His work is renowned globally and is celebrated centuries beyond his lifetime, cementing his status as an international culturally influential Scot.

“So, I am particularly pleased that this support will allow a place that’s central to Scottish history to enhance its reputation as a first-class visitor attraction.

“Tourism makes an important contribution to Scotland’s economy and as well as providing £321million for enterprise agencies in the draft Scottish Budget 2025/26, we are allocating £4million to the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund to support projects that will enhance visitor experiences and improve support to communities.”