New Galloway

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New Galloway
Scottish Gaelic: Baile Ur Ghall-ghaidhealaibh


New Galloway

New Galloway (Scotland)
New Galloway

New Galloway shown within Scotland
OS grid reference NX635775
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: UKScotland

Coordinates: 55°04′23″N 4°08′20″W / 55.073, -4.139

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.

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