Lagafater is a 7000-acre (2832.8 ha) former sporting estate near

New Luce New Luce ( gd, Baile Ùr Ghlinn Lus) is a civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It lies in the traditional county of Wigtownshire, and is about in length and in breath, being the upper part of the original Glenluce Parish ...

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...

, Scotland. Since 1910 it has been in the family of its present owner, Sir Nicholas Spicer, Bt.

History

Originally in the hands of the

Earl of Cassillis Marquess of Ailsa, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 September 1831 for Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassilis. The title Earl of Cassilis (pronounced "Cassels") ...

, lands including Lagafater were gifted to Thomas Kennedy of Bargany in 1541 and 1550. The estate remained in the wider Kennedy family before being sold in 1822 to the Trustees of John, Earl of Stair. From there, it was sold to Robert Stewart of Corfin in 1847, to Sir George de la Poer Beresford in 1859, to the noted solicitor William White Millar SSC in 1863 and finally to the

British Linen Company The British Linen Bank was a commercial bank based in the United Kingdom. It was acquired by the Bank of Scotland in 1969 and served as the establishment's merchant bank arm from 1977 until 1999. History Foundation The Edinburgh-based British ...

in 1887. In 1894, White Millar re-purchased the Estate, and united it with the Dalnigap Estate which he had previously purchased in 1892. White Millar was subsequently imprisoned for embezzlement, and the estate was sold in 1910 to Cedric Randall Boult, father of the internationally noted conductor,

Sir Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, wi ...

. Sir Adrian's musical commitments were such that he could not visit often, and the estate was inherited by his sister, Olive I E Boult, before passing to her step-great-nephew, Sir Nicholas Spicer Bt.

The Houses

The principal dwelling is Lagafater Lodge, a large Edwardian hunting lodge that was built by Robert Stewart esq. in 1846 as a 'house for the accommodation of Sports Men'. The estate crofts and cottages have comprised Lagafater Cottage, Strabracken (ruined), Barnvannoch and Shennas (now sold). Dalnigap House, originally the principal dwelling for the Dalnigap Estate, is now also in private hands. The earliest habitations, however, are evidenced by the ancient

Hut Circles In archaeology, a hut circle is a circular or oval depression in the ground which may or may not have a low stone wall around it that used to be the foundation of a round house. The superstructure of such a house would have been made of timber and ...

that lie 800m south of Lagafater Lodge. These were recognized by the

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government that was "sponsored" inanced and with oversightthrough Historic Scotland, an executive ...

(RCAHMS) in 1981.

The Estate

Originally a large heather moorland, the best preserved areas can be found in the Black Glen, to the north of the estate. The high point, Beneraird (439m) affords a view over four kingdoms (England, Scotland, Man, and Northern Ireland). In addition, there are several large coniferous plantations throughout the estate. Alongside the Main

Water of Luce The Water of Luce is a river in Dumfries and Galloway, in south west Scotland. The Main Water of Luce rises in South Ayrshire, flows south to New Luce, where it is joined by the Cross Water of Luce, and flows into the Solway Firth at Luce Bay. ...

, a category 3 Salmon River, the estate is home to many

burns Burns may refer to: * Burn, an injury (plural) People: * Burns (surname), includes list of people and characters Business: * Burns London, a British guitar maker Places: ;In the United States * Burns, Colorado, unincorporated community in Eagle ...

: Laggie, Scraby Lane, Lagganbeastie, Drummanmoan Loan, Pinwherran and the Loan of Turchloy. There are a number of dramatic falls, notably at Whisky and Dungeon Glens and at Loups of Dalnigap. A large part of the estate falls within the Glenapp and Galloway Moors

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

(SSSI). File:Falls at Dalnigap.jpg, Loups of Dalnigap File:Lagafater Estate from the North (The Black Glen).jpg, The Black Glen File:The Centre of the Lagafater Estate.jpg, The Centre of the Estate, from the dismantled dam. File:Lagafater Lodge from the Burn.jpg, Lagafater Lodge from Laggie Burn File:Front of Lagafater Lodge.jpg, The main façade of the Lodge

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lagafater Estate Lagafater Estate Archaeological sites in Dumfries and Galloway Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Dumfries and Galloway