Shambellie House in New Abbey was the National Museum of Costume from 1977 to 2013, but since then, the Shambellie House Trust have been working with the Scottish Government to re-purpose it for the benefit of the community.
Now, thanks to £28,000 of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Architectural Heritage Fund, Scottish Enterprise and Dumfries and Galloway Council, these proposed plans can begin to go ahead.
Trust chairman Gordon Mann said: “We are thrilled to have received support. “We are confident that Shambellie House has a great future that will benefit New Abbey and Dumfries and Galloway in general.”
The grants support the first phase of work, focusing on business development, working with architects to cost out capital works, market research, developing the Trust’s Board, product development through community workshops, and business planning.
It is expected that this development phase will last about 12 months, after which the trust hopes to be in a position to apply for capital funding.
The overall vision is to develop the house as a resource centre and base from which to explore Dumfries and Galloway more widely, connecting it to the wider community, and allowing the courses to benefit fully from the environment, culture and history of Dumfries and Galloway.
Commenting on the award, Lucy Casot, head of Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland said: “Resilient Heritage allows the heritage sector to build financial independence and resilience in a changing economic landscape of reduced public funding.
“It provides a tailored package of support that responds to the individual needs of organisations such as Shambellie House Trust, so, thanks to National Lottery players, they can not only survive in these challenging financial times, but thrive.”
