It was one of Scotland’s first fine art schools and hosted some of country’s leading artists including Joan Eardley, Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde.
Hospitalfield House was designed and built by artist Patrick Allan-Fraser, who upon his death left it in trust to support artists of the future.
The Arbroath Estate opened as an art school in 1902 and to this day continues to support upcoming talent from Scotland and beyond.
However, several buildings within the grounds are in need of repair and restoration - prompting a funding award of more than £92,000 from Historic Environment Scotland.
The funding will help Hospitalfield Trust to make the necessary improvements, including to the 19th century Fernery, the only building of its type remaining on the east coast of Scotland.
There are also plans for a new design to the walled garden, which will explore 800 years of the garden’s history.
Once the works have been completed, the garden and its buildings will be open to the public year-round and a new café will be opened as part of the plans to expand Hospitalfield House as a cultural hub.
The HES money is part of a £843,000 funding package for four Scottish heritage sites, with the Inverness Creative Academy, Dunollie Castle in Oban and the former Cultybraggan prisoner of war camp, known as Camp 2, also receiving awards.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “This funding for the restoration and repair of historic sites underlines the Scottish Government’s commitment, through the work of Historic Environment Scotland, to preserving our incredible built heritage for future generations.
“I’m particularly pleased that Hospitalfield House has been awarded money to continue its development and enable even more people to enjoy its contemporary arts centre and gardens.
“This is a fantastic example of how historic buildings can be adapted to new uses, ensuring that they can continue to thrive and make a valuable contribution to local communities.”
The Inverness Creative Academy has been awarded a total of £500,000 to repair and revitalise the 125-year-old historic building, which was originally home to the former Inverness Royal Academy.
The completed project will offer workspaces for cultural organisations and social enterprises, including long-term office space and flexible co-working spaces as part of the wider regeneration of the city.
A total of £141,605 has also been awarded to the 15th century Dunollie Castle for works to the exterior and the main tower.
This forms part of a wider regeneration programme for the castle, including its museum and grounds.
Comrie Development Trust has also been awarded £108,810 to redevelop 11 B-listed Nissen Huts at Camp 21, with five being redeveloped into high-quality, sustainable self-catering accommodation.
Another hut will be turned into a furniture store and laundry to support the self-catering offering, with the remaining five being redeveloped as commercial let accommodation including a possible pop-up café.
A self-guided heritage trail has also been installed at the camp with interpretation boards placed at intervals to provide information about particular buildings or areas of the camp.
The Perthshire camp is the only Second World War prisoner of war camp in Scotland open to the public.
This funding forms part of the HES Historic Environment Repair Grant programme which supports works to buildings or ancient monuments which are of special architectural, historic or archaeological significance across Scotland.
Amy Eastwood, Head of Grants at HES, said: “From offering public access to creating co-working spaces, these projects are fantastic examples of how conservation and re-use of historic buildings can make a positive contribution to the wider community.
“These funds will allow the projects to undertake the necessary high-quality, specialised conservation works required to help ensure a sustainable end use and continue Scotland’s story.”
The grant programme offers grants from £10,000 to £500,000 to support conservation-standard repair projects across Scotland which secure the original fabric of historic buildings and ancient monuments using traditional materials and skills.
Applications for the Historic Environment Repair Grant are open throughout the year and are considered in three batches. The next closing date is April 30.
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