Saturday 1st
April 2023 until Sunday 3rd September 2023. “By kind permission of the Duke of
Buccleuch & Queensberry,
and the Trustees of the Buccleuch Living Heritage
Trust”.

A magnificent wooden architectural model of
Dalkeith Palace, built by George Meikle Kemp (1795-1844). The model took two
years to build from 1831-1832.
Kemp was engaged by architect William Burn
(1789-1870), who worked for The Duke of Buccleuch, to build the model from
Burn’s architectural drawings of a plan to revamp Dalkeith Palace.
Sadly the revamp of the Palace was never achieved.
George Meikle Kemp was born at Hillriggs, Biggar.
A monument to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth was positioned by
Biggar and Upper Clydesdale Museum, on the hill overlooking where the family
had lived.
From very lowly beginnings George went on to
become one of Scotland’s most famous self taught architects by winning a
competition to design a monument to celebrate the life the recently deceased
Sir Walter Scott. This iconic monument still exists today on Princes Street
Edinburgh.
In 1993, Patrick Baxter Furniture in Auchengray,
was asked by Richard, The Earl of Dalkeith, now His Grace The Duke of
Buccleuch, to look into restoring the architectural model. During the 20th
Century the model had been sadly neglected despite valiant efforts by Buccleuch
staff to maintain and keep the model secure. It took Patrick and his team
approx 3000 hours until 2001 to research and complete the restoration of the
model.
When the exhibition is finished it is proposed
that the model will be returned to the vestibule at Dalkeith Palace where it
was originally displayed nearly 200 years ago.