New Galloway ( gd, Gall-Ghàidhealaibh Nuadh) is a town in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in

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 historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkc ...

. It lies on the west side of the valley of the

Water of Ken The Water of Ken is a river in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire 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, ...

, north of the end of Loch Ken. Before the local government reform of 1975, it was the smallest

Royal Burgh A royal burgh () was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. Most royal burghs were either created by ...

in Scotland. Scotia Depicta - New Galloway -Plate-

History

There were scattered settlements in the area from at least the 13th century (when the nearby

Kenmure Castle Kenmure Castle is a fortified house or castle in The Glenkens, south of the town of New Galloway in Kirkcudbrightshire, Galloway, south-west Scotland. The site was occupied from the Middle Ages, and the house incorporates part of a 17th-century c ...

was first built), but the village was formally founded in the 17th century by the

Viscount of Kenmure Viscount of Kenmure was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created by Charles I in 1633 for the prominent Presbyterian Sir John Gordon, 2nd Baronet. He was made Lord Lochinvar at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland. Both titles ...

and granted Royal Burgh status in 1630 – this was to enable it to serve as a market town. However,

Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright ( ; sco, Kirkcoubrie; gd, Cille Chùithbeirt) is a town, parish and a Royal Burgh from 1455 in Kirkcudbrightshire, of which it is traditionally the county town, within Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The town lies southwest of ...

, only 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 a rural town. It has a Town Hall, the CatStrand Arts and Visitor Centre, 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 is a forest park operated by Forestry and Land Scotland, principally covering woodland in Dumfries and Galloway. It is claimed to be the largest forest in the UK. The park was granted Dark Sky Park status ("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.

Notable buildings

Notable buildings include: *Kells Parish Church of Scotland, built in 1822 to a design by local architect William McCandlish. T-plan church with square tower at the centre of south wall. Interior reworked in 1911 following the original layout. The churchyard has three ‘Adam and Eve’ stones of 1706–7, and the grave of Captain John Gordon's gamekeeper at

, John Murray, who caught the largest recorded pike in Loch Ken in 1774. *St Margaret's Episcopalian Church was built in 1904 by W H Harrison, the chancel added in 1908 and the lychgate in 1912. *The Ken Bridge, which links the town with the main road on the east side of the valley, was built between 1820 and 1821 by the Scottish engineer, John Rennie, who also built the second London Bridge and

Waterloo Bridge Waterloo Bridge () is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at t ...

. * New Galloway Town Hall was restored in 1875.

Notable people

Notable people include James Faed Jnr, (1856-1920) artist, son of

James Faed James Faed (4 April 1821 – 23 September 1911) was one of three famous Scottish brother painters/artists. Early life James was the second son of the six children of James Faed, tenant of Barlay Mill, near Gatehouse of Fleet, Galloway, and Mary ...

: he lived and died at his home "The Bungalow".

References

External links

Scottish Alternative Games

Galloway Kite TrailEngraving of New Galloway
by

James Fittler James Fittler (October 1758, in London – 2 December 1835) was an English engraver of portraits and landscapes and an illustrator of books. He was appointed by King George III to be his marine engraver. Life Fittler was born in London in Octo ...

in the digitised copy o
Scotia Depicta, or the antiquities, castles, public buildings, noblemen and gentlemen's seats, cities, towns and picturesque scenery of Scotland
1804 at National Library of Scotland Towns in Dumfries and Galloway {{DumfriesGalloway-geo-stub