Wester Dun
In April we spent a week in Wester Dun Cottage, near Montrose on the east coast in Angus. Wester Dun itself (in the gallery below) is a former manse, and the cottage at the end of the drive would once have housed servants. There is still a bell in the hall, and I imagine the minister deciding to go out and ringing for the gardener, or whoever the occupant was, to come out to open the gates for him. That was my job during our stay. I know my place.
Our nearest neighbour was the rather grander House of Dun, an 18th century mansion once home to the Erskine family but now a National Trust property. We visited the house one morning as paying customers, but were free to roam the grounds at any time.
As well as the house, there was the ruin of the original 14th century Dun Castle (ruin perhaps exaggerates – it was one archway), an old mausoleum, and family graves to explore.
From the highest point in the grounds we had views over Montrose Basin.
And on the other side of the road was the church, no longer in use and since sold. We saw another church nearby which had been converted to a beautiful house, and I expect the same will happen to this one. As usual, the graveyard tells a sad tale of infant mortality.
This was a lovely place to spend a week. There will be more on the House of Dun, Montrose Basin, and all the other places we visited in future posts.
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
It looks like you had a lovely time checking out the gardens and the old cemetery. Unfortunately this was the sign of the times regarding infant mortality. My great grandmother had 17 kids and only 4 made it to adulthood
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We did. Both my great-grandparents on my mother’s side had big families – about 8 each – but I don’t know if they lost any. It was heartbreakingly common.
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I have visited the places of some of the early settlers here in South Australia and the children buried there are a testamont to the harshness of outback life. Women, I also find, died fairly young.
That War Memorial is really something very different and interesting. – at the setting of the sun…
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Indeed, I’ve not seen a memorial like that before, it’s lovely. Yes, a lot of women died either in childbirth or worn out by constant pregnancy.
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Another lovely sojourn, it seems! So sad to read about all the children who died too young.
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My eye is always drawn to the headstones with long lists of lost children. Thank goodness for modern medicine.
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I read your piece about the quilt and commented about how lovely it was – but I still seem to go directly into spam 😟. The comment didn’t appear anyway.
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That’s such a weird thing. It’s happening with another blogger, too. I need to contact WP now that I’m back home.
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It is weird. It just seems to be your blog it happens on. I don’t think I’ve changed anything at my end – if I have, it was inadvertent.
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You have to love those National Trust homes. I wonder if the disused church became a private home?. A church that Les’s granddad helped build in Devon is now a private home. Even a few here in NZ have been restored and well loved adds character with many stories than perhaps an ordinary house.
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I think it probably will – it will be a beautiful house of you don’t mind having a graveyard for a garden! (I wouldn’t).
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The renovated churches I’ve seen thankfully don’t have the added bonus of a graveyard. That wouldn’t appeal to me either. A positive would be the fertile soil for the flower beds?
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Oh, Suzanne! You made me laugh.
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Great pictures!
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Thanks! And thanks for visiting.
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Hi Anabel – what a great visit … I love the look of that war memorial – beautiful black marble carving … and oh good I’ll enjoy learning more about Montrose basin … cheers Hilary
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I thought it was a lovely and unusual war memorial.
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