Drumcoltran Tower

Drumcoltran Tower stands among the working buildings of Drumcoltran farm, off the A711 seven miles north-east of Dalbeattie: a roofed L-plan tower house of the 1500s, unusual for its rounded corners. The lordship passed to the Maxwells in 1550, when a son of Lord Maxwell married Agnes Herries, and the couple may have built it soon after; the wing with its entrance and spiral stair may have been added late in the century. It has three storeys and a garret under a corbelled parapet, with a kitchen on the ground floor and the laird's hall above, where a huge fireplace survives. A panel over the entrance carries a Latin motto that Historic Scotland translates as keep hidden what is secret, speak little, be truthful, avoid wine, remember death, be merciful. The Inglis family bought it in 1668 and farm servants lived in it until the 1800s. Visitors can climb the spiral stair to the parapet for sweeping views; there is room for one or two cars at the entrance.