We’re delighted to have acquired two very special paintings for the National Trust for Scotland’s collections in Fife. Now, we need your help to raise £5,000 so both can be carefully conserved and safely displayed in the places where they truly belong. With your support, Robert Gemmell Hutchison’s ‘Hopeful Forecast’ can be seen at Hill of Tarvit Mansion and Garden and John Henry Lorimer’s ‘The Birthday Party’ can be enjoyed at Kellie Castle.

Will you give today and help bring these paintings, and the stories they hold, to life for future generations?

🖼️ Background

We recently welcomed two paintings into our Fife collections: ‘Hopeful Forecast’ by Scottish artist Robert Gemmell Hutchison for Hill of Tarvit Mansion and Garden and ‘The Birthday Party’ by John Henry Lorimer for Kellie Castle.

Image: ‘Hopeful Forecast’ by Robert Gemmell Hutchison | Credit: Bonhams

Painted in the early 1920s, Hutchison’s oil on canvas captures a charming moment before a game of golf: a young female golfer checking a barometer and hoping for fair weather before her round. At Hill of Tarvit, home of Kingarrock Hickory Golf, the painting will help visitors step into the world of the Sharp family, who lived there between 1908 and 1948 and created their own personal golf course in the 1920s.

Image: ‘The Birthday Party’ by John Henry Lorimer | Credit: Bonhams

Lorimer’s ‘The Birthday Party’ offers an equally intimate glimpse into family life at Kellie Castle. Set in the Earl’s Room, with lanterns strung in front of the window, the painting captures the warmth, light and character of the castle’s interiors and reflects the Lorimer family’s deep and creative connection with this special place.

Together, these paintings help us share the human stories behind two treasured Fife places: the joy of sport and leisure at Hill of Tarvit and the creativity, imagination and family life that shaped Kellie Castle.

With your help, these works can be carefully conserved and shared with visitors in the places that give them meaning. Will you help us raise the £5,000 needed to protect them?

🔍 What we’ll do

Before they can go on display, both paintings need the skilled care of specialist conservators. This work will include cleaning away engrained dirt and discoloured varnish, carefully securing any lifting or flaking paint and stabilising the paintings by addressing frame issues or historic damage to the canvas. Every step will help ensure these precious works are protected and ready to be enjoyed at Hill of Tarvit and Kellie Castle.

🫵 Your support matters

As Scotland’s largest conservation charity, we care for over 300,000 collection items in more than 50 properties, including one of the country’s finest collections of art. Each object has a story to tell, and by caring for these collections we can bring people closer to the lives, homes and landscapes that shaped Scotland’s heritage.

These paintings will feel especially powerful because they'll be displayed where their stories belong. At Hill of Tarvit, ‘Hopeful Forecast’ will help visitors imagine the sport, leisure and everyday pleasures enjoyed by the Sharp family and their guests. At Kellie Castle, ‘The Birthday Party’ will sit alongside other Lorimer works, deepening the story of a family whose creativity helped shape the castle we know today.

Your gift, whatever its size, will help care for these paintings and the stories they carry, so that visitors can continue to feel connected to the people who lived, worked, played and celebrated in these special places.

🪙 £25 could help provide specialist materials used during conservation

🪙 £50 could help gently clean away dirt and discoloured varnish, revealing the paintings more clearly

🪙 £100 could help stabilise paint, canvas or frame issues, giving these works the care they need before display

If we're fortunate enough to exceed our target, any additional funds will support further conservation work for collections cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.

💚 Who we are

Established in 1931, the National Trust for Scotland is Scotland’s largest conservation charity. Our vision is Nature, Beauty and Heritage for Everyone and we care for, share and speak up for Scotland’s heritage. We’re the custodians of over 100 special places across Scotland, from ancient castles and battlefields to islands and mountain ranges, together with the diverse wildlife and habitats these places support. We speak up for the heritage without a voice, work to improve the lives of people across Scotland and respond to the climate and biodiversity crises.

*‘Hopeful Forecast’ was purchased at auction with support from Art Fund. ‘The Birthday Party’ was acquired through the National Trust for Scotland’s Restricted Collections Proceeds Fund for £13,360 at auction (inclusive of premiums and VAT). We are now raising funds for the specialist conservation work needed before both paintings can be safely displayed. As outlined in our strategy, ‘Nature, Beauty & Heritage for Everyone’, our commitment to conservation of heritage is supported through the ‘Caring for Collections’ policy: ‘to preserve what is special about Scotland’s heritage and to do this for the enjoyment of all’.