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Drumcoltran Tower

Near Kirkgunzeon, Dumfries and Galloway
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Wide view of Drumcoltran Tower, a tall rectangular stone tower house with small window openings and a corbelled parapet, standing beside whitewashed farm buildings. The scene is set in an open grassy field with two large leafless trees framing the tower. The ground is damp, with scattered branches in the foreground. The sky is overcast, giving the rural setting a muted, wintry appearance.

In 1550, the lordship of Kirkcunzeon passed from the Herries family to the Maxwells of Caerlaverock, when a son of Lord Maxwell married Agnes Herries. The couple may have built Drumcoltran Tower soon after. It possibly began as a simple rectangular tower, with a projecting wing added at the end of the 1500s, including a new entrance and the spiral stair. But the building history is not clear.

Drumcoltran Tower has always had a close association with farming and the land. In 1668 the Inglis family acquired the tower, and a descendant built the current nearby farmhouse and steading in the 1700s. The tower was home to farm servants until its abandonment in the 1800s.

Interior view of a stone room in Drumcoltran Tower, featuring a large, soot‑blackened fireplace set into a thick stone wall. The fireplace has a heavy, dark lintel supported by two upright stone jambs, with charred stonework visible inside the hearth. The walls and vaulted ceiling are built of irregular stones, mottled with age and moisture. A small, deep-set window on the right lets in natural light, illuminating the rough textures of the room.
Interior corner of a stone room inside Drumcoltran Tower, showing thick, irregular masonry walls with several deep-set recesses and narrow openings. A small window lets in natural light, illuminating the rough stone surfaces, patches of moss, and areas darkened by age. The stonework varies in colour and texture, with uneven blocks and remnants of old plaster visible in places.

Statement of Significance

You can find out more about Drumcoltran Tower in our Statement of Significance.

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A Jacobean tower

Drumcoltran is a fairly typical towerhouse. The tower consists of three storeys and a garret, with a corbelled parapet at the top. Unusually, its corners are rounded and not angled.

The ground floor is a kitchen and storeroom, while the first floor originally contained the laird’s hall, heated by a huge fireplace. This large room was later divided and a second fireplace added. Most of the window openings were enlarged in the 1700s.

Discover more on trove.scot

Explore entries relating to the Drumcoltran Tower on trove.scot.

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