Cormiston Farm is surrounded by open fields, grazed by  horses and hebridean sheep. It was the home of Sir William Somerville in the 19th Century (lecturer in Forestry at Edinburgh University, and later Professor of Agriculture at Cambridge University); known as the father of modern agriculture.

The Georgian Steading was built about the same time as the original farmhouse. The original courtyard had been infilled with more modern agricultural buildings which have been removed. The Georgian buildings are being restored to their original state using traditional materials and techniques. Lime mortar is replacing the concrete used in the recent past, providing a flexible filler more friendly to the large stones.

The Barn was used as a granary, saw mill and byre in the past.

The buildings will require a lot of work to bring them back to their former glory, and then continual attention. However they are well-suited to the climate, and have lasted over 200 years to prove it.

Wildlife surrounds the farm. If you stay still, and are sharp-eyed, hare can be seen in the fields, and deer on the edges of the woods. There are badgers in the woods, below the farm, on the south facing slopes near the River Clyde. The piercing 'pieuw! pieuw!' of buzzards soaring high over head is unmistakable.

In spring the arrival of swallows and house martins, that nest in the barns and under the eaves, is a sure sign that the weather is improving. At dusk you can hear the warbling cry of the curlew, from higher up the hill on Biggar Common, as it searches for food.

The Old Dairy

Fixing the roof of The Hay Barn and Granary before the renovation.

Bales on Cormiston Brae