Kerrylamont Farm

Isle of Bute

Kerrylamont’s future depends on making its remarkable historic buildings productive once again.

The former home farm of the Mount Stuart Estate on Bute includes a Category B listed farmhouse dating from 1777, extensive steadings and an exceptional Category A listed dairy. Dualchas was asked to explore their reuse as a centre for rural skills and enterprise.

A framework for gradual renewal
Rather than impose one use across the complex, the masterplan matches different activities to the scale, character and condition of each building. Potential occupants include food producers, craftspeople, training providers and rural businesses, sharing facilities and a wider working community.

The strategy is deliberately phased. Individual buildings can be repaired and occupied as investment, funding and tenants become available, avoiding the need to restore the entire farm at once.

Conservation through use
The circular former dairy is a particular treasure, with decorative tiled floors and walls, marble benches and a central fountain whose running water helped keep milk cool. Elsewhere, the farmhouse, byres, mill and steadings offer a varied collection of adaptable spaces.

Repair and reuse take priority, with contemporary interventions designed to support viable occupation while preserving the character and legibility of the historic group.

The Kerrylamont Centre for Rural Skills and Enterprise treats heritage as an economic and social asset. New businesses, education and shared activity can conserve the farm by returning it to its original role as a productive heart of the estate.