The Cruck Cottage, Shieldhill Road, Torthorwald, Dumfries, Scotland, was originally constructed in the mid 18th century or thereabouts.

It is of the ‘cruck’ construction common at that time, i.e. the main supports consist of oak crucks or trunks, which support the roof. The roof consists of counter tie beams and branch rafters, laid with heather turf, and thatched with rye straw. The original walls would be of clay or turf, but are now built with rubble and lime mortar.

This cottage is unique to the area, and is the only remaining example of this type of construction which would be common in the 18th and 19th century.

The cottage is owned by Solway Heritage, and is maintained and run by the Cruck Cottage Heritage Association. It can be visited at any time of the year.

Cottage Restoration

A cottage like this would be repaired and rebuilt many times in its life. By the 1970's, the cottage was in a poor state of repair, and was derelict. The restoration by the local Greiner family saved the building, and it became a home again.

By 1990, the cottage was again empty and derelict, and was given to Solway Heritage by the then owner, Mr Ian Mills along with a donation of £1,000. Solway Heritage prepared a scheme of repairs, and supervised the restoration in consultation with Historic Scotland.

The majority of the work was undertaken by master thatcher Jeremy Cox of Corsock, with the large crucks and other main timbers being repaired by craftsman Mike Todd.

Careful attention was given to good conservation practice and the use of authentic materials and workmanship using traditional tools. The crucks were first dismantled and numbered, so that they could be reconstructed and replaced in their original position. It was only when the backs and bases of the crucks were first revealed, that the full extent of the repairs was discovered.

Tree trunks and branches were chosen to match the shape of the existing crucks. The new wood was carefully spliced into the old to make a strong repair. Walls were re-pointed and wall tops re-bedded in traditional mortar. The hanging lum was re-constructed using a timber frame plastered in mud, cow dung and lime daub. Finally the roof was re-thatched using wheat straw over heather turf.

Outside. Roger Lewis, the drystane dyker from Twynholm, Kirkcudbright, constructed the dyke and laid the cobbled driveway. Notice also the wooden gate - constructed without nails!

In 2004, the roof of the cottage was again repaired and re-thatched by Jeremy Cox.

The members of the Cruck Cottage Heritage Association now take responsibility for the day to day upkeep of the cottage, and carry out minor repairs, limewashing, etc, using traditional materials. It is essential to maintain the cottage in its present condition, and ensure that it never again falls into disrepair.

Torthorwald History

Torthorwald has all the attributes of a medieval village; Castle, Church, water supply and workable agricultural land, although in this present day very little is left of the original fabric of the village, new developments in the form of dwelling houses have taken the place of the old crucks and quaint little rights of way to the various wells that were once the main source of water supply for the villagers.

The history of the castle is fascinating, and is described in detail in this document.
The origins of the cottage are largely lost in history. However, an article on the ‘Paton Cottage’, the boyhood home of the missionary Dr John Gibson Paton, which stood next door to our cottage, gives an insight into this type of construction.

In the mid 19th century there were little signs of habitation on the South side of the village, apart from the castle ruins, the church, manse, school and schoolhouse. The main concentration of houses, many of them cruck cottages, was on the North side, on the Shieldhill Road. There were also sizeable villages down the hill at West and East Roucan, the most of which no longer exist. All these can be seen here on the old maps. [Torthorwald Map] :: [Roucan Map]