Formakin was the creation of John Augustus Holms (d. 1938), a stockbroker and art collector from
Paisley. He purchased Millbank Farm, as it was then known, in 1902 and commissioned a new house that would contain his art collection, from his friend, the architect
Robert Lorimer. Lorimer initially prepared plans for the estate, which was laid out from 1903. In 1907 the entrance lodges and stables were designed. The following year Lorimer converted the Old Meal Mill by the Dargavel Burn, where Holms lived while the new house was underway. Peter Anderson Graham, editor of
Country Life, when shown a photograph of the building believed that it did in fact date to the 17th century. The walled garden and other planting in the grounds was designed by Lorimer under the guidance of
Gertrude Jekyll. It was requisitioned by the military during the
Second World War, and maintenance began to decline. By the 1970s the buildings and grounds were derelict. After the Pickards died, a proposal was put forward to develop 195 houses on the estate, but planning permission was refused.
Renfrew District Council campaigned to save the estate, eventually purchasing it in 1984 with funding from the
National Heritage Memorial Fund. Formakin was operated as a visitor attraction for a time, and plans were made to redevelop the buildings and grounds. The venture was not successful, and Formakin was sold to developer
Kit Martin, a specialist in country house restoration. Between 1988 and 1999 the estate buildings were restored and converted into 17 private dwellings. ==See also==