Playroom

Early evening, August 1913, and a nanny is caring for the latest addition to the family.

Toys, clothes and baby paraphernalia are strewn around the room. Centre stage is a beautifully carved wooden rocking horse.

Costumes on display

In this scene the mother is wearing a cream day dress, partly covered by a Paisley shawl, which dates from around 1912.

The little boy wears a traditional white summer sailor suit. The young Prince Edward first started the trend for sailor suits when he posed for a portrait by the painter Winterhalter in 1846 dressed in an exact replica made by the official naval outfitters. It remained a popular outfit for boys throughout the second part of the 19th and early 20th century. Wide brimmed straw hats trimmed with a ribbon complemented these.

Furniture and paintings

Samplers are displayed around the walls. These are typically Scottish and reflect the themes young girls would have been encouraged to use whilst learning the different techniques of embroidery and needlework.

Alongside these are paintings of Dorothea and Euphemia Stewart, the 14th and 15th children of William Stewart (1750-1844) and his first wife, Anne Murray, painted in about 1803 by John Allen of Dumfries.