A building brought back to life — for everyone
The former Bank of Scotland on Wigtown’s main square sat empty and at risk of being lost to the community. W&BCI saw the opportunity to give it a new purpose — and through public meetings, community consultation, and expert support from Community Enterprise, that’s exactly what we did.
The building now serves three distinct but connected purposes: a bunkhouse for visitors, and two affordable homes for local people.
The main banking hall — the grand, light-filled space that opens directly onto the square — has been converted into a welcoming bunkhouse for visitors to Wigtown and the surrounding Machars countryside.
Wigtown has long attracted walkers, cyclists, pilgrims and book lovers from across Scotland and beyond. But at busy times, there simply isn’t enough affordable accommodation to go around. The Bunkhouse changes that — offering six bunkhouse beds so that more visitors can stay in town, eat and drink at local businesses, explore the surrounding countryside, and spend more time in this remarkable corner of Scotland.
The Bunkhouse also includes an internet hub, making it a practical base for those travelling longer routes as well as those here purely for the books.
The upper floors and rear ground floor of the building have been converted into two affordable homes for people with a local connection to Wigtown:
A family-sized affordable flat on the upper floor, and a fully accessible one-bedroom affordable flat to the rear of the ground floor — designed to meet the needs of residents who require step-free living.
Both tenancies are reserved for people with a genuine local connection to the area, in line with our commitment to keeping Wigtown a place where local people can afford to live.
Wigtown Community Shop is far more than a shop. It is a volunteer-run social hub and a remarkable fundraiser for local groups and organisations that would otherwise struggle to survive. The range of community groups, activities and individuals it supports through its retail and event fundraising is extraordinary — and it has been doing this quietly and consistently for years.
We are proud to have given it a permanent home.
The project came together through extensive community engagement — public meetings, partnership working with a range of local groups and organisations, and specialist development support from Community Enterprise. It is one of W&BCI’s founding projects and remains one we are most proud of.
The conversion of a vacant former bank into homes and visitor accommodation — in the heart of Wigtown’s main square — is exactly the kind of work W&BCI was established to do.
For bookings and more information about the Bunkhouse, visit booktownbunkhouse.co.uk.
For enquiries about the affordable housing, contact us at secretary@wigtownandbladnoch.co.uk .
