Port Logan
| Port Logan | |
| Wigtownshire | |
|---|---|
 The harbour of Port Logan | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 54°43’23"N, 4°57’23"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Stranraer |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Dumfries and Galloway |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Dumfries and Galloway |
Port Logan, formerly Port Nessock, is a small village in the parish of Kirkmaiden on the Rhinns of Galloway in Wigtownshire.
Port Nessock Bay is now all that remains of the western end of a strait that in post-glacial times separated the main part of what is now the Rinns of Galloway from three smaller islands to its south.[1] There was a ruined pier in the bay in 1790, at which time kelp and samphire were gathered on the coast to the south.[2]
The village was planned; it was created by Colonel Andrew MacDowall (Douall), the laird of Logan, in 1818. MacDowall erected a quay and bell tower designed by Thomas Telford, and a causewayed road leading to them. This causeway blocked the view to seaward of the existing houses on the Lower Road (Laigh Row), whose inhabitants MacDowall expected to move to a new Upper Road; in the event, they welcomed the shelter it provided from the brisk onshore winds, and preferred to stay put, though subsequently most of them added a second storey so recovering some of the sea view.
Character and facilities
Facilities include a village hall which used to be the local Lifeboat Station. It is run by a local committee and completely self-funding. In recent years it has been used for a range of social events such as weddings and to celebrate Hogmanay and St Andrew's Night. It is sometimes used for meetings of the Kirkmaiden Community Council.[3] There is a tiny part-time post office. There is a small market garden supplying local businesses and the public.
For a couple of years until 2006 they also included a newly built cafe with excellent views called the Butterchurn; however, this was then closed, and converted into a private house.
Tourist attractions
The Logan Fish Pond, Logan Botanic Garden and Logan House Garden are nearby. Logan Fish Pond was also built by Colonel Andrew McDouall, originally as a fish larder for Logan House, circa 1788 and completed around 1800, with a Keeper's Cottage and Bathing Hut which still stand as part of the modern Logan Fishpond Marine Life Centre. As of early 2016, the Fishpond - the oldest natural marine aquarium in the United Kingdom, if not the world - is still a tourist attraction.
On television
The village was used at the setting for the popular BBC series Two Thousand Acres of Sky between 2001 and 2003.
USAAF Douglas C-47 crash
On 27 July 1944, two Douglas C-47 Skytrains (one was serial number 42-93038) of the United States Army Air Forces were on a flight from Filton (Bristol) to a stop at Prestwick before flying on to the United States, transporting wounded soldiers. The flight encountered bad weather, and the pilot of 42-93038 tried to gain altitude to clear the cliffs. The C-47 crashed into the cliff side at Port Logan, where all 22 passengers and crew died.[4]
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Port Logan) |
References
- ↑ Whittow, J B (1977). Geology and Scenery in Scotland. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 63. ISBN 0-14-021867-X. OCLC 3690635.
- ↑ Statistical Account of Scotland , vol 5, page 429; republished 1983
- ↑ http://www.dgcommunity.net/communitycouncil/default.aspx?id=44
- ↑ Aviation Safety Network 19440727-0