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Please check with garden owners or their website to confirm current dates open
For general viewing of the Gardens (minimum of 10 people):
By appointment only.
By appointment
Yes with Garden Tour only
June - September
Herbaceous borders
Adults £12; This price is for private parties made by appointment only includes garden tour and tea in the House
Plants for sale only on Open Days From A77 (Glasgow/Kilmarnock) take A76 (Mauchline/Dumfries) then right on to the A719 to Ayr for 1.5 miles. Black wrought iron gates on left-hand side.
(When open in aid of Charity/SGS will include: Plant Sale, silver band, ice cream & cream teas. Craft stalls. Local charities to benefit include: Craigie Parish Church and Village Hall, Red Cross; Admission £4 for our Open Day
Cochrane Inn, Gatehead
Craigie Inn
Sorn Inn
The park includes two squares of Lime Trees, to represent the Scottish squares at the Battle of Dettingen, 1743, complete with two 'officers' on either side, all planted soon after the actual battle. There is also a very fine cut-leaf beech and a copper beech. A Wild Garden, the formal garden of yew hedges and the Rock and Water gardens, the latter being originally a small limestone quarry, were laid out by Mrs. Findlay-Hamilton. One of the main features of the garden is the 100-yard herbaceous border full of delphiniums and many unusual plants. Burmese dragons and a Japanese gazebo with Burmese statues recall Commander Findlay's travels. Glades of Rhododendrons and Azaleas come into flower in May and June and the herbaceous, rose and phlox borders are in full bloom during July.
Carnell originally belonged to the Wallace family, for whom the original 16th Century Towerhouse was built. Many alterations to the estate, with landscaping of the gardens, were carried out in the 1840's and part of the house was redesigned by William Burn in 1843. Further alterations to the house and the ornamental development of the gardens were carried by Mrs. Georgina Findlay-Hamilton in the early years of the 20th century.