JANUARY 2022 has been earmarked as a potential reopening date for a historic New Abbey property.
Shambellie House, formerly home to the National Museum of Costume, has been closed to the public since 2013.
Since then, a group of ambitious volunteers have been working to think-up a completely new vision and purpose for the building.
Shambellie House Trust now aim to create a “centre for creative inspiration and creative education” which will run day workshops and longer courses led by expert tutors across a range of creative and place based subjects.
Programmes of study will include creative writing, photography, wellbeing, quilting, singing and nature based activities.
In their spring newsletter, the trust confirmed that it’s in the process of securing the transfer of the house and grounds —which were gifted to the nation in 1977 — from the Scottish Government.
The update added: “We hope that by the summer we will have taken over the house and be starting to do the alterations and repairs to allow us to open up for courses by next January.
“We will only be able to use part of the house and there will not be any accommodation on site, but we will still be able to run day courses, exhibitions and some residential courses. Overnight accommodation would be provided in local hotels and B&Bs
“Cloverglen (our young adults group) continue to tidy up the grounds and are getting ready to plant 400 trees in the grounds when the weather allows.
“The New Abbey Art group are transferring paintings by the children of New Abbey and Kirkbean Primary Schools onto chairs as part of an upcycling project which will be on view as soon as we can open safely.”
Keep up to date with the latest from Shambellie House Trust at www.shambelliehouse.org.
