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Six miles inland from Ayr, where the Water of Coyle thunders over the volcanic barrier of Ness Waterfall, Sundrum stands high on a ridge looking into the dramatic ravine created by the river. But it did not always look so good. A thousand years ago it was probably a large hut behind a wooden palisade; a decade ago it was a crumbling ruin.

It is a classic story of how an ancient Scottish keep evolved into a great and powerful mansion with estates in Jamaica, before degenerating into giant culture dish for dry and damp rot spores.

When Robert Burns wrote about Sundrum, he assumed that it dated back to Pictish times. Its true origins are indistinct, but what is known is that an ancient tower stood on the site for several centuries until it was radically enlarged, probably in 1792. The original keep was almost totally enclosed by a massive extension which was built in the then-fashionable Georgian style - a huge cantilevered staircase, new front door, and large classically-proportioned rooms. To connect it to the old keep, the builders of 200 years ago had to tunnel through 10ft-thick walls.

Old spiral staircases in the tower were either removed or blocked up. One was discovered during the renovation and is now being restored.

During the nineteenth century a Victorian wing was added to the other side of the tower. The result is a castle which consists of three sections, each representing a different era of architecture and construction.

In 1936 conversion work began to turn Sundrum into a 30-bedroom hotel, complete with French chefs and an opening date timed to capture the tourist market associated with the Empire Exhibition in 1938.

The hotel prospered. Later alterations revealed several secrets, including a priest's hiding place, and a ghost - ``The Lady in Green'' - which made a visitor-boosting appearance from time to time.

But when the hotel was sold in 1984, it passed through many hands and went into a steep decline when care and maintenance ceased. By the time builder Neil Condliffe stepped through the gates in 1991, it was a crumbling ruin. Five years later, the castle and its 90-acre estate have been transformed.

Former mews, stables, piggeries, a clock tower, hayloft and servants' quarters have all been redeveloped into charming period housing. A new courtyard - consisting entirely of new-build homes, constructed in traditional style - has been completed and several units have been already sold.

The remainder are on offer through the Ayr office of Cluttons at prices ranging upwards from #112,500 to #130,000 for modern three- and four-bedroom homes designed in sympathy with the castle and its outbuildings.

The most dramatic part of the restoration and redevelopment is now under way in the main castle building itself. With the support of Historic Scotland, three substantial houses are being created.

In a clever move, the restoration and redevelopment has divided the original keep and its Georgian and Victorian wings. One has already been sold, while the other two are on the market at offers over #250,000. They will make remarkable homes. Each in its own architectural style, they are all being almost entirely rebuilt within their exterior walls.

The work is on an enormous scale, requiring up to four dozen craftsmen and workers at a time. Some 28,000sq.ft of scaffolding was required.

Project manager Neil Condliffe, a builder with a long track record in restoration techniques, says: ``I arrived at Sundrum five years ago with a sheet of paper telling me that the whole place had to be restored and redeveloped - and some new houses built as well. The brief was as general as that. Every restoration is pigging awful in its way, but this one was specially difficult.

``I was looking at an utterly derelict and overgrown site, eaten away by one of the worst cases of rot I've ever seen. This job has required a wider range of restoration skills than most, but now that we're almost there and people are living at Sundrum again, it's all been worth it.''