Gate House of Fleet

The Gate House of Fleet, to us is a stop off town en route to The Machars, we park in the car park by the river, use the facilities, buy some provisions at the Spar, or nice deli/cafe, have a picnic. But it's more than that, it's a stunning large village with picturesque streets, the leafy Cally woodland walks, stunning when the snowdrops are out, oh and bags of history such as in a former textile mill - now a visitor centre with a museum, exhibitions, a TIC and bookshop.

The Gate House of Fleet is just of the A75 and the road loops in at one end and out at Cardoness Castle once home of the McCulloch's and later Maxwells, see elsewhere on this blog.

Originally a planned town built for industry, four cotton mills, a tannery, a brewery, a bobbin mill, indeed Gate House of Fleet was named, 'Glasgow of the South' would you believe.

The gait was originally a stagecoach inn built by the local landlords The Murrays, the gait-house (toll) was beside the bridge over the Fleet, the river. Hence the village became the Gatehouse of Fleet. And on a journey horse drawn coaches and travellers were wise to rest there than risk going west, when at the time the lawless lurked the roads, such as they were.

Gate House of Fleet is birthplace of the Victorian artist John Faed and Jeanie Donnan 'The Galloway Poetress' was born here before moving to Whithorn. More on future posts.

See The Mill on the Fleet web

Cally Gardens web

Artists Website here

Wicker Man Film - the exterior of The Green Man pub, is the Cally estates office off Ann St, The Lennox Chemist is modern day Boots.