Ballochmyle House is located 1¼ miles east of Mauchline (8 miles east of Kilmarnock). This fine red-sandstone mansion was built in 1760 for the Whitefoord family, possibly to designs by William Adam (1689 - 1748). The mansion is probably built on the site originally containing a tower-house. The building was extended over time with the frontage being added in 1886 by the architect H.M. Wardrop for Sir Claud Alexander. When Sir Claud Alexander died in 1899, the house was let until the government acquired the estate in 1939 for use as a hospital.

Pavilion-style buildings were hurriedly constructed around the house as the Second World War began to escalate. The old house was mainly used for staff accommodation and administration. The operation of the hospital transferred to a local hospital board on the creation of the National Health Service in 1948 to serve solely as a civilian hospital. The closure of Ballochmyle Hospital in 2000 saw the surrounding buildings demolished and the once magnificent house fall into disrepair.

Work began early in 2006 on the grounds to build luxury homes. The company, Ardgowan Homes, will also restore the mansion to as close to its original structure as possible. Scaffolding for the house began going up in November 2006. For information on visiting the show house, as seen left, at Ballochmyle, phone 0141 204 0390.