Twiglees

I spotted a fine bit of weather this morning, so we set out on another little adventure. 
 
The journey continues
 
We were now following Gordon’s great grandfather, Hugh Crawford Junior. When his parents left Glenluce to go to Gatehouse-of-Fleet and live at the station, they left Hugh behind and in 1871 he was a 17-year-old Apprentice Joiner in a workshop just outside Glenluce. He completed his apprenticeship and in 1878, when he married Margaret Jane Stevenson, he was a Joiner (Journeyman). The young couple went to live with Margaret’s family on a large dairy farm in Eskdalemuir, not far from Langholm.  It was there that Gordon’s grandfather was born in 1882- Robert Stevenson Crawford.
 
We had found the farm called Twiglees many years ago and today we decided to have another look. We had forgotten where exactly the farm was, we did not even know whether it still existed, as last time it was deserted and in a bad condition. We asked a lady who was in the garden of a bungalow close by and she insisted on accompanying us up the road to find it. On the way she told us about the history of the area as it had passed from Estate to Forestry Commission to private hands. She told us with great relish about the man who owned part of the farm and the feud they had - over nothing. The farm was indeed in a mess, as you can see from my photo. The main farmhouse had been demolished a long time ago and the buildings were virtually derelict. What a great lady she was - we seem to have a habit of finding such people when we are on jaunts like this. She even took us to see Paul, who lived in a van and owned the land where the house was - where she and Gordon are standing. I could spend a long time telling all the stories she told, but I won’t. A wonderful encounter altogether, despite the sadness in the state of the farm.
 
When the young family left the farm to set up on their own, they ended up living for a few years at what was Glentarras Whisky Distillery, where Hugh was first a joiner and then a Maltman. They lived in one of the workmen’s cottages, which is all that is left of the Distillery now, as it was closed down and demolished a long time ago. We had searched unsuccessfully for these cottages a while back, but this time I had found one of the cottages had been for sale and was able to download the details. So, there we were by Tarras Waters outside the cottage Gordon’s grandfather had spent a number of years in as a boy. And just to keep the railway theme going - we located the Glentarras siding of the Langholm to Canonbie railway. Sadly, the Tarras Viaduct close by was demolished in 1987. 
 
A great adventure on a lovely sunny morning, and another bit of the journey, the last in Scotland.