Wallace's Cave in the Lugar Gorge at

Auchinleck Auchinleck ( ; ;
) is a village southea ...

in the Parish of Auchinleck, East Ayrshire is an 18th-century grotto, contemporary with Dr Johnson's Summerhouse which is also located on the Auchinleck Estate. It shows superior workmanship and is possibly the enlargement of a pre-existing cave. The cave or grotto lies downstream of the confluence of the Dippol Burn with the River Lugar and is reached via a once well formed path; however access is now hazardous due to the condition of the cliff edge path and the vertical drop into the River Lugar.

Cave and access

The cave is a Category B Listed Building that is reached via a narrow path and some rock cut steps that follow the River Lugar gorge. Lying within a side gorge cut by a small burn, the final approach requires the crossing of the burn. The masons' chisel marks are very clear on the walls and their work created a chamber with a floor area of approximately 14 square feet with prominent rib vaults that rise from the four corners meeting at the central roof apex, thus creating the impression, deliberately or not, of a cross or

Saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

. The cave height is approximately ten feet and access is via a pointed seven foot high arched doorway, now minus its door, with one small, similarly shaped window to its left, as viewed from the outside. The window shows no obvious sign of having been glazed. The eminent antiquarian John Smith visited the area circa 1895 recording historic sites but makes no reference to the two caves on the estate. It has been suggested that this or a previous cave dates from the late 13th or 14th century. Warrick, writing in 1899, makes no reference to Wallace's Cave at this site although he mentions one near Lugar in the Cubs' Glen on the Glenmuir Water. John Thomson's map of 1832 does not mark the cave; however, the natural feature Kemp's Castle and the ruins of Ochiltree Castle and Auchinleck Castle are shown. The 1857 OS map shows a path leading to the site with no cave indicated, however by 1896 it is recorded. The 1908 map records the cave; however the access path is no longer shown.

History

It has been estimated as dating from circa 1760 and has been hewn from soft red sandstone in the Gothic style as a man-made folly or grotto, although the possibility remains that it was an extension of a natural cave. The RCAHMS Canmore site classifies the site as post-medieval and holds no details of the grotto. The original Auchinleck Castle stands upstream of the cave just above the confluence of the Dippol Burn with the River Lugar. It was common practice during times of war or unrest to hide valuables, charters, etc. in safe locations and it is possible that Wallace's Cave may have been first made for this purpose, as was the case with Bruce's Cave at Kirkpatrick Fleming. The first Laird of Auchinleck or Affleck on record was Nicol de Achethlec or Achethlic who was a great supporter of Scottish independence and is said to have been related to

Sir William Wallace Sir William Wallace (, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of S ...

. It is known that Nicol rode with Wallace to

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

where the English soldiers were defeated at the 'Battle of the Bell of the Brae'. It has been surmised that the grotto's name patriotically commemorates the romantic Boswell family association with the national hero and that it is contemporary with the surviving Gothic grotto variously known as Dr Johnson's Summerhouse, 'Boswell's Summerhouse' situated further upstream on the Dippol Burn near the Ten Shillings Bridge, making two grottoes hewn in the picturesque landscape circa 1760 to enhance the new Auchinleck House and pleasure gardens.

Micro-history

A visitor to one of the caves in circa 1947 describes a walk that takes him to "a staircase of broad wooden steps built into the steep bank, but so deep in leaves that the stepping places were hard to distinguish. It led down to the water's edge, and gave access to a large cave hewn in the solid rock. A fine dry apartment it was, and to sit on the carved ledge and watch the wagtails dipping from stone to stone, the burn clear as a sheet of crystal, was most restful." This may refer to the summerhouse named in Dr Samuel Johnson's honour.

Other Wallace's Cave sites

* A rock shelter near

Lugar, East Ayrshire Lugar is a small village in East Ayrshire, southwest Scotland. Lugar is in Auchinleck Parish, Kyle, Ayrshire, Kyle District, Ayrshire. It is ENE of Cumnock, and about from Cronberry and from Gaswater. Lugar was a Lugar railway station, stati ...

in the Cubs' Glen on the

Glenmuir Water The Glenmuir Water is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland.The river rises high in the hills south of Muirkirk. On reaching Lugar the Glenmuir is joined by the Bellow Water and is renamed the Lugar WaterAyrshire Rivers Trust monitor water quality for ...

. * On the opposite side of the

River Ayr The River Ayr (pronounced like ''air'', ''Uisge Àir'' in Gaelic) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. At it is the longest river in the county. The river was held as sacred by pre-Christian cultures. The remains of several prehistoric sacrificial ...

from

Wallace's Heel Well Wallace's Heel Well or Wallace's Heel is located beside the River Ayr (NS35502122) near the old Holmston lime kiln, Ayr, Scotland. It is a petrosomatoglyph said to represent the imprint of a heel and is associated with the story of an escape fro ...

; it is said that Wallace used it to hide from English troops. No sign of it remains. * Bothwell Parish on the South Calder Water, Lanarkshire, to the west of

Cleland Cleland may refer to: Places * Cleland, South Australia, a suburb ** Cleland National Park, a protected area in South Australia *** Cleland Wildlife Park, a zoo within the area of Cleland National Park * Cleland, North Lanarkshire Cleland ...

and close to the site of the old

Ravenscraig steelworks The Ravenscraig steelworks, operated by David Colville & Sons, Colvilles and from 1967 by British Steel Corporation, consisted of an integrated iron and steel works and a hot strip steel, strip steel mill. They were located in Motherwell, North ...

. * A natural cave in the Cartland Craigs, South Lanarkshire (NS 8691 4454) ravine. *

Corra Linn The Falls of Clyde are a series of linns or waterfalls on the River Clyde, near Lanark, Scotland. They are renowned for their beauty and have frequently been painted by artists. There are four in total: Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn, and Dundaff ...

near New Lanark, Lanarkshire. * A

Wallace's Cave Wallace's Cave is situated in Roslin, Scotland, Roslin Glen, in Midlothian, Midlothian, Scotland beside the River North Esk. It is also known as Hawthornden Castle Cave, after the nearby castle. It takes its name from William Wallace who parti ...

Hawthornden Castle Hawthornden Castle is located on the River North Esk in Midlothian, Scotland. The castle lies a mile to the east of Roslin at grid reference , and is just downstream from Roslin Castle. Hawthornden comprises a 15th-century ruin, with a 17th-c ...

Cave exists in Roslin Glen, Midlothian, The castle stands nearby and the patriot took part in the

Battle of Roslin The Battle of Roslin on 24 February 1303 was a Scottish victory in the First War of Scottish Independence. It took place near the village of Roslin, where a force led by the Scots John Comyn and Sir Simon Fraser ambushed and defeated an Engl ...

on 24 February 1303. * Crawhill in

Lothian Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...

, said to have been used by him after the

Battle of Falkirk The Battle of Falkirk (; ), on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence. Led by Edward I of England, King Edward I of England, the English army defeated the Scottish people, Scots, led by William Wal ...

References

;Notes

External links