The scholar who proved that Robert Burns is worth over £200 million annually to Scotland has joined the campaign to save the farmhouse where the world’s most famous song was written.
Professor Murray Pittock, of the University of Glasgow, has become an Ambassador for Ellisland and the Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne campaign. He is a prominent cultural commentator and academic leader, and the author of the groundbreaking Robert Burns and the Scottish Economy report. He brings deep expertise on Burns’s cultural and economic significance to the campaign to restore Ellisland.
Robert Burns wrote more than a quarter of his life’s work at Ellisland Farm, including Auld Lang Syne. It was the only home he designed and built, set in a landscape shaped by Burns’s own hand. For many decades Ellisland was cared for by dedicated volunteers who created a museum with a significant collection, but time, weather, and financial pressures have taken their toll and a campaign was launched last month to raise funds to save it.
Professor Pittock’s groundbreaking 2019 research – welcomed by both the Scottish and UK governments, and an important component of the University of Glasgow’s 2023 Queen’s Anniversary Prize – revealed that Robert Burns contributes over £200 million annually to Scotland’s economy through tourism, festivals, food and drink, and retail, with his enduring brand value to the country assessed at almost an additional £140 million annually.
The study demonstrated that Burns represents one of Scotland’s most powerful cultural and economic assets, yet one that requires better infrastructure and promotion to reach its full potential. Crucially, the report specifically recognised a particular opportunity for Burns sites in Dumfries and Galloway.
Professor Murray Pittock said: “Ellisland represents an extraordinary opportunity. This is where Burns was at the creative peak that gave us Auld Lang Syne, one of Scotland’s greatest cultural exports. Yet the buildings face serious deterioration and the site lacks the infrastructure needed to properly serve visitors or protect its collection.
“My research showed that investment in Burns heritage delivers substantial economic returns alongside cultural benefits, for comparison, Mozart’s value to Austria was estimated at €5 billion over 20 years ago, and is far higher now. Saving Ellisland isn’t just about preserving the past; it’s about creating a sustainable asset that can drive tourism, support local communities, and showcase Scottish culture to the world.”
The appointment represents a full-circle moment as it was Joan McAlpine who, as MSP for South Scotland, initiated the January 2018 parliamentary debate that led to Professor Pittock’s research being commissioned by the Scottish Government. Now, as Project Director of the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, McAlpine is leading the kind of infrastructure development that Pittock’s report recommended.
Joan McAlpine said: “When millions sing Auld Lang Syne at midnight, they’re participating in a tradition that started right here at Ellisland. Professor Pittock’s research shows us the importance of making that connection visible, of ensuring people understand where the world’s most famous song was written, and why it matters.
“His recommendations for improved infrastructure in Dumfries and Galloway pointed directly to sites like Ellisland, and our goal is to create a sustainable cultural destination that delivers exactly what his research recommended. Murray’s ambassadorship means this campaign has the backing of Scotland’s leading economic analysis of Burns heritage and it reinforces that this campaign is about Scotland’s future as much as its past.”
Ellisland Farm is the only home Burns designed and built himself. During his three years there (1788-1791), this Category A listed Dumfriesshire farmhouse was the site of extraordinary creativity, where Burns produced 130 poems and songs, including Tam o Shanter, My Heart’s in the Highlands, and Auld Lang Syne. The 140-acre site retains the field layout, paths, and woodland walks Burns created, offering visitors the chance to experience the landscape exactly as the poet knew it.
However, a 2021 conservation study funded by Historic Environment Scotland revealed extensive damp, decay, and structural deterioration. The buildings can no longer safely house the museum’s nationally significant collection, which includes manuscripts in Burns’s hand, the Burns Family Flute, and personal items belonging to both Robert and Jean.
Burns’s most famous work written at Ellisland is Auld Lang Syne, a song that has become woven into the fabric of global culture. Carried around the world by Scots emigrating in the 19th century, it took firm root in America when Guy Lombardo began broadcasting it from New York in 1929. Since then it has appeared in defining cultural moments – including the closing scenes of It’s a Wonderful Life and the New Year’s Eve party in When Harry Met Sally – cementing its place as the universal soundtrack to endings, new beginnings, and remembrance. Yet most people who sing it don’t know it was written at a Dumfriesshire farm beside the River Nith.
Duncan Dornan, Chair of the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, said: “We are delighted to welcome Professor Pittock as an Ambassador. His research has been instrumental in helping Scotland understand Burns not just as a historical figure but as a living economic and cultural force. As someone who has demonstrated the value of investing in Burns heritage, Murray brings both scholarly authority and practical insight to our campaign. His support reinforces that saving Ellisland makes sense culturally, economically, and socially.”
The Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne campaign is seeking to raise £12 million to restore and recreate the farmhouse as Burns and Jean knew it, drawing on newly discovered material from the Rosebery family’s ‘Barnbougle Papers’ – 1788 shopping lists detailing everything from furniture and floorboards to seeds for the kitchen garden. The project will also create a Centre for Song in the historic barns, establish climate-controlled museum space for the collection, and develop creative residencies that will generate income to sustain the site’s future.
A recent independent economic study by BiGGAR Economics demonstrated the project’s transformative potential for the region. Once fully operational, the restored site is projected to support 65 local jobs annually, attract around 17,000 visits each year, and generate £1.5 million circulating annually in the Dumfries and Galloway economy, with an estimated £4.7 million in annual wellbeing value.
A campaign film, which premiered in late November, introduces audiences to Ellisland’s significance and the vision for its restoration. The twelve-minute film, featuring Scotland’s national Makar Peter Mackay, Jamaica’s former Poet Laureate Lorna Goodison, and Professor Gerard Carruthers of the University of Glasgow, can be viewed at www.ellislandfarm.co.uk/donate where supporters can also contribute to the campaign to save the birthplace of Auld Lang Syne.