Glenmalloch Lodge

Aristocratic Victorian Philanthropy

Although not far from Newton Stewart, the Lodge feels remote and looks out over the unspoilt and geologically interesting Galloway landscape. It represents the aristocratic philanthropy that characterised the Victorian Age. The cottage was built originally not as a lodge, but as a picturesque schoolhouse through the philanthropy of Harriet, Countess of Galloway, some time before 1842. The Earls of Galloway had been shaping and planning these Galloway parishes for decades and Harriet worked with her husband, the 9th Earl, to orchestrate an impressive programme of educational and social initiatives over some 40 years. Once, 25 girls were instructed in reading, writing, arithmetic and needlework in this tiny building.

An endearing mixture of Classical, Tudor and Gothic

The cottage’s pretty overhanging eaves give the impression of a building snuggling down into its setting. A handsome bay window hints at an opulence of detail despite the wildness around and the whole is an endearing mix of Classical, Tudor and Gothic elements. The Countess of Galloway clearly wished to demonstrate that she accorded some importance to education. We had no hesitation in taking a long lease to enable this delightful remnant of a countess’s bounty to be rescued from dereliction. Here, you can feel at one with the bracken, pines and tussocky hummocks of a Scottish glen, its weathers and it wildlife. Claiming the Lodge as your own for a spell we think you will agree that the Countess of Galloway’s generous embellishment of a humble building in the cause of education has not been in vain.

Sir William was a career soldier, a colleague of both Nelson and the Duke of Wellington and he had bought the Cumloden estate in 1817 for his retirement. It was Sir William who built Cumloden House, originally a thatched cottage orné; he laid out its gardens and walled the deer park that encloses Garlies Wood. He is also said to have loved to look out upon the ruins of Garlies Castle, the first seat of the ancient Stewart line that lies to the north of Glenmalloch Lodge. From 1740, the main seat had been Galloway House, but from the time of the 9th Earl, Cumloden House became a summer hunting lodge and, after the sale of Galloway House in 1908, the family’s main seat.

During 40 years of marriage the 9th Earl and his wife Harriet orchestrated and financed a formidable programme of educational and social welfare initiatives across their estates. They ran clothing clubs and competitions for the best kept cottages. They paid school fees for those who would otherwise have been unable to attend the parish schools and ran several schools at their own expense. In Newton Stewart, Lord Galloway founded an infant school for over a hundred pupils and Lady Galloway a school of industry for girls and the charity school at Cumloden.

A headstone in the Old Kirkyard at Monigaff records that Jane Ranken was teacher at the Cumloden school, from its probable construction date of 1836, until her niece Wilhelmina Masson took over in 1845. Both mistresses went on to teach at Lady Galloway’s school in Newton Stewart. While offering an important chance for girls from outlying crofts, Cumloden School probably closed soon after the Education Act of 1872, which provided compulsory education for all and from 1889 was also free for all. By 1894 the building was marked on the OS map as 'Park Lodge' and by 1904 was known as 'Glenmalloch Lodge,' the name we have kept. So far it has not been possible to trace any of its inhabitants after Miss Masson but it had stood empty and derelict since the 1960s, without water or electricity, victim of its own isolated and lovely setting. In 2003, Solway Heritage contacted the Landmark Trust to ask if we could help. A long lease was agreed with the Cumloden Estate and with a grant from Historic Scotland and donations from private trusts and individuals, the former schoolhouse has been sensitively restored within that setting.

Its stonework needed only minor replacement and repointing. A 6-bay wooden ‘porch’ was taken down in the 1980s, apparently because its lead roof was poisoning the cattle. Only its granite plinth stones survived and have been kept. The scar of the porch’s pitched roof is still visible on the chimneystack. The iron posts and railings are repaired originals. The original roof had enormous slates at the eaves, laid in diminishing courses up to the ridge. Unfortunately, few survived and so the roof had to be renewed in slates supplied by the Burlington quarry in Cumbria, a traditional source for south west Scotland. The pierced bargeboards are all original. The diamond-paned windows are reproductions of the originals, using conservation glass for the panes.

An extension was added at the rear to provide a bathroom by creating a larger version of the two original cludgies (one for coal, the other an earth closet). A new opening was made through the rear wall of the kitchen for access. We bowed to strong feelings from the local statutory bodies and built the extension to match the old, of whinstone struck from the boulders that litter the site. The new sandstone came from the Lochabriggs quarry near Dumfries, although the door surrounds are mostly the originals. The galleting, known locally as ‘mouses’ ladders’, is a traditional touch. The dark green used for the external paintwork matches the oldest paint on the stable block at Cumloden House. The rainwater goods are based on fragments of the originals but are replacements.

Inside, we have laid new floors. Joinery is based on fragments of the original woodwork, as is the front door. The replacement plasterwork in the original building is all haired lime plaster on split laths, although gypsum on plasterboard was used in the new extension.

Water comes from nearby Pulcree Burn, and is pumped up to the building and run through a UV filter in the roof space. A low voltage electricity supply has been buried to protect the setting and views, an essential measure to preserve the beauty of this wide glen.

Supporters of Glenmalloch Lodge

We are hugely grateful to those who have already supported Glenmalloch Lodge, including:

Patrons and other generous supporters:
Mr P Gammell, Mr C Gibbons, Dr E Hicks, Mr R Nelson, Mrs M Pudner, Mr B Sealey CBE and Mrs H Sealey, Lady Emma Tennant, Ms F Webster, Mr G Whyte and Ms S Whitley, Mr P Wright

Charitable Trusts and Foundations:
John M Archer Charitable Trust, The Batty Charitable Trust, Carpenter Charitable Trust, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, The Hugh Fraser Foundation, The Gloag Foundation, The Susan H Guy Charitable Trust, The Stuart Heath Charitable Settlement, Eda, Lady Jardine Charitable Trust, The Star Foundation, Peter Stormonth-Darling Charitable Trust, The Tay Charitable Trust, Hazel Wood Charitable Trust

Statutory Grants:
Historic Scotland    

We would also like to thank those who have chosen to remain anonymous, and the many other donors who supported the appeal.