Author: The Old Smiddy

Woodfall, known as Galloway’s “Secret Garden”, is an atmospheric 18th Century walled garden. The walls and surrounding woodland provide shelter and give a sense of security, serenity and seclusion… The late-18th-century walled garden, once associated with Glasserton House, is divided into three equal areas by internal walls. It still contains some original buildings and has READ MORE

Torhouse Stone Circle lies in the Bladnoch Valley, probably built 4000 years ago. It is the best surviving monument in what was once clearly an important landscape during prehistory. The stone circle, which is over 60 feet in diameter, is in an excellent state of preservation. Its 19 granite boulders are graded in height, with READ MORE

Sorbie Tower, or the “Old Place of Sorbie” is a 16th Century fortified L-shaped house standing virtually complete wall to head. It is now owned by the Clan Hannay Society (acquired in 1965) and is gradually being restored.  Although the current building is 16th century, there are 12th century foundations on the site.  The tower was probably built by READ MORE

Kirkmadrine Stones are some of the oldest early Christian memorial stones in Britain. They can be found at Kirkmadrine Church. While the current church was built in the late 1800s, some of the stones date back as far as 400-600 AD. The stones are displayed behind a glass door on the church building. The three READ MORE

There are three tall standing stones at Drumtroddan, dating to the second or third millennium BC. Two have since fallen, but the other one stands about 3m high.  The stones provide a stark and evocative reminder of a mysterious past. They’re part of a unique prehistoric landscape and not the sole reminder of ancient civilisation READ MORE

There’s a lot we don’t know about the marked stones at Drumtroddan. They could have been carved at any point between 3500 and 1000 BC, but by whom and for what purpose is a mystery.  The close proximity of this rock art to the Drumtroddan Standing Stones suggests the two sites may have occurred at READ MORE

Cruggleton Castle is accessible along a coastal path from the grounds of nearby Galloway House. Today the outward remains consist of a narrow section of barrel vaulting in what was the tower. It is known locally as ‘The Arch’ and is clearly visible from the B7063 Garlieston to Isle of Whithorn road. Formerly supported on READ MORE

This quiet little 12th-century church stands in a wooded copse set in the middle of a farm field like an oasis in a desert.  It is possible to park beside the road near a gate that gives access to the cultivated and pathless field, and a signpost directs you to a short walk across whatever READ MORE

These historic seaside gardens set in over 50 acres on the shore of Wigtown Bay on the Solway Firth were created in 1740 by Lord Garlies, son of the 5th Earl of Galloway. Galloway House Gardens is a charity-run garden with no staff and offers a fascinating network of formal garden paths and informal natural READ MORE

This site, rectangular earthwork on the slope of Camp Hill, north-west of Rispain Farm was thought to be a Roman Camp until it was excavated in the late 1970’s when radiocarbon dating established it as a defended Homestead dating to around 60 BC. The surrounding ditch is roughly rectangular and was almost 6 metres in depth with upcast banks on READ MORE