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The Adam Connection
Robert Adam was the leading Scottish architect of his day. Earl David, who had a keen interest in architecture, gave Adam complete artistic freedom at Culzean and became his leading patron in Scotland.
The Armoury was originally two rooms in Adam’s design; the entrance hall and buffet room. Though surprisingly small, the hall suited the scale of the 1770s rebuild. The chimneypiece is of natural buff-coloured stone, often used by Adam for entrance halls which he saw as a transitional space between outdoors and indoors. A Doric-style frieze completed his design.
A small section of Adam’s frieze survives above the door leading to the Library.
By the 19th century, fashions changed. The Marquess and his family needed a comfortable home which they could run efficiently. Wardrop and Reid specialised in designing country houses. Their work at Haddo House near Aberdeen, respecting the Adam style of the building, may have inspired the 3rd Marquess to do the same at Culzean.
The architects merged Adam’s entrance hall and buffet room, creating more space and light. The dividing wall was replaced by columns in natural stone, in harmony with Adam’s chimneypiece and the Doric frieze was copied throughout the enlarged hall.
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