Posted in Architecture, History, Trips at 20:00 on 2 October 2019
Sweetheart Abbey, or the Abbey of Dulce Cor, is in the village of New Abbey, Dumfries and Galloway (once Kirkcudbrightshire.) It was founded in 1275.

It seems to be our fate to visit historical monuments when they are swathed in scaffolding:-


Archway in Abbey grounds:-

Interior:-

Upper colonnade:-

Window:-

Rear Window:-

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Posted in Trips, War Memorials at 12:00 on 2 October 2019
New Abbey is in Dumfries and Galloway. The Memorial lies by the grounds of Sweetheart Abbey.
Its War Memorial is a stone Cross with inlaid sword on a square base. Inscribed, “To the glory of God and in memory of the men of this parish and district who fell in the Great War.”

Names:-


Inscription on Memorial’s reverse. “1914-1919”:-

V C Dedication to Pte James MacKenzie:-

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Posted in Trips, War Memorials at 12:00 on 29 September 2019
Maxwelltown is an area in the west of the town of Dumfries. Formerly a burgh in its own right, it was merged with Dumfries in 1929.
The Memorial, a figure of a soldier with outstretched arms on a tapering square pedestal, is located at the junction of Rotchell Road and New Abbey Road and is inscribed, “Pro Patria in memory of the men of Maxwelltown and the Parish of Troqueer who fell in the Great War 1914-1919.”
I assume that because of the merger with Dumfries any World War 2 names are on the main Dumfries Memorial.

West side of memorial. The lower names are for Troqueer landward. The remainder of the names on the Memorial are for the Burgh of Maxwelltown:-

North Side. Names for Burgh of Maxwelltown:-

East Side. Names for Burgh of Maxwelltown:-

I remember this plaque – a memorial to VC Private James McKenzie, Scots Guards, 19/12/1914 – as being at Maxwelltown, but there is another at New Abbey where he was born.

Is Maxwelltown the Maxwelton mentioned in the first line of the song Annie Laurie? Apparently she actually lived in Moniaive – but that’s no bar to her having been to Maxwelltown.
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