Ferry Thorn: Week 1: Creetown Flags

Week 1 - An Introduction to Creetown

The following notes were made on my first day in Creetown - during a Local History Group meeting on the 13th March 2013. The speaker (a local resident) gave a fascinating talk exploring some of the overlooked 'nooks and crannies' around Creetown.

I have organised some of my notes under headings, with pictures below.

TRAVEL/THRESHOLDS

There is a bridge over Balloch Burn - named after the local man nick-named ‘Beardie’ who leapt from it to test the sheepskin wings he had made. He was attempting to cross the river Cree.

The Ferrythorn. A Hawthorn tree, said to be as old as the village - meeting place for local people and waiting area for ferry travellers crossing the Cree.

Along from the Ferrythorn Tree.....a 'sheepslat' – a wooden frame (without it’s shutter), which allowed the sheep to be moved between fields. Below you can see the view towards the village - and the view outwards.... towards the Cree.

Further along - is the "old packhorse bridge".

NO 38 St John Street – a former Coaching Inn & Temperance Hotel with stables at the rear. Today (see below) - a view of a window directly across the street.

Further down the street adjacent to the heritage museum, another former coaching inn. Also, a renovated coach house to the rear of Cherrytrees B&B on St John Street.

Creetown Caravan Park – a former gypsy camp/resting place for Galloway travellers.

'The Rambler', the last Creetown owned trading sail ship (owned by Adam Mac Donald).

No 2, Silver Street. ‘Hurcheon Cottage’ – Scots word ‘Hurcheon’ = hedgehog.

STONE

On Kirk Brae, is the former ‘School Of Industry For Girls’ – now known locally as the ‘Church Hall’ – its facade is pure Creetown granite. The local history group meet here on the second Wednesday of every month.

On Adamson Square – A granite sphere made in 4 parts (apparently not Creetown granite).

On ‘Harbour Street’ (Creetown's original ‘main’ street) - locals ensured that a section of the original (Ferrytown of Cree) pavement was preserved. Apparently, it was made using rounded stones carried up from the beach.

‘The Crusher’ – a granite crushing plant situated on a jetty on the river Cree. An important landmark for Creetonians - now gone.

“Brick Raw”.......there are 15 houses on Grimshawe Terrace – if you stand directly in front of the middle house on this street, you can see that the houses on either side are a mirror version of each other. Just above the ground floor windows there is a broken line of decorative bricks, which look like they once ran the full length of the street.

TIME

The clocktower – erected by John Rae in 1897. It’s wooden door fabricated by Archie McKie and carved by Jim Lupton.

The Ellangowan Hotel also erected by John Rae (one of it's windows pictured below) – a year after the clocktower in 1898.

LIGHT

There is a tin shed in one of the back gardens on Harbour Street, where the gas lamps were kept - you can see the wall mounted stands/frames (right) which supported these lamps around Creetown.

Creetonians remember the lamp-lighting as Johnny Clary’s job.

Above the doorway of the Ellangowan Hotel is a Victorian Lantern.

WATER

‘St John‘ Street – the current 'main' street (after ‘Saint John the Baptist'?)

The ‘main’ street in ‘Ferrytown of Cree’ days was ‘Harbour Street’

Directly opposite the church hall on Kirk Brae – is Kilmabreck church, which has an Ordnance Survey ‘benchmark’ on one of its walls – indicating the registered height above sea-level.

The ‘Bug Hole’ a deep pool where local children learned to swim.

'The Rambler', the last Creetown owned trading sail ship (owned by Adam Mac Donald).

The 1954 Flood that washed the Iron Bridge away.

There are ‘water pumps’ all over the village from the days before the houses had a mains water supply.

Across from the Butchers shop – the site of another pool – the Mill Lade, where local women washed their families clothes.

In one of the gardens along from the Mill Lade.....you can see two ornate iron poles – there are others around Creetown - were these used for washing lines?