History on Tap

The World Peace Society does wonderful work and it has a centre about six miles north of Dumfries with a wide range of activities and programmes.

The Society is based at Allanton House, which looks as if it was built at the start of the 20th century.

There are some lovely period details, including a tiny wash basin in a WC, compete with the original “Hot” and “Cold” taps “Shanks and Co. Patentees.” The wall tiles are also original and give a flavour or a perhaps more elegant age, when the throne was suitably placed up a step in an elevated position.

The Shanks Group is today Europe's leading waste management company, being a member of the FTSE 250 group listed on the London Stock Exchange. Revenue in 2009 was £696 million. The company began in 1880 when Guy Shanks and Andrew McLewan set up a a construction company. They worked mainly in the west of Scotland. Today the group has a huge range of interests.

In the grounds at Allanton there is a family vault containing the remains of members of the Symington family. A Symington family was, and very much is, hugely important in the Port, Madeira and Duoro wine trade. The dynasty was founded by a man from Scotland, who went out to Portugal in the late 19th century. Whether or not these Symingtons are connected with Allanton House is not known, at least by me.

See www.worldpeace-uk.org