Dalbeattie

Dalbeattie town is in Dumfries and Galloway southwest Scotland, 62 miles east of Stranraer, 13 miles southwest of Dumfries.

Dalbeattie attracts visitors for its Touring Caravan and Camp Site ideally situated for exploring the area attractions, small museum, two hotels for drinks and meals, Golf Club, scenic churches, buildings built from local granite, and walking and Mountain Biking 2 miles south.

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The image top is of St Peter's Catholic Church on Craignair Street built in 1814. This is the oldest post-Reformation Roman Catholic church in Galloway. There is a large Celtic Cross at the church tower that serves as a war memorial.

Dalbeattie Parish Church is close to St Peter's on Craignair Street, with this church built in 1880 as a Church of Scotland.

The Birchtree Hotel is at the top of the High Street with a bar and restaurant.

The Town Hall is also at the top of the High Street, now used for events and private functions. The hall was built in the 1890s with local granite, as many other prominent buildings in the town.

Dalbeattie granite was used for the Docks in Liverpool, Thames Embankment in London, British lighthouses, a lighthouse in Sri Lanka, and for cobbles on Liverpool, London and Manchester streets.

Dalbeattie Centre is at The Cross on the High Street. This is a public Fountain of Polished Grey and Pink Granite built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887.

At The Cross is the Kings Arms Hotel with a bar, lounge/restaurant and a beer garden. The Cum-Ye-Inn bar is also on the High Street.

The Dalbeattie Museum is also on the High Street, a local and social history museum with many displays covering past industries of Dalbeattie.

Colliston Park with a pond, memorial, bandstand, and tennis is on the northeast side of the town, a nice scenic park.

Dalbeattie Golf Club is under one mile north of the town. This is one of the oldest 9-hole clubs in Dumfries & Galloway, formed in 1894.

Dalbeattie History

The area has remains of Bronze and Iron Age Forts with the Dalbeattie Museum holding some relics from that time.

AD82 - a Roman fort is said to have been in the area.

1650s - first records of a settlement in the area with the burn used to drive mills.

1780s - the first of the granite quarries was opened in the area with the stone used for many of the top building projects throughout the UK, also for producing millstones.

1780s - two local landowners, George Maxwell and Alexander Copland, made land available for the building of Dalbeattie town on each side of Dalbeattie Burn.

1793 - a Paper Mill is opened by the Coplands.

1814 - St Peter's Catholic Church is built.

1859 - the railway reached the town known as the The Paddy, as it connected England and Scotland to Ireland via the port of Stranraer.

1880 - Dalbeattie Parish Church is built.

1887 - the Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Fountain is built.

1890s - the Town Hall is built.

1905 - the artist John Maxwell was born in the town.

1912 - the most famous person raised in the town died while First Officer on the Trans Atlantic Liner RMS Titanic that sank on its maiden voyage. His name was William McMaster Murdoch.

A memorial to Murdoch can be seen on the wall of Dalbeattie Town Hall.

1939 to 1945 - a large ammunition works was built just outside Dalbeattie to make cordite for artillery and naval guns during World War Two.

1953 - the Paper Mill is closed.

1963 - the Railway is closed.

1970s - the cattle-market, cheese factory, dairy, two quarries and a brickworks close.

2001 - work began in southwest Scotland for 7 Mountain Bike and Walking centres, with one 2 miles south of Dalbeatie, known as the 7 Stanes as there is a large Carved Stone at each one.

Today - Dalbeattie has one quarry, a large farming community, a number of residents that commute to work at larger towns, and attracts many tourists visiting the areas many attractions.