Earlier this month, the Government announced its support for three new garden towns and 14 villages to boost the country’s housing supply. The majority of these are being built on brownfield sites, such as the former Deenethorpe airfield in Northamptonshire. But a few private landowners have already taken the plunge, at their own expense.

In Scotland, four of the country’s grandest families have set about building new towns on their estates. David Carnegie, fourth Duke of Fife; John Stuart, 21st Earl of Moray; Johnnie Grant, 13th Earl of Dysart; and David Paton, whose family has lived at Grandhome near Aberdeen since 1673, have each donned hard hats and are building settlements on their estates.