'Penkill Castle? Where's that?' was a typical response when members of the Society were invited to join an outing scheduled for mid-September. They may be forgiven for their ignorance! It is many years since Penkill was generally open to the public and it is now the private home of Mr and Mrs Dromgoole. But those who did make the trip were unreservedly delighted to have done so. On a hot and sunny day that would have done justice to late June, our minibus made its way to the castle, passing through some of the finest scenery in South-West Scotland. After enjoying the Wigtown Bay coastline, we struck north through forests and moorland towards Girvan, joining the Ayrshire coast road with Ailsa Craig and the isle of Arran shimmering in the distance.
Penkill itself lies a few miles inland, off the beaten track. It is not something you would find by accident! Architectural purists, as Mrs Dromgoole readily admitted, complain that the castle is something of a stylistic mismatch reflecting different periods of construction, but to my untutored eye it seemed a romantic gem set against a backdrop of dramatic scenery. Inside, the atmosphere was wonderfully Victorian and we soon started to imagine the gatherings of Pre-Raphaelite artists who were regular visitors a century and a half ago. After a fascinating and well-informed introduction from Mrs Dromgoole - while we drank coffee or sherry! - we had a guided tour of the house. Climbing a spiral staircase, we were able to inspect the somewhat faded but still wonderful Pre-Raphaelite wall-paintings. The castle was almost empty when the Dromgooles bought it for their retirement (giving an entirely new meaning to the concept of 'down-sizing'!), but it has been patiently and tastefully re-furnished, sometimes with furniture whose provenance can be traced back to the Penkill of earlier years.
A modestly priced but tasty lunch in Girvan completed an excellent day out. Those members who haven't tried one of the Society's outings should think again!