Cally Old School

Lady Anne Bingham created a school for girls beside Cally Lake, sometime in the early 1800s.  The school became known as Lady Anne Murray’s Charity School. 

Girls between 3 and 14 years of age from Gatehouse and the surrounding neighbourhoods attended the school.

In 1845, following the death of Alexander Murray, Lady Anne left Gatehouse.  Horatio Murray Stewart, the new owner of Cally Estate, continued to support the school following Lady Anne’s leaving Gatehouse.

In 1859, the master of the Cally School for boys married the teacher at the Cally girls’ school.  Following the marriage, it is thought that the boys' and girls' schools were combined.

Cally House and the surrounding grounds were eventually purchased by the Forestry Commission in 1933.  The Forestry Commission Scotland went on to use the school building as a storehouse or shed and over time the old school became overgrown by vegetation as the woods encroached on it, and it became more and more unsafe.

The local community, however, were keen to rescue this historic building, and funding was secured to restore the school, to make it safe for visitors and to tell the story of Cally Old School.