Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a
burgh
A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...
and parish in
Dumfriesshire, now part of the
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...
local authority area in
Scotland. It lies on the
River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a
spa town.
Moffat is around to the southeast of
Glasgow, southwest of
Edinburgh, northeast of
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
and northwest of
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
.
The Moffat House Hotel, located at the northern end of the High Street, was designed by
John Adam. The nearby Star Hotel, a mere 20 ft (6 m) wide, was listed in the
Guinness Book of Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
as the narrowest
hotel in the world. Moffat won the
Britain in Bloom contest in 1996.
Moffat is home to
Moffat toffee.
The town is held to be the ancestral seat of
Clan Moffat. The
Devil's Beef Tub near Moffat was used by the members of Clan Moffat and later the members of
Clan Johnstone to hoard cattle stolen in predatory raids.
Early tourism as a spa town
From 1633 Moffat began to grow from a small village into a popular
spa
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...
town. The sulphurous and saline waters of Moffat Spa were believed to have healing properties, specifically curative for skin conditions,
gout,
rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...
and stomach complaints. In 1730 these were complemented by the addition of iron springs. During the Victorian era the high demand led to the water being piped down from the well to a tank in Tank Wood and on to a specially built bath house in the town centre (
Moffat Town Hall).
Luxurious hotels sprang up to accommodate the increasing numbers of
tourists. One such hotel opened during Moffat's heyday in 1878, Moffat's
Hydropathic hotel was destroyed in a fire in 1921.
The old well was refurbished in the mid 1990s, and is still accessible by vehicle and foot. The water smells very strongly of
sulphur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...
, with deposits on the walls and well itself. At the grand reopening of the well, people visiting were encouraged to drink a glass full.
The well can be reached by following Haywood Road and climbing up Tank Wood (on the right at the top): the path at the end was the original route to the well. An alternative is to drive or walk up Well Road, and eventually, one reaches the Well Cottage and the car park for the well. As stated, when the water was first piped into town for the baths, it was pumped uphill to a tank in the appropriately named Tank Wood, before travelling back downhill to the bath house.
Larchhill Well was a
chalybeate
Chalybeate () waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron.
Name
The word ''chalybeate'' is derived from the Latin word for steel, , which follows from the Greek word . is the singular form of ...
well located on Old Well Road near Wellwoodhead Cottage. The well is no longer visible.
Origin of the name
The name of the town ''Moffat'' is the anglicised form of an
endonym
An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...
, of
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
origin. This quasi-
place-name has been theorized to be translated as "the long plain," which could be derived from two elements: ''magh'' ("plain") and ''fada'' ("long").
[Moffatt Name Meaning and Origin](_blank)
Retrieved 2007-11-18 The area of Moffat lies at the head of the plain of Annandale which stretches south as far as the eye can see from the hills above Moffat.
Governance
Moffat is in the
parliamentary constituency of
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale,
David Mundell is the current
Conservative Party member of parliament.
It is part of the
South Scotland
South Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the S ...
region in the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
, being in the constituency of
Dumfriesshire.
Oliver Mundell of the
Conservatives is the
MSP.
Prior to
Brexit, for the
European Parliament its residents voted to elect
MEP MEP may refer to:
Organisations and politics
* Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka
* Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka
* Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...
s for the
Scotland constituency.
Wool trade
Moffat was a notable market in the
wool trade, and this is commemorated with a statue of a ram by
William Brodie in the town's marketplace. The
ram was presented to the town by William Colvin, a local businessman, in 1875. The ram's ears are missing, as they have been since it was first presented.
Notable people
*
Danny Bhoy,
comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing
Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...
.
*
Sir Thomas Bouche civil engineer and designer of the first Tay Bridge.
*
William Carruthers,
botanist.
* William Dickson (1751-1823), was secretary to the Governor of
Barbados for 13 years. There he witnessed slaves being brutally treated. From January to March 1792 he toured Scotland from
Kirkcudbright to
Nairn presenting evidence of the evils of the slave trade. This evidence was summarised in 'An abstract of the evidence delivered before a select committee of the House of Commons'. He wrote a book on the subject entitled ''Mitigation of Slavery''.
*
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...
Hugh Dowding, commander of
RAF Fighter Command during the
Battle of Britain, was born at
St Ninian's School, Moffat
St Ninian's Preparatory School was an independent preparatory school for boys in Moffat, Scotland.
History
St Ninian's Preparatory School for boys was founded in 1879 by Arthur John Caswall Dowding and Reverend William Henry Churchill. Dowding ...
in 1882. The former school is now sheltered housing for RAF veterans. There is a memorial to Dowding in Station Park. It is in a local red sandstone with a bronze memorial tablet on the wall and RAF crest badges on the flanking 'wings'. The architect and designer was D. Bruce Walker and the sculptor Scott Sutherland RSA.
*
James Fraser, Scottish international footballer,
*
Ellen or Helen Hyslop, was said to have had a daughter, Helen or Ellen Armstrong, fathered by the poet
Robert Burns. The gravestone of the mother and her daughter is to be found in the old cemetery. Unusually for Victorian memorials, the name of the father is not recorded on the stone. Ellen died aged 87 and her daughter lived until the age of 98.
*
James D. Murray
James Dickson Murray FRSE FRS, (born 2 January 1931) is professor emeritus of applied mathematics at University of Washington and University of Oxford. He is best known for his authoritative and extensive work entitled '' Mathematical Biology' ...
,
mathematical biologist
Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical models and abstractions of the Organism, living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, dev ...
.
*
James B Niven
James Bryden Niven (10 February 1861 – 1933) was a Scottish international footballer.
Niven was born in the parish of Kirkpatrick-Juxta near Moffat, Dumfriesshire, the son of James Bryden Niven, Sr. and Elizabeth Saunders.
Niven was one of t ...
, Scottish international footballer.
* Ivor Robson, the official starter for the Open golf tournament since 1975.
*
D. E. Stevenson
Dorothy Emily Stevenson (18 November 1892 – 30 December 1973) was a best-selling Scottish writer. She published more than 40 "light romantic novels" over a span of more than 40 years.
Life
Stevenson was born in Melville Street, Edinburgh, ...
(1892–1973), author and cousin to
Robert Louis Stevenson.
Famous and infamous visitors
Robert Burns came for the waters and frequented the local bars.
The infamous murderer William Hare may have stayed in the Black Bull Hotel during his escape to Ireland after turning King's evidence against William Burke in the
Burke and Hare murders.
John Loudon McAdam, Scottish engineer and road-builder, died in Moffat and is buried there.
In 1935, the remains of the victims of the Lancaster murderer, Dr
Buck Ruxton, were found in a stream near The
Devil's Beef Tub. A landmark case in legal history, it was the first in which the murderer was successfully convicted using the type of highly sophisticated forensic techniques which are taken for granted in the 21st century. The bridge at the top is still used to this day - near the very top it is a switchback that is not quite wide enough for two vehicles to pass on. The area is colloquially known as "Ruxton's Dump". The bridge from which Ruxton threw the parcelled remains has been straightened and widened; Gardenholme Linn, the deep wooded defile into which the packages were thrown is on the east side of the road (A701).
Samuel Wallace
Samuel Thomas Dickson Wallace VC (7 March 1892 – 2 February 1968) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealt ...
, a
Victoria Cross recipient, died in the town.
Tourism
The town attracts many tourists all year round, both as visitors and as walkers in the surrounding hills. Notable buildings include the Annandale Arms Hotel and Restaurant which has been awarded several AA rosettes, Real and Local Food medals and four stars from Food Review Scotland.
Shops include the
Moffat Toffee Shop and
The Edinburgh Woollen Mill
Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) is a Carlisle-based retailer specialising in clothing, along with interests in homewares and destination shopping for tourists. It was previously owned by the Dubai-based British billionaire Philip Day.
The company' ...
, while its restaurants and cafes include The Bombay Cuisine, Claudio's, Arietes, The Rumblin' Tum, The Balmoral and the Buccleuch Arms Hotel and Restaurant. The Buccleuch has also been awarded Gold in Visitscotland's Green Tourism Business Scheme.
Moffat also has a recreation park with a boating pond and a memorial to
Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding.
There is an official Camping and Caravanning Club campsite (for tents, caravans and motorhomes) that is open all year as of 13 March 2008. This is situated next to the Hammerlands Centre - a combination garden centre, gift shop, restaurant,
fish farm
upright=1.3, Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture) at Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye">mariculture.html" ;"title="Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture">Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture) at Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Fish farming or ...
and children's play area with farmyard animals.
For walkers there is also the Gallow Hill. Moffat is also situated only a few miles from the
Southern Upland Way where it passes through
Beattock
Beattock is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, approximately southwest of Moffat and north of Dumfries.
Beattock was historically served by the A74 road and the West Coast Main Line, however the road has since been upgraded to the ...
, and the
Sir Walter Scott Way starts here.
Northeast of Moffat is the
Grey Mare's Tail waterfall. This hanging-valley waterfall is 60m tall and lies within a nature reserve.
Education
Moffat Academy
Moffat Academy is a school in Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Upl ...
teaches pupils of Nursery, Primary and Secondary School age, there are currently just over 520 pupils taught at the school. It was in its former location in the north of the town since 1834. In February 2010 the school moved to a new site in the south-east of the town on Jeff Brown Drive.
Sport and recreation
Moffat RFC
Moffat Rugby Football Club (abbreviated as Moffat RFC) and known as The Rams are a rugby union side, currently playing in the .
The team is based in Moffat in south-west Scotland, and they play at Holm Park.
History
Founded in 1994, the club ...
caters for all ages. The 1st XV plays in the Scottish Rugby Union league structure. They are also known as "The Rams" after the statue in the High Street. The ground wholly owned by the club is situated at The Holm, Selkirk Road.
Moffat's main football club is
Upper Annandale F.C.
Upper Annandale Football Club are a football club from the town of Moffat in the Dumfries and Galloway area of Scotland. The club was founded in 1966 and plays in the South of Scotland Football League.
They originally competed in the Dumfri ...
, who represent the town in the
South of Scotland Football League.
Moffat Golf Club was founded in 1884. In 1904, Ben Sayers of North Berwick was invited to design the present 18-hole course. Located high on Coats Hill overlooking the town, it is some 670 feet above sea level.
A long-distance walking route called
Annandale Way running through Annandale (from the source of the River Annan to the sea) was opened in September 2009. The route passes very close to the town of Moffat, and a diversion from it into the town adds very little in distance.
The nearby
Moffat Hills offer many walking routes, and the town itself is the closest base for access to these hills.
References
External links
Visit Moffat - the official website for visitors to Moffat and the surrounding areaThe Moffat Tourist Information WebsiteVideo and commentary on The Moffat Mineral Well
{{authority control
Towns in Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfriesshire
Parishes in Dumfries and Galloway