Eastriggs

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Eastriggs
Dumfries and Galloway UK location map.svg
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Eastriggs
Location within Dumfries and Galloway
Population1,770 (mid-2020 est.) [1]
OS grid reference NY247662
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town ANNAN
Postcode district DG12
Dialling code 01461
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
54°59′06″N3°10′34″W / 54.985°N 3.176°W / 54.985; -3.176 Coordinates: 54°59′06″N3°10′34″W / 54.985°N 3.176°W / 54.985; -3.176

Eastriggs is a small village located in Dumfries and Galloway in the south of Scotland, the village is located around 2 mi (3.2 km) north of the mud and sandbanks of the channel of the River Eden, which extends west into the Solway Firth.

Contents

Travelling by road Eastriggs is 3 miles (5 kilometres) to the east of Annan, 19 miles (31 kilometres) to the east of Dumfries, 5 miles (8 kilometres) to the west of Gretna, 17.7 miles (28 kilometres) to the west of Carlisle and 83.1 miles (134 kilometres) to the south of Edinburgh.

The B721 road, runs through Eastriggs and other neighbouring towns and villages connecting to the nearby A75.

History

Situated in the parish of Dornock, in the traditional county of Dumfriesshire, Eastriggs appears to have taken its name from the farm, or farm house, known as Eastriggs that was located in the middle of what was to become the new township. [2] The only other buildings in the area prior to World War I were a group of houses at Lowtherton (now North Road, Lowthertown); a parallel group on what is now the B721 road; an inn and a smithy where East Road joins the B721. [2]

Wooden house in Eastriggs
(demolished in March 2010) Wooden house eastriggs 27o06.jpg
Wooden house in Eastriggs
(demolished in March 2010)

The township of Eastriggs was created as a result of the shell and ammunition crisis of June 1915 which prompted the newly founded Ministry of Munitions to create a new cordite factory. [3]

Officially designated H.M. Factory Gretna , the factory was spread over a 9-mile (14 km) site stretching from Dornock through Gretna to Longtown, Cumbria. [4] This required a huge influx of labour, and 30,000 men and women came from all over the British Commonwealth to serve as construction and factory workers. [5] The Devil's Porridge Museum, opened in 2014 in the village, commemorates the factory and its workers. [6] [7]

Sir Raymond Unwin, Chief Housing Architect of the housing branch of the Explosives Department of Ministry of Munitions, and Courtenay Crickmer [8] designed wooden housing for the workers in both Eastriggs and Gretna. [9] As a mark of respect for the immigrant workforce, the streets were named after various cities within the Commonwealth. [5]

Governance

Eastriggs is in the parliamentary constituency of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, David Mundell, the Conservative Party member of parliament has held the seat since 2005. [10]

It is part of the South Scotland region in the Scottish Parliament, 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's for the Scotland constituency.

Church of St John the Evangelist

Church of St John the Evangelist, Eastriggs. Church of St. John the Evangelist in Eastriggs.JPG
Church of St John the Evangelist, Eastriggs.

Designed in the Gothic style by C M Crickmer under the direction of Sir Raymond Unwin, [11] the Church of St John the Evangelist was dedicated in 1917, and was presented with a signed altar book the following year by King George V and Queen Mary, who were paying an official visit to HM Factory, Gretna.

Rail transport

The Glasgow South Western Line connecting Carlisle, Gretna Green and Annan passes through the currently closed Eastriggs railway station. The station was originally called Dornock, but renamed Eastriggs in 1923. [12] The station closed in 1963. [12] In 2019, Andrew Wood, then chair of the South West Scotland Transport Partnership, said that in response to a public consultation, that he believed that there would be great benefit to the local community in opening up Beattock, Thornhill and Eastriggs stations. [13]

Sport

Eastriggs F.C. are the town's amateur football team. They play in the DSAFL.

Related Research Articles

Dumfries and Galloway Council area of Scotland

Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It comprises the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, and Wigtownshire, the latter two of which are collectively known as Galloway. The administrative centre and largest settlement is the town of Dumfries. The second largest town is Stranraer, 75 miles to the west on the Irish Sea coast.

Ecclefechan is a small village located in Dumfries and Galloway in the south of Scotland.

Dumfriesshire Historic county in Scotland

Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of southern Scotland.

Gretna is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, originally part of the historic county of Dumfriesshire. It is located close to the A74(M) on the border of Scotland and England and near the mouth of the River Esk.

A75 road

The A75 is a primary trunk road in Scotland, linking Stranraer and its ferry ports at Cairnryan with the A74(M) at Gretna, close to the border with England and the M6 motorway.

A74 road

The A74 also known historically as the Glasgow to Carlisle Road, was a major road in the United Kingdom, linking Glasgow in Scotland to Carlisle in the North West of England, passing through Clydesdale, Annandale and the Southern Uplands. A road in this area has existed since Roman Britain, and it was considered one of the most important roads in Scotland, being used as a regular mail service route.

Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (UK Parliament constituency) Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2005 onwards

Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale is a constituency of the House of Commons, located in the South of Scotland, within the Dumfries and Galloway, South Lanarkshire and Scottish Borders council areas. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post system of voting. It is currently represented in Westminster by the former Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell, a Conservative, who has been the MP since 2005.

Annan, Dumfries and Galloway Human settlement in Scotland

Annan is a town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. Historically part of Dumfriesshire, its public buildings include Annan Academy, of which the writer Thomas Carlyle was a pupil, and a Georgian building now known as "Bridge House". The Town Hall was built in Victorian style in 1878, using the local sandstone. Annan also features a Historic Resources Centre. In Port Street, some of the windows remain blocked up to avoid paying the window tax.

Gretna Green railway station Railway station in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Gretna Green is a railway station on the Glasgow South Western Line, which runs between Carlisle and Glasgow Central via Kilmarnock. The station, situated 9 miles 58 chains (16 km) north-west of Carlisle, serves the town of Gretna and village of Gretna Green in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.

Beattock Village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Beattock is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, approximately 12 mile southwest of Moffat and 19 miles north of Dumfries.

HM Factory, Gretna

H.M. Factory, Gretna was the United Kingdom's largest cordite factory in World War I. The government-owned facility was adjacent to the Solway Firth, near Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway. It was built by the Ministry of Munitions in response to the Shell Crisis of 1915. The capital cost was £9,184,000 and it covered 9000 acres. The cost of working it from September 1916 to September 1918 was £12,769,000, during which time it produced cordite valued at £15,000,000, though it was claimed that without it the cordite would have had to be imported from the USA at a cost of £23,600,000.

Dornock Human settlement in Scotland

Dornock is a small Scottish village in Dumfries and Galloway, situated about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Eastriggs and 2 miles (3 km) east of Annan. Dornock is built on land which is 10 to 20 metres above sea level. Dornock Burn runs east of the village and the railway between Annan and Gretna is north of the village. The mud and sand banks of the Solway Firth are less than one mile away to the south.

Eastriggs railway station

Eastriggs railway station was a railway station in Dumfries and Galloway between Annan and Gretna.

Cummertrees railway station

Cummertrees railway station was a railway station in Dumfries and Galloway south of Dumfries, serving the village of Cummertrees. The village lies some 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Annan and 12 miles (19 km) south of Lockerbie.

Lochmaben railway station was a station which served Lochmaben, in the Scottish county of Dumfries and Galloway. It was served by trains on a local line which ran between the Caledonian Main Line at Lockerbie and the Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway at Dumfries.

Rigg railway station was a railway station in Dumfries and Galloway between Eastriggs and Gretna, serving the small village of Rigg.

Grangeston Halt railway station

The Grangeston Halt railway station was a private station that was not listed in the public timetables, located in a rural part of South Ayrshire, Scotland and served the WWII Grangeston ICI munitions plant bringing workers to the site. Grant's Distillery now occupies much of the site.

Maud Bruce

Maud Ellen Bruce was a forewoman and a member of the fire brigade at H.M. Factory Gretna during World War I. She was also the recipient of an O.B.E. for her actions at the factory. In World War Two she worked at ROF Aycliffe, where during an accident with some ammunition, she was severely burnt. She lived to be 100 years old and was one of the first women in Britain to receive plastic surgery.

Agnes Barr Auchencloss was a Scottish medical officer. She is best known for her work at the World War I munitions factory H.M. Factory Gretna. She is included in the University of Glasgow Roll of Honour.

References

  1. "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 Victorian OS Sheet 6
  3. Ministry of Munitions of War, Preface
  4. Ministry of Munitions of War, Chapter 2: Water Supply
  5. 1 2 Longtown Military Railway
  6. "The Devil's Porridge Museum". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  7. "World War One: HM Factory Gretna's vital munitions role". BBC News. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  8. "Eastriggs from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  9. Stratton & Trinder (2000)
  10. "Biography". David Mundell MP. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  11. Scottish Churches Architectural Heritage Trust Retrieved on 7 September 2008
  12. 1 2 Contributors, Ewan Crawford. "Eastriggs - RAILSCOT". www.railscot.co.uk. Retrieved 20 October 2021.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. "'Great merit' in reopening Eastriggs, Thornhill and Beattock stations". BBC News. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2021.

Notes

See also