Lochnaw Castle
Lochnaw Castle near Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway is a medieval castle of considerable antiquity that has been the seat of the Agnew family, hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway, for over five hundred years. The castle occupies a promontory position above Lochnaw loch, with the earliest masonry dating from the fifteenth century and the building substantially extended and modified in later centuries to create the comfortable country house that stands today. The Agnew family's hereditary sheriffdom gave them unique administrative authority in Galloway throughout the medieval and early modern periods, and their long association with Lochnaw provides an unusual continuity of occupation and family history. The Rhinns of Galloway peninsula, at the western tip of which Lochnaw sits, is a landscape of outstanding agricultural richness and coastal scenery with Logan Botanic Garden and the Mull of Galloway lighthouse at its southern extremity.