TWENTY one years in the making and designed by a famous architect who died before he could see its completion, Gosford House near Longniddry is undeniably a magnificent property that appears to have sprung straight from the pages of a Jane Austen novel.

As a first-time visitor to the family seat of the Earls of Wemyss & March, I was fortunate to have an attentive and informative guide in the shape of James Donald Charteris to navigate me through the mind-whirling maze of rooms within the neo-classical mansion.

The 13th Earl of Wemyss and ninth Earl of March inherited the titles in January 2009 following the death of his father, David Francis Charteris.

Fulfulling his responsibilities towards the family's vast estate, totalling 7,000 acres - which includes land in Haddington - has seen the Scottish peer travel on an almost-weekly basis between East Lothian and his home at Stanway House in Gloucestershire over the past three years.

An unassuming, quiet man prone to bursts of energy, the 63-year-old Lord Wemyss bounded up the 20 steps leading to the main entrance of Gosford House after greeting me at its gates. He navigated the complex of doors and corridors within the house with speedy ease, as I fought the urge to unwrap the sandwiches in my handbag and leave a trail of breadcrumbs to aid my exit.

Such was his enthusiasm for the property that was his childhood home, that my visit to Gosford was the first time that I've ever been invited to venture beyond the art-covered corridors and lavish furnishings of a historic property and view it from a completely different perspective - the roof.

Admiring the view (and trying not to topple over in the blustery weather), I learned how Lord Wemyss has taken up his father's mission to restore and promote Gosford House - a majestic yet financially demanding property that has endured its share of aesthetic damage in the past 100 years - as Scotland's premier hospitality venue.

Since 2010, Gosford has been available to host events for audiences of 100 to 400 guests. While the exclusivity of the house and its grounds is obviously one of its greatest charms, the property is also open to the public via a series of open days throughout the year - the most recent having taken place on Sunday, with great success. Members of the public can also access the extensive grounds of the Gosford estate by purchasing a permit for a small fee.

Built by Francis Charteris of Amisfield, the seventh Earl of Wemyss, and designed by renowned Scottish architect Robert Adam, the neo-classical mansion is nestled at the centre of 5,000 acres of combined coast and parkland, close to the county's Craigielaw, Gullane and Muirfield golf courses.

While Adam died in 1792 before the project was finished and his plans were somewhat altered, Francis passed away in August 1808, just 12 days after the house's practical completion.

"The house was not built to be a home but for hosting parties," said Lord Wemyss. "I'm excited it is now being used for the purpose it was built for.

"We're very encouraged by how much demand there has been for use of the house. We had no idea when we started how popular it might be." "Though it's quieter during the winter months, during the peak times we have clients hiring the property on average a couple of times a week. So far, it's mainly been European visitors who regard Scotland as an exotic land.

"They enjoy dressing up in kilts, holding tug-o-wars and caber tossing, things like that. There's also been some fine displays of Highland dancing as well." The seventh Earl wanted his "dream house" to serve as a counterpoint to Edinburgh Castle and, on a clear day, the house is visible from the Capital's Royal Mile and vice versa.

Further alterations were made to the property post-1808, including the construction of The Marble Hall, in the south wing, which was completed in 1891.

Lord Wemyss is dedicated to continuing his father's refurbishment, which has involved a "frightening" amount of money being invested in 1986 in works to repair damage and ageing aspects of the house.

"The goal is also ultimately for the house to be self-sustaining," said Lord Wemyss. "It costs a considerable sum to keep the property going and we have to find that income somewhere." The centrepiece of these works has been the restoration of two large rooms in the south end of the central block of the property that were destroyed in a blaze in 1940.

Gosford House and its surrounding parks had been requisitioned by the British Army in 1939 and would remain under military control until 1948 - the parks until 1958. On April 12, 1940, tragedy struck when fire tore through the central block. Seven fire units tackled the blaze and nearly drained the nearby pond filling their hoses, but they had the fire under control in an hour and a half.

Thankfully, the bulk of the centre block escaped damage. However, the fire caused significant destruction to three "enormous" rooms within the central block.

The 12th Earl of Wemyss and eighth Earl of March, together with his second wife Shelagh Kennedy, oversaw the installation of new timber-truss and a lead roof over two of the burnt-out rooms. The rooms are now available to host guests as part of the hospitality enterprise. In 1998, the ponds within the grounds were restored, dredging in the process 45,000 tons of silt.

In the last two years two stone sculptures of a lion and a swan - costing approximately �30,000 in total to purchase and install - have been erected on the roof to replace ageing figures there. Toilets have also been developed within the property's southern block.

The severe gales that battered East Lothian in January also caused problems, and scaffolding is currently in place to repair a damaged chimney and a wall torn down by the winds in the southern courtyard.

Next on the works agenda is to complete the restoration of the third room, which remains a charred ruin. A huge portrait hangs upon the blackened wall, an odd display of beauty in ruined surroundings. Lord Wemyss struggles to recall exactly which painting hangs upon the wall, understandable given the multi-million-pound art collection housed within the property.

"As the fire proved, it is much easier to destroy a thing than it is to recreate it," said Lord Wemyss. "The plan is to put a floor back in, unveil the window and clean up the walls.

"We would hope to complete the refurbishment over the next two to three years. Once it is complete, we will boast three enormous rooms and I think there will be very few properties in Scotland that will be able to rival Gosford House as a hospitality venue.

"For example, I think it would be incredibly successful as a wedding venue. It has such amazing potential." As well as his commitment to the prosperity of Gosford House, Lord Wemyss has delved into the history of the building's origins. Though the seventh earl left no letters or memoirs, Lord Wemyss was able to construct a history of his ancestor from his cash books, charters and account ledgers stored at Gosford House.

"I called him the 'Unknown Earl' because no one knew anything about him at all until I began looking into his accounts," explained Lord Wemyss. "It was extraordinary to be able to recreate someone's personality from scrutinising how he spent his money, and he accounted for near-enough every penny." His findings have now been published in a book, entitled 'Gosford House', which is available to visitors to purchase when browsing the stately home. The publication is dedicated to Lord Wemyss' father, whose "tenacity of his love for Gosford inspired him to surmount all the difficulties and dangers of his long stewardship.

In recent months, Lord Wemyss has also shared the house's colourful past with local history enthusiasts, delivering talks to groups such as the Aberlady History Society. He is keen to spread the word even further in the years to come.

"I would love to give a talk to Haddington's History Society, given the family's connections with the town [Amisfield House in Haddington was formerly the family seat of the Earls of Wemyss and was demolished in 1928]," he said.

One obstacle facing the success of the house's new status as a leading Scottish hospitality venue is a lack of hotel accommodation in the East Lothian area to cater for large parties of visitors to Gosford House - neighbouring property Green Craig having the capacity to house 12 guests - and Lord Wemyss hinted that investment may be necessary to ensure Gosford House reaches its full potential.

"I hope there's a way of attracting more tourism without ruining what attracts visitors here in the first place," he said. "It does seem the lack of large hotels in the area is quite a problem for attracting a certain size of party.

"That is one thing that I think we will have to look at in the future." For information on activities, events and bookings at Gosford, visit www.gos fordhouse.co.uk