PLANS have been disclosed for a community cafe and estate shop at an important A-listed 19th-century Scottish Borders baronial mansion now owned by English comedian Alan Carr.
Ayton Castle in Eyemouth is set among garden terraces, parkland and attractive woodland, which together make an outstanding scenic contribution to the local landscape.
Scottish Borders Council has received an application to repair, conserve and convert vacant potting sheds and ancillary buildings into a cafe and estate shop, inclusive of public toilets, staff welfare and storage facilities.
A submission with the application, from Edinburgh-based Lorn Macneal Architects, states: “The proposal by our client to preserve and convert the potting sheds into a cafe and estate shop is both an appropriate change of use and one which meets all basic principles of preservation, conservation and long-term sustainability while managing change in historic buildings.”
Red sandstone Ayton Castle dates from 1845-51 and was built for William Mitchell-Innes by James Gillespie Graham after a fire in 1834 destroyed the original building, then owned by the Fordyce family, who were responsible for rebuilding a significant part of Ayton village.
Ayton Castle was sold to the Liddell Grainger family in 1886 who retained ownership until 2014.
In February this year it was announced that comedian and television personality Alan Carr, winner of TV’s Celebrity Traitors, had purchased the castle for £3.75m, with plans to undertake a full renovation while documenting the project for a new Disney+ series.
