Farewell to a 'real gem' of a museum after 45 years

Anyone travelling across south-west Scotland between Gretna and Stranraer along the A75 will see its attractions flagged along the way.

For the best part of half a century, the Gem Rock Museum at Creetown has been part of that visitor landscape.

However, after attempts to find a buyer failed, its owners have decided to close its doors at the end of October.

"It's not an easy decision to make - but it's a relief as well," admitted Tim Stephenson, who has run the site since 1981.

Stephenson was teaching mechanical engineering at Kitson College in Leeds in 1980 when he was made redundant and needed a new opportunity.

A passion for geology, inherited from his father and shared on "pilgrimages" to the Scottish coastline, offered him a different career path.

The family had fallen in love with Galloway many years before and the dream of living there was fulfilled with the purchase of Creetown's old school.

"In 1981 we took on the building, brought our collection here and off we went and slowly we've developed the museum as a visitor attraction," he said.

"One of my dad's favourite sayings was that we're not in the geology business, we're in the entertainment business."

Creetown is also, Stephenson said, an interesting spot from a geological point of view.

"A massive event happened about 500 million years ago in that the two continents collided here on the Solway," he explained.

"The Solway estuary is a major fault line between the European continental plate and the North American continental plate, this is where they crashed into each other."

The area is famous for its granite which was used to build the docks in Liverpool and saw the local population boom to more than 3,000 during the 19th Century.

It was the dock board that built the school which would ultimately become the museum where Stephenson has worked for decades.

"I was 24 when I came here, I'm going to be 70 this year so that's been my working life, really," he said.

"We tried to sell the museum - we started marketing it about five years ago - there's been very, very little interest.

"I think that's a sign of the times - I think people are slightly concerned about setting themselves up in business."

So they decided they will close at the end of October and sell up.

"We will be missed, you know, we have become a bit of a Galloway institution - it's a must-see, must-do visitor attraction that we have that we've developed here," Stephenson said.

His wife, Carolyn, has been involved in all aspects of the business for the past 20 years and said the memories were great.

"We get to work in a wonderful environment that so many other people appreciate and come from all over the world to visit," she said.

"So that's with very mixed feelings that this is going to happen, but I suppose all good things come to an end.

"The rural economy has its challenges, but the Gem Rock has survived all the ups and downs that the economy throws at us."

They still have hopes that somebody might take over the museum with its staff of 12 but, if not, the collection will be auctioned off and the building sold.

The Nicoll-Johnston family - visiting from Dunkeld for the second time - said that would be a shame.

Dad Andy said: "It would be a tragedy for the area because, to use a pun, it's a real gem of a tourist attraction.

"If places like this get lost from an area, then what are you left with, you know?".

Five-year-old son Paddy echoed that view.

He said: "The whole thing is really cool because you're like walking through a tunnel and there's loads of gemstones on the walls and stuff.

"It's really cool."