Antique treasures unearthed at Dumfries House roadshow

Jul 18 2008

THOUSANDS braved the elements and turned up at Dumfries House with their family heirlooms and collections.

The BBC’s Antiques Roadshow was in Cumnock and the bucketing rain didn’t stop people turning up from near and far.

Paintings, chairs and the family silver were all ferried up to the stately home on buses from Cumnock Academy.

Queues formed from early morning as hundreds patiently waited to find out the history of their treasures and have them valued by the experts.

The show has now been running for over 30 years and judging by the crowds it’s more popular than ever.

The new presenter of the show Fiona Bruce, well known as the BBC’s newsreader on the ten o’clock news said she was looking forward to a tour of Dumfries House.

She said: “I am a big fan of stately homes and Dumfries House, it’s always exciting to speak to people who have brought along, often, very interesting items to be looked at. The antique experts love it too.”

Among the items on show was a Snuff Mull made from the head of a ram.

James Knox who campaigned to save Dumfries House was there with his kids, son Bryce and daughter Constance and they proudly displayed the bizarre object for the cameras.

This was Dumfries House’s first major event since Prince Charles opened the doors to the public in June.

Viewers will have to wait until September to see the show and the treasures on display.