Kirkdale Estate

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About Kirkdale Estate

History Of The Estate

Kirkdale is a working Estate which runs from the hills down to the shore and includes an organic beef and sheep farm with the famous Belted Galloway cows.

We are surrounded by stunning scenery and beautiful wildlife such as red squirrels, roe deer, kites and otters and much more.

The immediate area is steeped in history from Neolithic Burial sites to a smugglers cave on the coast. We also have one of the only working waterwheels in Southern Scotland.

The Hannay family first came to Kirkdale in 1532 from Sorbie in Wigtownshire. In the 17th century members of the family were involved with the covenanters, sat in Parliament and at one time Kirkdale was used as a staging post for Irish mercenaries going to Sweden.

The present Kirkdale House was built by Sir Samuel Hannay from local granite to plans by Robert Adam between1780 and 1787. Sir Samuel became wealthy as a manufacturer of chemicals and drugs in London where he was at one time M.P. for Westminister. He made several fortunes and lost them gambling, dying in considerable debt.

Despite a fire which destroyed the centre of the house in 1893, the outside remains one of the few unaltered original Adam exteriors in Scotland.