Dumfries and Galloway - John Gifford

These unrivalled guides, The Buildings of Scotland, give the scholarly reader insights into every significant Scottish building, from prehistoric brochs to medieval castles, classical country houses, Victorian churches, and twentieth-century tower blcoks. An introduction puts the buildings in context, while maps, plans and over a hundred photographs bring them into closer focus. Comprehensive indexes and an illustrated glossary with many Scottish terms turn these indispensable companions into valuable reference works. The turbulent history of this border region, with its varied landscape of coastal plain, moorland and forest, is reflected in strong-walled castles at lonely Auchencass, Caerlaverock and Sanquhar, and in its many tower houses. Equally majestic are the medieval abbeys of Dundrennan, Glenluce and Sweetheart, and the great Baroque ducal palace at Drumlanrig. Lighthouses, farm steadings and small burghs, with their churches and tolbooths, are among the more modest and peaceful charms of this unspoilt south-west corner of Scotland.