New Galloway
Encyclopedia
New Galloway is a town
in Dumfries and Galloway
Region, southwest Scotland
. It lies on the west side of the valley of the Water of Ken
, a mile north of the end of Loch Ken
. Before the local government reform of 1975, it was in the county of Kirkcudbrightshire
.
There were scattered settlements in the area from at least the 13thC (when the nearby Kenmure Castle was first built), but the village was formally founded in the 17th century by the Viscount of Kenmure
and granted Royal Burgh
status in 1630 - this was to enable it to serve as a market town. However, Kirkcudbright
, only 19 miles to the south, was larger and drew more traders. New Galloway thus grew very slowly and is the smallest Royal Burgh in Scotland.
New Galloway today is an attractive rural town. It has a Town Hall, two churches, three pubs, and a golf club. A popular holiday destination, standing on the edge of the scenic Galloway Forest Park
, it is on the Galloway Kite Trail, where Red Kites can be spotted at all times of the year. Each August, it hosts the Scottish Alternative Games in its small park.
The Ken Bridge, which links the village with the main road on the east side of the valley, was built in 1822 by the Scottish engineer, John Rennie, who also built the second London Bridge
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Dumfries and Galloway
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...
Region, southwest Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It lies on the west side of the valley of the Water of Ken
Water of Ken
The Water of Ken is a river in Galloway, south-west Scotland. It rises on Blacklorg Hill, north-east of Cairnsmore of Carsphairn in the Carsphairn hills, and flows south-westward into the Glenkens valley, passing through Carsfad and Earlstoun lochs, both of which are dammed to supply the Galloway...
, a mile north of the end of Loch Ken
Loch Ken
Loch Ken is 9-mile long freshwater loch in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the Glenkens, where it is fed from the north by the Water of Ken and from the west by the Dee. It continues as the Dee south from Glenlochar, where the water is held back by the Glenlochar Barrage...
. Before the local government reform of 1975, it was in the county of Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire
The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire was a county of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire....
.
There were scattered settlements in the area from at least the 13thC (when the nearby Kenmure Castle was first built), but the village was formally founded in the 17th century by the Viscount of Kenmure
John Gordon, 1st Viscount of Kenmure
John Gordon, 1st Viscount of Kenmure was a Scottish nobleman, renowned Presbyterian, and founder of the town of New Galloway.-Biography:...
and granted Royal Burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
status in 1630 - this was to enable it to serve as a market town. However, Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright
Kirkcudbright, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.The town lies south of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie, in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as the Stewartry, at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea...
, only 19 miles to the south, was larger and drew more traders. New Galloway thus grew very slowly and is the smallest Royal Burgh in Scotland.
New Galloway today is an attractive rural town. It has a Town Hall, two churches, three pubs, and a golf club. A popular holiday destination, standing on the edge of the scenic Galloway Forest Park
Galloway Forest Park
Galloway Forest Park is a woodland park in Scotland, principally covering woodland in Dumfries and Galloway. It is operated by Forestry Commission Scotland....
, it is on the Galloway Kite Trail, where Red Kites can be spotted at all times of the year. Each August, it hosts the Scottish Alternative Games in its small park.
The Ken Bridge, which links the village with the main road on the east side of the valley, was built in 1822 by the Scottish engineer, John Rennie, who also built the second London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
.