It was a pleasure to re-visit Dumfries House, the fifth Earl of Dumfries’s smart new house, designed for him by John Adam, the oldest of the three brothers Adam, who took over their father’s successful architectural practice after their father’s death in June 1748, with the possible additional involvement of his younger brother, Robert, who was in Italy for much of the time that the house was being designed, but who was named as party to the alterations to the final design agreed in February 1754. Maybe he tweaked the final design.

John was originally given the task in November 1748, was paid £22 1s. on 4 June 1750, and the first set of plans were submitted to Lord Burlington for his approbation in April 1751. On 19 March 1753, Lord Dumfries wrote to the Earl of Loudoun that ‘Mr. Adam has at last finished the plans and estimates for the new house’ and he bought two volumes of ‘Paladios Architecture’ on 19 July 1753. The contract for construction was signed on 19 May 1754.