Ballochmyle
was part of the barony of Kylesmure which King William the Lion granted
in the year 1165 to the Cistercian monks of Melrose Abbey. By the
sixteenth century Ballochmyle had become a separate estate.
In
1760, a "new House very neatly fitted up and finished" possibly
designed by the famous architect William Adam, replaced the old tower
house. Further extensions to the main building were made during the
succeeding years, including the front portion. The architect of the
front portion was H M Wardrop and the building was executed in red
"Ballochmyle Stone" from the quarries in Mauchline. Wardrop
was also the architect of the Station Hotel in Ayr which is built
of the same stone. The extension of the house was finished in 1886.
On
the death of Sir Claud Alexander, the house was let from 1899 until
1937/38. In 1938, arrangements were made to sell the house and policies
to the Department of Health for use as a hospital. Entry was tacitly
permitted that year and the missives were finally completed in October
1939, a month after the outbreak of war.