Parks and Activities South Ayrshire

Historic Places - Rozelle Estate

Rozelle Estate | Rozelle Wildlife | Rozelle Woodland

Robert Hamilton of Bourtreehill purchased the land on which the Estate is situated at the sale of the Barony lands in 1754. He originally named the Estate after a former property that he owned in Jamaica. The original house was a square Georgian Mansion in the "Adam" style, while the porch & the extension to the rear were built around 1860.

The existing Estate comprises 96 acres of mixed woodlands, parkland & pond, & was gifted to the town of Ayr in 1968 by Lieutenant Commander J. Hamilton, R.N. (Retired) with the proviso that the estate be used for cultural & recreational purposes only. It is interesting to note that from the time the house was built to the time the estate was gifted to the town of Ayr it was solely occupied by the Hamilton family.

The Maclaurin Galleries are housed in what were the stables & servants quarters. This was only made possible by Mrs. Mary Maclaurin who gifted a sum of money to the town, which permitted the restoration of these buildings & the establishment of the Art Gallery, which was opened in 1976.

Visitors maybe interested to know that the "gardens" are thought to be of conservation value. The Countryside Commission and Nature Conservancy Council identified eight sites within South Ayrshire that were of particular importance, Rozelle being one of them.

Map of Rozelle Estate