Newton Stewart
Newton Stewart sits on the banks of the River Cree, which separates this market town from the smaller Minnigaff at the mouth of Wigtown Bay.
Founded in the mid 17th Century by William Stewart, youngest son of the 2nd Earl of Galloway, the "New Town of Stewart" was granted Burgh status by charter from King Charles II allowing a weekly market and two annual fairs to be held.
Minnigaff boasted two working mills and the nearby harbours, thanks to the area's proximity with the Solway tide, proved a popular place for industry to prosper.
In the last three hundred years, the town has developed significantly. It is now regarded by many as the gateway to the Galloway Hills and the important historical region of the Machars.
Indeed it was on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Ninian at Whithorn, in 1329, that Robert the Bruce forded the river where the present Creebridge stands.
Built in 1813 it replaced the old bridge of 1745 which was destroyed by floods in 1806.
In the 1870s a minister of Penninghamme Parish Church had a fit of patriotism (spurred on by Queen Victoria's promotion to Empress of India) and changed the names of many streets in Newton Stewart: Wigtown Row became Queen Street and Glenluce Row is now Princes Street.
Newton Stewart was once the home of a bustling railway station which welcomed the Paddy Line from Stranraer to Dumfries.
Sadly, this line has long since closed and only the eagle-eyed can spot the remains of the platforms in the town.
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Weather for Newton Stewart
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
