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Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 12:56 am
by Lucky Poet
Goodness knows how, but I've found myself down here. Two neat wee ruins:

Gelston Castle, which has certainly seen better days. Intact until the 1950s, apparently:
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/64 ... on+castle/

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The front door and fanlight are still there, against the odds:
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There's a chainlink fence surrounding the thing, and it looks easy enough to get in for a closer look. However, while pondering the idea there was a small noise like a pebble being dropped; 30 seconds later a hefty section of internal wall came down, from two floors above the doorway in the last photo. Maybe half a ton of rubble? It was loud in any case. If anybody reading this goes in, on your own head be it, so to speak.

Orchardton Tower, a far safer proposition, being a consolidated ruin owned by Historic Scotland. Apparently the only round tower house in Scotland:
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/64 ... ton+tower/

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Strange wee house thing above the stairs:
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Ciao!

Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:16 pm
by Lucky Poet
I was shown the most bizarre place I've seen in a long while: Corseyard Farm, a derelict folly-like dairy in the middle of nowhere. Locally known as Coo Palace, it must have cost an absolute fortune, being built to the highest standards in the Arts and Crafts style, mixed in with a slightly deranged Edwardian Gothic styling. Built shortly before the Great War for a wealthy Manchester shopkeeper named James Brown, it's worth a wee look, especially as it's now in the process of falling apart - the roof is coming undone, which is obviously doesn't bode well.

The whole thing, with the water tower rising above:
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A wee bit closer. All boarded up now:
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1911:
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Details:
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It was actually sunny:
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The place is definitely in trouble now, structurally speaking:
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There's a sad faded quality to the place:
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This was for, uh, something:
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Central courtyard:
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The fanciest water trough I've seen in a while. Or ever:
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It is still a beautifully detailed building. And built for cows, mind:
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More details, though they're flagging a bit:
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More wee details, this time on the gateposts:
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This seems to have been a gateway to a wee pasture area. Built for bloody cows. The owner must have been off his nut:
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On the way back to the road, this beautifully detailed wall lines the front of the property:
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Go visit if you get the chance. Here's some links:
http://www.follytowers.com/cowpalace.html
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/sho ... 6e&t=43192
http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/l ... 686859.ece

Some old photos here, from better days:
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/63 ... yard+farm/

Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:37 am
by Dave
The Gelston Castle is very similar to Loudoun Castle in Galston. 'xept Gelston needs some rollercoasters and that.

Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:12 pm
by HollowHorn
Amazing place, great photos & a 'found face' :D

Lucky Poet wrote:Image

Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:49 pm
by BrigitDoon
Lucky Poet wrote:
The place is definitely in trouble now, structurally speaking:
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Shame to see that. Putting a roof like that together is quite a challenge. Those timbers look quite recent, or is the light making them appear that way?

Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:54 pm
by tobester
HollowHorn wrote:Amazing place, great photos & a 'found face' :D

Lucky Poet wrote:Image



A very sad looking face too HH

Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 5:12 pm
by Lucky Poet
BrigitDoon wrote:
Lucky Poet wrote:
The place is definitely in trouble now, structurally speaking:
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Shame to see that. Putting a roof like that together is quite a challenge. Those timbers look quite recent, or is the light making them appear that way?

I think it's more the light; I understand nothing much has been done to the place since it was built, and the quality of the work suggests it was original. Wish I'd spent a bit more time there actually, as there are a few accessible interior bits I didn't get to. I draw your attention to the leaded window in the photo though :)

Here's one last photo for the hell of it - another ornate watering trough, this one being in the adjacent (and now overgrown) field:
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Forgot to say by the way, there is apparently an underground bunker for the cows too, though I only found out about it after I'd left. Wouldn't mind a second visit actually.

Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 12:55 pm
by + 1
I actually have some pics of this "Cow Palace" myself, thought I would share them-

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Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 1:07 pm
by minxy
Dumfries and Galloway is a fantastic area to explore, I've covered quite a lot of it, but unfortunatley well before I had a digital camera, and really enjoyed photography.
Kirkcudbright was one of my faves. I'll definitely be going on some long days out this summer and hopefully find some ruins abouts...apart from the usual castles I mean.

Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 1:52 pm
by + 1
minxy wrote:Dumfries and Galloway is a fantastic area to explore, I've covered quite a lot of it, but unfortunatley well before I had a digital camera, and really enjoyed photography.
Kirkcudbright was one of my faves. I'll definitely be going on some long days out this summer and hopefully find some ruins abouts...apart from the usual castles I mean.


Yeah Minxy I love Dumfries & Galloway. I have only recently become aware of the great places down their as some of my family moved down there. I love Kirkcudbright and my Mum actually got married there in Broughton House Oct 08. Lots of opportunities for pics apart from castles.

I fancy going to the Wicker Man festival this year.

Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 2:42 pm
by + 1
Minxy here are a few of Kirkcudbright -

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Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 10:19 pm
by HollowHorn
le_tigre_boy wrote:Image

Very nice indeed.

Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2010 7:12 pm
by My Kitten
Coo palace is an amazing place, although watch out for the bugs in the grass!

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Mill at Gatehouse of Fleet, a bit too much like "arbeit macht frei" for my liking!

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Clocktower, Gatehouse of Fleet

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Crockett memorial, Lauriston

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Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2010 9:50 pm
by Lucky Poet
It's in Dumfries and Galloway, just; the Grey Mare's Tail. Being a waterfall, and a brief visit it was. It didn't have much water falling when I was there, but that's the way. It was a bit of a flying visit, and I'd love to have spent a bit longer, but tough.

Looking up:
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And looking back down:
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Well-prepared walkers, unlike what I was:
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Big valley, or glen, depending on your politics:
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Re: Dumfries and Galloway and that

PostPosted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:02 pm
by Lucky Poet
Back there again, and lo and behold we were in Castle Douglas, at an old coaching inn:
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Then in Dumfries, admiring bridges as you do:
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Nice auld building:
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Timewarp type thing (I thought Wimpy was long gone):
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Other stuff:
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...And a bit of an oddity, being an original Henry Moore sculpture quite literally in the middle of nowhere:
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