Bay of Sandhead by R G Kelly

This view of Sandhead was painted around 1850 by the artist Robert George Kelly. It is a wonderful record of how the village looked in the mid 19th century. Kelly’s view shows the village from the south. To the left of the street is the start of a long row of cottages which in the 1850s would have included the school and the inn. Their gardens are on the opposite side of the road in what today is the playground and pub car park. Facing the shore is a line of small single storey thatched cottages. These were presumably fishermen’s cottages and a number of boats can be seen drawn up on the sand in front of them. Dominating the background is the tree covered mound of Balgreggan Mote, the site of a 12th century timber castle. The white building in the fields to the right is Sandmill Farm. The artist, R G Kelly (1822-1910), was educated in Stranraer and was still living in the town in the 1850s. He later moved to Cheshire.