Georgian Garlieston
Back in September when we went camping down in Galloway I went to visit a tiny little town called Garlieston, where one of the Indefatigable's midshipmen John McKerlie lived for some time after the left the navy at the end of the Napoleonic wars. The day I visited I was lucky enough to catch a guided walk by historian Lucy Inglis, on the Georgian architecture of the town. The event was part of the Wigtown Book Festival and what made it all the more interesting was that several local residents came along and chipped in additional details about the history of the town and its buildings.
South Crescent and Bowling Green
Garlieston was reconstructed according to plans laid down by the 7th Lord Galloway in the 1760s. Two small crescents run out from either side of the central grain mill and front onto the large tidal bay that forms Garlieston harbour.
Garlieston Mill
Many of the crescents’ neat white houses date to the late Georgian period, though there are also some earlier 17th century and later Scottish baronial style houses too.
Scottish Baronial style house on North Crescent
Some of the construction work of the town, and nearby Galloway House, was undertaken by French Napoleonic prisoners of war who were housed in a building at the northern end of the cresent, which is still known as “the barracks”. A former resident of the barracks explained that the ground floor of the building is much lower than the upper floor, being little over six feet high from floor to ceiling, which led Lucy Inglis to suggest that the ground floor may have been used as a mess room, with the upper floor forming the prisoners living quarters.
The Barracks
Garlieston harbour was developed from 1815 onwards and continually improved throughout the early part of the 19th century. The harbour is now dominated by some rather ugly modern flats built on the site of a former animal feed granary built in 1948, however a few of the original 19th century harbour warehouses have survived.
Harbour Flats
One has recently been converted into holiday cottages, but the second is listed on Scotland’s historic Buildings at Risk register.
Harbour Warehouses
Garlieston’s wealth in the 19th century was founded on a thriving fishing fleet, and merchant cargo trade with Liverpool, Waterford, Whitehaven, Dublin and Glasgow. The town’s main exports were grain, potatoes and livestock, while coal and lime were imported . Associated maritime industries developed around the harbour including boat building, saw milling, rope and sail making. Lloyds Shipping Register for 1831 lists eight Garlieston built vessels with a combined tonnage of almost 600 tons operating from the port; including one called the Lord Exmouth, a 93 ton brig. Boat building continued at Garlieston well into the 20th century but the site of the former boat yard is now a Caravan Club park.
Garlieston Boatyard, 1900
John McKerlie’s association with Garlieston dates back to 1806 when he sent a letter to the Admiralty from the town, about a pension for serious injuries, including the loss of his right arm, which he had sustained during the Droits de L’Homme engagement. Around this time McKerlie had been seconded from the navy to work with Thomas Telford surveying harbours, roads and bridges for a parliamentary report on communications between England and Ireland, via the North West of Scotland.
McKerlie was born in Glenluce, Galloway in 1775, and first went to sea as a young boy with a friend of his father’s who was employed in the Baltic trade. He entered the Royal Navy in April 1794, as a volunteer when he joined Pellew’s Arethusa. The following year, he followed Pellew to the Indefatigable, and despite the loss of his arm, McKerlie had an active and successful naval career. He took part in several notable frigate engagements and boat actions, served at Trafalgar as lieutenant of the Spartiate, was commended for gallant service during the Walcheren expedition and commanded a squadron of ships stationed off Heligoland, where he was instrumental in overseeing the defence and retreat from Cuxhaven.
McKerlie returned to Garlieston towards the end of the war in 1813 but, despite finally being awarded the rank of post captain, he was unable to get another command. Instead, he turned his attention to merchant shipping and, between 1823 and 1826, was the captain and joint owner of the smack Garlies operating between Waterford, Liverpool and Garlieston. McKerlie is also listed as the owner of the 90 ton schooner Keith Stewart, Captain W Hannah, working from London to Dublin. It seems more than likely that McKerlie also had a hand in naming the Lord Exmouth brig :)
McKerlie had one final opportunity for naval service when he was appointed as captain of the controversial Symondite frigate, Vernon, between 1834 and 1837. It seems likely that this appointment came about through McKerlie’s association with the Earls of Galloway as Sir James Graham, First Lord of the Admiralty between 1830 and 1834, happened to be the grandson of the 7th Lord Galloway.
McKerlie, left Garlieston towards the end of his life and moved fifteen miles north to Corvisel House, just outside the market town of Newton Stewart. In 1847 he was one of only eight surviving Indefatigable veterans who had lived long enough to apply for the Naval General Service Medal with a clasp for the Droits de L’Homme engagement. The following year, in 1848, Rear Admiral John McKerlie died at Corvisel House at the age of seventy-three.
Corvisel house
The railway reached Garliestown in 1876, diminishing the importance of the town's merchant shipping trade. One current resident said that in the 1950’s their mother had been able to travel by train directly from Garlieston to Edinburgh and Glasgow without ever having to leave her seat, as separate carriages were provided to transport passengers to each city. The Garlieston line was closed following the Beeching rail cuts of the 1960’s and the nearest railway station is now Stranraer, over 30 miles away.
Garlieston witnessed a renewed burst of activity during the Second World War when the bay was used to develop and test the floating Mulberry Harbours used during Operation Overlord and the Battle of Normandy.
Harbour Warehouse and Breakwater
Garlieston is now a popular holiday destination, many of the town’s houses are owned as second holiday homes and the harbour is popular with yachts. Little remains of the thriving port that John McKerlie would have known in the mid 18th century but it's still a lovely place to visit and while away an afternoon.
South Crescent and Bowling Green
Garlieston was reconstructed according to plans laid down by the 7th Lord Galloway in the 1760s. Two small crescents run out from either side of the central grain mill and front onto the large tidal bay that forms Garlieston harbour.
Garlieston Mill
Many of the crescents’ neat white houses date to the late Georgian period, though there are also some earlier 17th century and later Scottish baronial style houses too.
Scottish Baronial style house on North Crescent
Some of the construction work of the town, and nearby Galloway House, was undertaken by French Napoleonic prisoners of war who were housed in a building at the northern end of the cresent, which is still known as “the barracks”. A former resident of the barracks explained that the ground floor of the building is much lower than the upper floor, being little over six feet high from floor to ceiling, which led Lucy Inglis to suggest that the ground floor may have been used as a mess room, with the upper floor forming the prisoners living quarters.
The Barracks
Garlieston harbour was developed from 1815 onwards and continually improved throughout the early part of the 19th century. The harbour is now dominated by some rather ugly modern flats built on the site of a former animal feed granary built in 1948, however a few of the original 19th century harbour warehouses have survived.
Harbour Flats
One has recently been converted into holiday cottages, but the second is listed on Scotland’s historic Buildings at Risk register.
Harbour Warehouses
Garlieston’s wealth in the 19th century was founded on a thriving fishing fleet, and merchant cargo trade with Liverpool, Waterford, Whitehaven, Dublin and Glasgow. The town’s main exports were grain, potatoes and livestock, while coal and lime were imported . Associated maritime industries developed around the harbour including boat building, saw milling, rope and sail making. Lloyds Shipping Register for 1831 lists eight Garlieston built vessels with a combined tonnage of almost 600 tons operating from the port; including one called the Lord Exmouth, a 93 ton brig. Boat building continued at Garlieston well into the 20th century but the site of the former boat yard is now a Caravan Club park.
Garlieston Boatyard, 1900
John McKerlie’s association with Garlieston dates back to 1806 when he sent a letter to the Admiralty from the town, about a pension for serious injuries, including the loss of his right arm, which he had sustained during the Droits de L’Homme engagement. Around this time McKerlie had been seconded from the navy to work with Thomas Telford surveying harbours, roads and bridges for a parliamentary report on communications between England and Ireland, via the North West of Scotland.
McKerlie was born in Glenluce, Galloway in 1775, and first went to sea as a young boy with a friend of his father’s who was employed in the Baltic trade. He entered the Royal Navy in April 1794, as a volunteer when he joined Pellew’s Arethusa. The following year, he followed Pellew to the Indefatigable, and despite the loss of his arm, McKerlie had an active and successful naval career. He took part in several notable frigate engagements and boat actions, served at Trafalgar as lieutenant of the Spartiate, was commended for gallant service during the Walcheren expedition and commanded a squadron of ships stationed off Heligoland, where he was instrumental in overseeing the defence and retreat from Cuxhaven.
McKerlie returned to Garlieston towards the end of the war in 1813 but, despite finally being awarded the rank of post captain, he was unable to get another command. Instead, he turned his attention to merchant shipping and, between 1823 and 1826, was the captain and joint owner of the smack Garlies operating between Waterford, Liverpool and Garlieston. McKerlie is also listed as the owner of the 90 ton schooner Keith Stewart, Captain W Hannah, working from London to Dublin. It seems more than likely that McKerlie also had a hand in naming the Lord Exmouth brig :)
McKerlie had one final opportunity for naval service when he was appointed as captain of the controversial Symondite frigate, Vernon, between 1834 and 1837. It seems likely that this appointment came about through McKerlie’s association with the Earls of Galloway as Sir James Graham, First Lord of the Admiralty between 1830 and 1834, happened to be the grandson of the 7th Lord Galloway.
McKerlie, left Garlieston towards the end of his life and moved fifteen miles north to Corvisel House, just outside the market town of Newton Stewart. In 1847 he was one of only eight surviving Indefatigable veterans who had lived long enough to apply for the Naval General Service Medal with a clasp for the Droits de L’Homme engagement. The following year, in 1848, Rear Admiral John McKerlie died at Corvisel House at the age of seventy-three.
Corvisel house
The railway reached Garliestown in 1876, diminishing the importance of the town's merchant shipping trade. One current resident said that in the 1950’s their mother had been able to travel by train directly from Garlieston to Edinburgh and Glasgow without ever having to leave her seat, as separate carriages were provided to transport passengers to each city. The Garlieston line was closed following the Beeching rail cuts of the 1960’s and the nearest railway station is now Stranraer, over 30 miles away.
Garlieston witnessed a renewed burst of activity during the Second World War when the bay was used to develop and test the floating Mulberry Harbours used during Operation Overlord and the Battle of Normandy.
Harbour Warehouse and Breakwater
Garlieston is now a popular holiday destination, many of the town’s houses are owned as second holiday homes and the harbour is popular with yachts. Little remains of the thriving port that John McKerlie would have known in the mid 18th century but it's still a lovely place to visit and while away an afternoon.