Biography
The original Rozelle mansion house was commissioned by Robert Hamilton in the classical style of Robert Adam and was finished in 1760. Hamilton had built his fortune in the West Indies. The house was remodelled and extended by David Bryce in the early 19th century. The Rozelle estate flourished throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but by the 1960s times were hard. Therefore, in 1968 Rozelle House, with none of its historic interior remaining and with much depleted lands, was gifted to the Royal Burgh of Ayr leading to its status today as South Ayrshire Council's principle Museum and Art Gallery. In 1975-1976 the servant's quarters and stable block were converted into the Maclaurin Art Gallery with funds from the bequest of Mrs Mary Ellen Maclaurin (d. 1971) in memory of her husband.
The Maclaurin Trust has built up one of the best collections of 20th and 21st century art in Scotland, part of which collection is exhibited from time to time and is lent to other galleries. The gallery also provides hanging space for various local art groups and attracts exhibitions from far and wide.
