Moniaive

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Moniaive is a village in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, near Thornhill, on the A702 road and B729 road . The name is from Gaelic monadh-abh and means "Hill of Streams". It is situated at the northern end of the very scenic and tranquil Cairn Valley. It is within the parish of Glencairn and a bi-monthly newspaper free for local residents, is produced by volunteers called the Glencairn Gazette.

In the 17th century, Moniaive became the refuge for the Covenanters, a group of Presbyterian nonconformists who rebelled at having the Episcopalian religion forced on them by the last three Stuart kings, Charles I, Charles II and James II of England (James V11 of Scotland). There is a monument off the Ayr Road to James Renwick, a Covenanter leader born here who was executed in Edinburgh.

The village was planned and built by a local landowner in the 17th century and consists of two parts separated by the Dalwhat Brook, Dunreggan and Moniaive village itself. The Cairn Valley Light Railway was opened from Dumfries in 1905 but closed to passengers during World War 2 and never reopened. There had been hopes to develop the village as a resort with the building of several outlying hotels. Two of the three hotels are still well used but the third is now a private residence. Maxwellton and Craigdarroch House are situated locally. With a shop, post office, garage,an organic cafe,several arts and crafts studios, beauty salon, bakers, primary school and two hotels with bars and restuarents, it is a thriving community with a strong community spirit. Every year a number of festivals are held within the parish; Moniaive Comic festival, Moniaive Horse Show, Gala Day, Arts Association exhibition, Beer and Food festival, Comedy nights, Moniaive Folk Festival, Horticultural show to name but a few.In 2004 The Times described the village as one of the 'coolest' in Britain.

The Scottish artist James Paterson lived here and painted many local scenes including "The Last Turning". Until 2005 there was a Paterson museum within the village but this has now closed and Paterson's photographs and memorabilia are now lodged at Glasgow University's Crichton campus in Dumfries.

The village is connected to Dumfries and Thornhill by local bus services. There is also a community bus run by volunteers for trips, with a scheduled service to Castle Douglas.

The local economy is dominated by sheep and some cattle farming as well as forestry. It also has a very large self-employed community including writers, artists, graphic designers, historical interpretation services, clothing designers, aromatherapists, stained glass workers, a wine importing business, bakery, computer repairs, garden and landscaping services, plant nursery, and child care.

The village has its own website and is currently home to both Batman writer Alan Grant and a member of the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand.Joanna Lumley also has a home near here. The writer Rumer Godden lived in Moniaive, and it is the place that Charlie Chaplin's son ran away to,to get married^{[citation needed]}.

Moniaive has won prizes in both Nithsdale in Bloom and Scotland in Bloom competitions.