The Brae

A Brae is a Scots term for a hillside, slope, or a stretch of rising ground. This Brae is steep indeed!

As you head south away from the station, look out for the old schoolhouse on the left halfway down the Brae. Paid for by public subscription, it was built to accommodate the growing number of village children. Children were educated on the ground floor and the school master and his family lived on the upper floor. Children were called to lessons by the school bell which still hangs above the southerly entrance. The Education Scotland Act 1872 made education compulsory for 5 – 13-year-olds, and the old schoolhouse was used until 1875.

As you stroll further towards the old village, look out for the stone-built cottages. Constructed as two cottages but now a single dwelling, they date back to 1764 and can be identified by their forestairs. The lower sections of the cottages would have served as storage space for fishing tackle or housing animals. The upper sections were for human habitation. It is likely that they started out as single storey building and were built up a few decades later.

At the bottom of the Brae, you’ll find the Waterloo Well which was the chief supply of water for the village until 1883.