New Galloway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Galloway | |
Scottish Gaelic: Baile Ur Ghall-ghaidhealaibh | |
New Galloway shown within Scotland |
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OS grid reference | |
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Council area | Dumfries and Galloway |
Lieutenancy area | The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright |
Constituent country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CASTLE DOUGLAS |
Postcode district | DG7 |
Dialling code | 01644 |
Police | Dumfries and Galloway |
Fire | Dumfries and Galloway |
Ambulance | Scottish |
European Parliament | Scotland |
UK Parliament | Dumfries and Galloway |
Scottish Parliament | Galloway and Upper Nithsdale |
List of places: UK • Scotland |
New Galloway (Gd: Baile Ur Ghall-ghaidhealaibh) is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, 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.
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 1600s 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 village. 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, 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.