Stranraer Arts & Culture

Museums and exhibitions

If you are visiting Stranraer, then you can’t really escape the Stranraer Castle or the Castle of St. John as it is also called because it is set right in the centre of the town. The castle, which is now operated as a museum, is actually a medieval tower house, built around the year fifteen hundred by the Adairs of Kilhill, one of the most powerful families in the county of Wigtownshire at that time.

Since the construction of Stranraer Castle it has been used as a family home, a local court, a military garrison and a prison. Nowadays the castle is open to the public and videos and other forms of reconstructions are used to tell the story of its history and the people who lived there. At various times the castle has been occupied by the medieval landowners who built it, the Government troops who used it as their garrison during the 1680s, which were known as the killing times, and in the nineteenth century by the criminals and debtors who were imprisoned within its walls.

Besides the St. John’s or Stranraer Castle Museum there is also the Stranraer Museum itself. The museum houses local history exhibitions so that you can learn more about the history of Stranraer and the surrounding area including archaeology and maritime history. The museum also houses some wonderful paintings and hosts a variety of other exhibitions. Just three miles west of Stranraer is Castle Kennedy and the Kennedy Gardens, which was built by John Kennedy, Fifth Earl of Cassillis. The castle passed to James Dairymple in 1677 who added the north range to the building. Dairymple was created Viscount Stair in 1690 and died in 1695, in 1692 the estate had been passed on to his son along with the title. The young viscount was responsible for signing the orders that led to the massacre of Glencoe on the morning of the thirteenth of February 1692. The estate has 75 acres of landscaped and terraced gardens that overlook two lochs.

If you enjoy plays and concerts then you should visit the Ryan Centre Theatre, which is situated in Stranraer’s Leisure Centre. The theatre offers a varied programme of different productions throughout the year, and besides musical events and drama the theatre also operates as a cinema. You should take the train to Dumfries, which is home to the oldest working theatre in Scotland, built in 1792 and run by the Guild of Players. The Guild of Players is a group of volunteers who take part in all of the running activities including make-up and running the bar, the Guild also operates a junior players group.

Get a flavour for the art of southern Scotland at the Waterloo Art Gallery in Starrier, which is dedicated to exhibiting and celebrating the work of artists who live and work in the Galloway area. The Waterloo Gallery also serves as a picture framing workshop, the gallery is open to the public all the year round from noon till 5pm Tuesday through to Friday.