Rammerscales — Land & Legacy

Rammerscales is a Category A listed historic house in Scotland, and a member of Historic Houses. Read about its history and architecture, plus how to visit and what's nearby.

About Rammerscales

Rammerscales is a Georgian mansion above the Annan valley near Lockerbie in Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

Built around 1760, it was designed with an east-facing aspect to catch morning light across the valley below.

The house has been home to the Bell family since 1790 and remains a private family residence.

The current Laird often welcomes visiting groups in person.

It opens to the public on set days each spring, with no booking required for individual visitors.

History of Rammerscales

The house was built around 1760. Dr Jacobus Mounsey purchased the estate in 1758 and returned from Russia in 1762. The Bell family acquired Rammerscales in 1790, and their descendants still live there today. The scholar and surgeon William Bell Macdonald, born into the family in 1807, is among the notable figures connected with the house.

Architecture of Rammerscales

Rammerscales is a classic Georgian mansion of the later eighteenth century, built with a deliberate east-facing aspect to overlook the Annan valley. It is included on Scotland's statutory list of protected buildings.

Worth knowing

The Bell family produced William Bell Macdonald, a nineteenth-century Scottish surgeon and linguist. The family's artistic line continues today through Minette Bell Macdonald, who paints landscapes of Dumfries and Galloway at the nearby Art Hut.

Plan your visit to Rammerscales

Official site Google Maps Waze

Nearest station: Lockerbie Rail Station (4.3 miles)

Places to visit near Rammerscales

New Abbey, Monksmill

mill 10 miles

View New Abbey, Monksmill on heritage map

Drumlanrig Castle

historic house 20 miles

Visit Drumlanrig Castle View Drumlanrig Castle on heritage map

Craigdarroch

historic house 23 miles

Visit Craigdarroch View Craigdarroch on heritage map

Threave Gardens

garden 23 miles

View Threave Gardens on heritage map

Threave Castle

historic building 23 miles

View Threave Castle on heritage map

Historic places nearby

Within 5 miles of Rammerscales there are 1 historic properties, including 1 castle.

1 Historic Environment Scotland

1 Castle

See these 1 sites on the heritage map

Within 10 miles of Rammerscales there are 4 historic properties, including 2 castles.

4 Historic Environment Scotland

2 Castle

1 Church

1 Historic site

See these 4 sites on the heritage map

Within 20 miles of Rammerscales there are 11 historic properties, including 3 castles, 2 historic sites and 2 abbeys, across Historic Environment Scotland and Historic Houses sites.

10 Historic Environment Scotland

1 Historic Houses

3 Castle

2 Historic site

2 Abbey

1 Mill

1 Tower