| 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 6th August 2:00pm - Whithorn Iron Age Roundhouse and Museum. Meet outside the Whithorn Story at 2pm. Tour of the roundhouse and site is booked for 2.30pm. cost is £6 each and Historic Scotland members are free. Ticket lasts a year allowing repeat visits. The museum now has a display of artefacts found on the local archaeology dig on which the roundhouse is based. the roundhouse is furnished as it would have been in the iron age. Other exhibits within the site too. Café within the Whithorn Story shop, where you buy the tickets.
Thursday 20th August 11:00am - Culzean Castle and Country Park. It is approx. 2 hours drive from Newton Stewart. Cost of entry is £16.50 and National Trust members are free entry. We can arrange car shares if you say you need a lift of would offer one. Dogs allowed in the country park, but not in the castle.
Thursday 17th September 10:00am- Great Tapestry of Scotland at Galashiels (proposed). Need to know who is interested in this visit before we arrange anything. Can be combined with visits to Melrose Abbey and/or Abbotsford if you stay overnight in hotel or B&B. Or a long day trip, approx. 3 hours drive to Galashiels.
Photos of places we visited last summer
Recent meetings
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June - Woodfall Gardens and Glasserton Church
In torrential rain the Local History Group were privileged to be shown the interior and history of former Presbyterian Glasserton Church, by the owner Julia Muir-Watt. After this we had a real treat learning about the history of Woodfall walled gardens. And had a guided walk around this beautiful garden in the pouring rain. The…
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July 2026 - Leadmine at Wanlockhead
The Local History Group ventured on a guided tour into the dark of a former leadmine in Wanlockhead. The museum, miners library and miners cottages added to the experience. The adjoining cafe provided snacks and refreshments. An educational and enjoyable afternoon. Click on a photo to view at full size Copyright Notice - all images contained…
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May - 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.
Previous meetings
- July - Leadhills Mining Museum
- July - Historic Portpatrick's Old Graveyard and Dunskey Castle
- June - Woodfall Gardens and Glasserton Church (Category A listed building dating from 1722)
- 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.