Eastriggs
Encyclopedia
Eastriggs is a village in the south of Dumfries and Galloway
. It has a small number of shops, a restaurant, post office, public house, working men's club and a church. Eastriggs Primary School feeds to Annan Academy
.
Annan
is about 3 miles (4.8 km) and Dornock
1 miles (1.6 km) to the west of Eastriggs, and Gretna
is about 5 miles (8 km) to the east. They are each about 1–2 miles (1.6–3.2 km) north of the mud and sandbanks of the channel of the River Eden
, which extends west into the Solway Firth
.
Annan, Dornock, Eastriggs and Gretna are located on the B721, which runs parallel with, and is linked to the nearby A75
. A railway line connecting Gretna and Annan passes through Eastriggs railway station. This station is disused, but there are plans to provide a smaller replacement once the line has been upgraded from single to double track, enabling simultaneous passenger and freight traffic.
were a group of houses at Lowtherton (now North Road, Lowthertown); a parallel group on what is now the B721 road; an inn and a smithy
where East Road joins the B721.
The township of Eastriggs was created as a result of the shell and ammunition crisis of June 1915
which prompted the newly-founded Ministry of Munitions
to create a new cordite
factory.
Officially designated H.M. Factory Gretna
, the factory was spread over a 9 miles (14.5 km) site stretching from Dornock through Gretna to Longtown, Cumbria
. This required a huge influx of labour, and 30,000 men and women came from all over the British Commonwealth
to serve as construction and factory workers.
Sir Raymond Unwin
, Chief Housing Architect of the housing branch of the Explosives Department of Ministry of Munitions, designed wooden housing for the workers in both Eastriggs and Gretna. As a mark of respect for the immigrant workforce, the streets were named after various cities within the Commonwealth.
Designed in the Gothic
style by C M Crickmer under the direction of Sir Raymond Unwin, the Church of St John the Evangelist was dedicated in 1917, and was presented with a signed altar book the following year by King George V
and Queen Mary
, who were paying an official visit to H.M. Factory, Gretna.
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
. It has a small number of shops, a restaurant, post office, public house, working men's club and a church. Eastriggs Primary School feeds to Annan Academy
Annan Academy
Annan Academy is a secondary school in Annan, in Dumfries and Galloway, formerly Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The present school is the result of an amalgamation in 1921 of the original Annan Academy and Greenknowe Public School, although its history goes back to the 17th century.Behind the buildings...
.
Geography and administration
Eastriggs is built on generally flat land 10–20 metres above sea level.Annan
Annan, Dumfries and Galloway
The royal burgh of Annan is a well-built town, red sandstone being the material mainly used. Each year in July, Annan celebrates the Royal Charter and the boundaries of the Royal Burgh are confirmed when a mounted cavalcade undertakes the Riding of the Marches. Entertainment includes a...
is about 3 miles (4.8 km) and Dornock
Dornock
Dornock is a small Scottish village in Dumfries and Galloway, situated about one mile west of Eastriggs and two miles east of Annan. Dornock is built on land which is 10 to 20 metres above sea level. Dornock Burn runs east of the village and the railway between Annan and Gretna is north of the...
1 miles (1.6 km) to the west of Eastriggs, and Gretna
Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway
Gretna is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Because they are near the Anglo-Scottish border, nearby Gretna Green and to a lesser extent Gretna, are historically linked to weddings because of the more liberal marriage laws in Scotland...
is about 5 miles (8 km) to the east. They are each about 1–2 miles (1.6–3.2 km) north of the mud and sandbanks of the channel of the River Eden
River Eden, Cumbria
The River Eden is a river that flows through Cumbria, England on its way to the Solway Firth.-Course of river:The Eden rises in Black Fell Moss, Mallerstang, on the high ground between High Seat, Yorkshire Dales and Hugh Seat. Here it forms the boundary between the counties of Cumbria and North...
, which extends west into the Solway Firth
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
.
Annan, Dornock, Eastriggs and Gretna are located on the B721, which runs parallel with, and is linked to the nearby A75
A75 road
The A75 is a major road in Scotland, heading west along the south coast of Scotland from its junction with the A74 motorway at Gretna. It continues past Eastriggs, Annan, Dumfries, Castle Douglas, Gatehouse of Fleet, Newton Stewart and Glenluce before ending at Stranraer.The majority of the road...
. A railway line connecting Gretna and Annan passes through Eastriggs railway station. This station is disused, but there are plans to provide a smaller replacement once the line has been upgraded from single to double track, enabling simultaneous passenger and freight traffic.
History
Situated in the parish of Dornock, Eastriggs appears to have taken its name from the farm, or farm house, known as Eastriggs that was located in the middle of what was to become the new township. The only other buildings in the area prior to World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
were a group of houses at Lowtherton (now North Road, Lowthertown); a parallel group on what is now the B721 road; an inn and a smithy
Smith (metalwork)
A metalsmith, often shortened to smith, is a person involved in making metal objects. In contemporary use a metalsmith is a person who uses metal as a material, uses traditional metalsmithing techniques , whose work thematically relates to the practice or history of the practice, or who engages in...
where East Road joins the B721.
Shell Crisis of 1915
The Shell Crisis of 1915 was a shortage of artillery shells on the front lines of World War I, which largely contributed to weakening public appreciation of government of the United Kingdom because it was widely perceived that the production of artillery shells for use by the British Army was...
which prompted the newly-founded Ministry of Munitions
Minister of Munitions
The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort...
to create a new cordite
Cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom from 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. Like gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates and consequently low brisance...
factory.
Officially designated H.M. Factory Gretna
HM Factory, Gretna
His Majesty's Factory, Gretna, or H.M. Factory, Gretna as it was usually known, was a UK government World War I Cordite factory, adjacent to the Solway Firth, near Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway...
, the factory was spread over a 9 miles (14.5 km) site stretching from Dornock through Gretna to Longtown, Cumbria
Longtown, Cumbria
Longtown is a small town in northern Cumbria, England, with a population of around 3,000. It is in the parish of Arthuret and on the River Esk, not far from the Anglo-Scottish border. Nearby was the Battle of Arfderydd....
. This required a huge influx of labour, and 30,000 men and women came from all over the British Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
to serve as construction and factory workers.
Sir Raymond Unwin
Raymond Unwin
Sir Raymond Unwin was a prominent and influential English engineer, architect and town planner, with an emphasis on improvements in working class housing.-Early years:...
, Chief Housing Architect of the housing branch of the Explosives Department of Ministry of Munitions, designed wooden housing for the workers in both Eastriggs and Gretna. As a mark of respect for the immigrant workforce, the streets were named after various cities within the Commonwealth.
Church of St John the Evangelist
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style by C M Crickmer under the direction of Sir Raymond Unwin, the Church of St John the Evangelist was dedicated in 1917, and was presented with a signed altar book the following year by King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
, who were paying an official visit to H.M. Factory, Gretna.