Will you help save Burns Cottage?
Last updated 25th Jan 2019
There’s a desperate appeal to save the cottage where on this day 260 years ago, Robert Burns was born.
It’s emerged the Ayrshire poet’s birthplace is thick with moss and rot, the thatch has huge tears and the walls are cracking.
The National Trust for Scotland says it’ll cost £100,00 pounds to fix.
The charity's posted pictures showing how at the back of the cottage, the thatch has developed significant tears and has worn away, while on the front, moss is beginning to grow, collecting rainwater and rotting the thatch underneath.
The north west gable is starting to crack and pull away from the rest of the cottage, letting the wind and rain inside and damaging the interior plasterwork.
Operations Director of the Burns Museum, Caroline Smith, told us:
"This is where Burns was born and that's the unique thing we can offer with Burns Cottage."
"It's hugely important for tourism in Ayrshire. People come from all around the world to visit Burns Cottage."
Plans have been developed to repair the wall at the end of the cottage, which will be propped up and pulled back in line with the rest of the building. Cracks along the walls and windows will be filled, the roof rethatched and the outer walls re-limewashed, weatherproofing the cottage and protecting it for future generations.