Gatehouse of Fleet

A particular vision on the part of Mrs Murray Usher was protecting and enhancing the town of Gatehouse of Fleet, including the Parishes of Girthon and Anwoth. These communities lie in a National Scenic area on the edge of the Galloway Forest Park in the heart of picturesque Dumfries and Galloway.

Gatehouse of Fleet – looking to the south west, over the town to the Solway Firth

According to the Royal Charter which was granted in 1795, the proper name for Gatehouse of Fleet should be the ‘Burgh of Barony of Fleet’. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the town was a thriving industrial centre with cotton mills, shipbuilding, a brewery and its own port. It was known locally as the 'Glasgow of the South'.

During her lifetime, as the feudal superior of Gatehouse of Fleet, Mrs Murray Usher was able to exert an element of control over the style and construction of new housing. She was also instrumental in promoting the tourist trade to the area, and this included operating a holiday focussed business and also the ownership of what were, in her time, traditional small wooden chalets at Carrick. Remaining today a popular holiday destination, with easy access to the coast and the hills, Gatehouse of Fleet and the surrounding area offer a wide range of sporting and other activities for the enjoyment of locals and visitors alike. 

The beauty of the Solway Coast at Gatehouse of Fleet