Trainees mastering heritage crafts have spoken of their pride after completing a unique nature hide to celebrate the 35th anniversary of The King's Foundation, the charity established by King Charles III.
A Monument to Traditional Skills
The permanent structure, a nature hide, now stands on the 2,000-acre Dumfries House estate in East Ayrshire, the headquarters of the foundation. It was constructed by students enrolled on the nine-month Building Craft and Conservation Programme (BCP), which combines training with work placements across the UK.
This project is notably the 35th 'live build' undertaken by BCP students, coinciding perfectly with the foundation's 35th year. Over a period of 13 weeks, trainees specialising in heritage stone masonry, plastering, and joinery collaborated to bring the imaginative design to life.
Inspired by Highland Legend
The hide's design draws from the Scottish legend of the Ghillie Dhu, a benevolent, solitary mythical being believed to have once lived in woods near Loch a Druing in the Highlands. The story tells of the Ghillie Dhu guiding a lost girl to safety, an theme of sanctuary reflected in the hide's purpose.
Built with a timber frame and an earth roof, the hide features intricate craftwork including detailed stone carvings, a woodcarved window, and ornate plaster panels. These elements depict words and motifs from the ancient tale, seamlessly blending storytelling with craftsmanship.
Jennie Regan, 45, a former university administrator from Somerset who retrained as a stonemason, carved the circular stone block for the hide's centre. "It's going to have some leaves and a phrase from the story," she explained, noting the collaborative effort of six stonemasons, a heritage bricklayer, plasterers, and carpenters on site.
A Royal Endorsement of Craft
Aston Harrison-Taylor, 29, a plasterer from Worcester, worked on the decorative plaster panels. He shared the significance of the project, revealing that King Charles III visited the site a month prior to see the progress and attend a graduation.
"He gave us some suggestions on craftsmen that he knew of … and just had a genuine appreciation for the sort of work we're doing and the skills that we're trying to learn here," Harrison-Taylor said. He emphasised the environmental and practical importance of preserving these methods for maintaining the UK's older housing stock.
"It's a real honour to have something in Dumfries House that's actually going to be a permanent structure here, which people will be able to come and enjoy for hopefully a long time," he added.
A Lasting Legacy for the UK
Simon Sadinsky, Executive Director of The King's Foundation, stated: "Since His Majesty King Charles III first founded the Institute of Architecture in 1990, our students have established a proud tradition of enhancing the public realm across the UK."
He confirmed the new hide "will stand as a monument to the skill of our 2025 BCP students, as well as the commitment of The King's Foundation to preserving traditional craft skills, for generations to come."
The foundation's 35 live builds are now spread across all four nations of the UK. Previous projects include a 'goose hoose' in Scotland, a summerhouse at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland, a pavilion in Poundbury, Dorset, and a thatched bird hide at Llangorse Lake in Wales.
