Dunragit

Coordinates: 54°52′44″N 4°53′06″W / 54.879°N 4.885°W / 54.879; -4.885
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Dunragit
  • Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Reicheit
Dunragit is located in Dumfries and Galloway
Dunragit
Dunragit
Location within Dumfries and Galloway
OS grid referenceNX149576
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54°52′44″N 4°53′06″W / 54.879°N 4.885°W / 54.879; -4.885

Dunragit (

country house
, though there is evidence of Neolithic settlement in the area.

Toponymy

The place-name Dunragit is said to derive from Din Rheged meaning "Fort of Rheged", referring to the

Brythonic kingdom of Rheged which existed in northern Britain between the 5th and 8th centuries.[1]
RE

Dunragit monument complex

Droughduil Mote, identified as a Neolithic mound

Between 1999 and 2002, archeological excavations have explored the Dunragit area, and a complex of

motte.[3] The location of the mound, aligned with one of the entrances to the timber circles, prompted speculation as to an earlier origin, and the 2002 excavation season focused on this feature. Optically stimulated luminescence dating of excavated material showed that the mound was constructed around 2500 BC, and has been compared to Silbury Hill in Wiltshire.[4]

Round Dounan

Round Dounan, in the grounds of Dunragit House, has been identified as a

motte, shaped from a natural mound. It may have been a stone-built fort of the 5th or 6th century, and was identified as the "Fort of Rheged" by R. C. Reid in the 1950s.[5]

Glenwhan Garden

The 12-acre (49,000 m2) Glenwhan Garden has been created in Dunragit, since 1979, out of a

gorse and bracken covered hillside, inspired by the nearby Logan Botanic Garden and Tresco on the Isles of Scilly. It is open to the public.[6]

Economy

Dunragit Creamery was operated by Nestlé, but this is no longer in use.[7]

Bypass

Plans were put forward in 2006 for a 5.3-kilometre (3.3 mi) bypass to take the busy A75 around the south side of the village.[8] A £17.13m contract for the work was awarded in February 2013.[9] During construction work substantial finds of prehistoric artefacts were uncovered. These included Mesolithic lithic artefacts, Neolithic arrowheads, Bronze Age urns and bead necklaces including a 130-piece jet bead necklace the origin of which was traced to Whitby, North Yorkshire.[10]

Railways

There is a level crossing located on the Glasgow South Western Line on the section between Stranraer and Barrhill.

The

Port of Belfast and Northern Ireland
in general.

The station is closed along with the direct line from Stranraer via Dunragit to

Glenluce onwards to Dumfries and Carlisle and the West Coast Main Line to London Euston. The same journey to Dumfries is now via Ayr and Kilmarnock
.

Gallery

  • Dunragit House
    Dunragit House
  • Level crossing at Dunragit
    Level crossing at Dunragit
  • Glenwhan Garden
    Glenwhan Garden
  • Looking south from Dunragit
    Looking south from Dunragit

References

  1. ^ W.J. Watson (1926). "General Survey of Dumfries and Galloway". History of the Celtic Placenames of Scotland. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014.
  2. ^ "Dunragit Excavations Project 1999-2002". University of Manchester / Historic Scotland. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Droughdool Mote". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Research Projects: Dunragit Excavation". University of Manchester. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  5. ^ "Round Dounan". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Glenwhan Gardens". Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  7. ^ "Photo of Nestle's Dunragit Creamery, circa 1960". Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  8. ^ "A75 Dunragit Bypass Project". Transport Scotland. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  9. ^ "£36 million green light for road schemes". Transport Scotland. 5 February 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  10. ^ "Iron Age village discovered during bypass building project". (14 May 2014) The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  11. ^ Awdry (1990), page 66
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