u3a

Wigtownshire

Local History and Historic Buildings

Status:Active, open to new members
Facilitator:
When: Monthly on Thursdays
3rd Thursday in the month alternating with Saturdays
Venue: Out and about

Page last updated:

It's unlikely that we'll ever run out of places to visit or talk about as we live in an area that is full of places of interest from the historical and archaeological point of view. If you have any suggestions, please let us know by using the link on the right or at one of the meetings.

PLEASE NOTE This group is an amalgamation of Local History and Archaeology and the Historic Houses & Gardens groups from 2024.

The facilitators for this joint group are Kath G and Simon R.

Next meeting

Thursday 18th June 2026 2:00pm - Woodfall Gardens with talk and refreshments by Ross Muir, £8 donation. These are historic walled gardens.
We also have permission to view inside Glasserton Church (Category A listed building dating from 1722) which is next door, before visiting the gardens. Please be at the car park by the church for 1.30pm. What 3 words ///croaking.kiosk.assemble

Saturday 4th July 2:00pm - Explore Historic Portpatrick's Old Graveyard in the centre of the village. Follow with a 25 minute walk up the coast path to explore the ruins of clifftop Dunskey Castle. Meet opposite Harbour Inn at 2pm.

Thursday 16th July - Visit to Leadhills Mining Museum. Sorry, we have space for only 12 members. This visit is now full but contact Kath to go on the waiting list.

Photos of places we visited last summer

Broughton House Gardens (July)
Broughton House (July)
Orchardton Tower (Aug)
Threave House (Aug)
Dumfries House (Aug)

Recent meetings

  • June - Polmaddy mediaeval village and St Johns Dalry

    Local history group explored Polmaddy deserted mediaeval village and adjourn ed to St Johns Dalry for refreshments. The rain held off for the afternoon.

  • April 2026 - Closeburn Castle

    Local History group had most interesting tour of Closeburn Castle. Close links with the Kirkpatrick Clan, Robert the Bruce, Robbie Burns,. The present owner's step grandfather bought it in the 1980's to get it back in the Kirkpatrick family. Click on an image to see it at full size. © Copyright Notice - all images…

  • March 2026 - Stoneykirk Aviation Museum

    The Wigtownshire u3a History group went to Stoneykirk Aviation Museum on Saturday. 20 of us enjoyed an excellent visit with Steve explaining everything so well. Then plenty of hands on time with the aircraft, climbing inside and getting an idea of what it must have been like for the young men who flew them. Click…

Previous meetings

  • May - Walking History tour of Stranraer.
  • May - Visit to Polmaddy deserted medieval village and St John Town of Dalry
  • April - Closeburn Castle
  • March - Stoneykirk Aviation Museum
  • February - Barholm Castle
  • January 2026 - regrettably the speaker was delayed by traffic but members used the time to agree on future meetings.
  • December - planning meeting at the Wigtown Ploughman.
  • November - RAF Corsewall - Training RAF 'Webfoots' talk by Ian Badie.
  • September - Castle of St John in Stranraer.
  • August - Dumfries House and Gardens (joint meeting with the Gardening group).
  • August - Orchardton Tower near Palnackie and Threave House and Gardens
  • July/August - Tongland HEP plant
  • July - Broughton House and Gardens at Kirkcudbright (joint visit with the Art Appreciation Group).
  • May - A talk on the the history of Loch Ryan
  • April - A visit to Dundrennan Abbey
  • March - author Mick McLeod gave a talk on Creetown industrial history.
  • February - An illustrated talk by Kirsty Robertson of Newton Stewart Museum. Subject - Past and Present landowners in Machars, their castles and houses.
  • January 2025 - A talk by Bree from New Chapter Books. Subject: Local characters who are buried in Wigtown Cemetery.
  • November - A joint meeting with the Family History Group for an illustrated talk by Lynn W and Fred giving an Outline of the History of the Machars,  briefly covering Iron Age, Picts, St Ninian, Bernicia, Vikings, and Lords of Galloway.
  • October - Commonwealth War Graves (see link above for report and pictures)
  • September - Old Place of Mochrum (see link above for report and pictures)
  • August - former RAF Chain Radar Station, North Cairn (see link above for report and pictures)
  • July - Stoneykirk Aviation Museum (see link above for report and pictures)
  • June - Stranraer, (Romans, Vikings, Herring fishing, and WW2) and John Paul Jones cottage and museum, and Arbigland House
  • May - Tour of the former site of the RAF Chain Home Radar station
  • 25th April - Guided tour of Newton Stewart Museum.
  • 6th April - Sorbie Tower for a tour of the tower and surroundings.
  • February - Talk by Jayne Baldwin about the wrecking of the MV Orion just off Portpatrick in 1850 when over two hundred people were saved by local fishermen but 50 drowned. Also about Elsie Mackay, daughter of Lord Inchcape of Glenapp who, aged 27, disappeared in an attempted to fly her airplane across the Atlantic from West to East in 1928. Also the sad story of Mary Timney from near St Johns Town of Dalry who was publicly hanged in Dumfries for the 'murder' of a neighbour. She was the last woman to be hanged in public in Scotland.
  • January 2024 - Talk on the history of the Isle of Whithorn
  • November 2023 - Local historian, Donna Brewster talked about her book “The House that Sugar Built”. The story encompasses the sugar trade, slavery, and life for a mixed-race woman in Victorian rural Scotland.
  • October - Andrew Nicholson, archaeologist with Dumfries & Galloway Council talking about around eight thousand years of archaeology in the region.
  • August - guided tour of Creetown Heritage Museum.
  • July - Kirkcudbright; thanks to Don Cowell. Kirkyard Tours by Kirkcudbright History Society are run weekly. What do wine, Madras, porridge and scallops have in common? No, it’s not the menu for the Social Eating group but rather some of the topics on our interesting guided walk of Kirkcudbright’s ancient centre, from the harbour through the L-shaped streets. Wine was brought in from France (probably for the monks at Dundrennan); the sinking of the ship Madras, the prison tower and the current harvesting of scallops keeping the harbour busy.
  • June 2023 - Tom gave a talk about the history of Galloway House in Garlieston.

Back to Groups list