Kirkcudbright locals were angry when the Council abruptly shut down the River Dee bridge to vehicles on 24 March 2025. This website tracks a year’s worth of related social media posts. (Images can be enlarged by clicking on them and forwarded in the usual way)
Memories
Crossing the River Dee at Kirkcudbright
Following the posting of this letter on Facebook in December 2024, David R Collin thought we might be interested in an article written by him when he noticed the marked deterioration of its structural state in the early 1960s. (click to enlarge)
D R Collin’s article The Bridge over the Dee at Kirkcudbright
For further information about the crossing of the river from the ferry to the two bridges please refer to his book “Kirkcudbright an Alphabetical Guide to its History” or his Father’s “Bridging the Dee at Kirkcudbright”, T R Collin.
Thanks to David R Collin
Hospital at Home
Today’s news brought back memories when in 1978 Kirkcudbright Cottage Hospital was being renovated and Kirkcudbright backed by the enthusiasm of the medical staff under the guidance of Matron Thomson had its own Hospital at Home Scheme. For details go to our Website https://www.kirkcudbrighthistorysociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/kirkcudbright-hospital2.pdf
Lest We Forget: Kirkcudbright Poppy Trail
Irene Henry, who is well known in the town for her imaginative and detailed post box toppers, knew that to create a stream of poppies to cascade from one of the windows in 
MacLellan’s Castle, would need many poppies – a task well beyond one woman’s capabilities. She therefore sent out an appeal for help in creating enough poppies. Follow what happened next in the article detailing the story of Kirkcudbright Poppy Trail here Poppy Trail
Characters remembered by Peter McAdam
In 2014 Sam Kelly interviewed Peter Mc Adam who used his local knowledge to describe people and places in Kirkcudbright over the years. In 2024, following the popularity of these being posted on Facebook , Sam posted the videos on Youtube. These can be accessed here.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sam+kelly+peter+mcadam
History from a snap: 7 Victoria Place
Following a snap being sent in by Mary (Crawley) McLean, several months ago an appeal was made for those who lived in Kirkcudbright Prefabs to send in memories of living there. An article has now been posted on our website relaying living in Victoria Place when it was the prefabs in the town. Victoria Place Kirkcudbright
Candlemas Day
Tomorrow’s weather is an indicator of what it will be like for the remainder of winter.
The 2nd of February is Candlemas Day. This ancient Festival marks the midpoint of winter; halfway between the shortest day and the spring equinox and is well known through the ages as a turning point in the year, especially in the weather as this saying from The Country Almanack for 1676 under February
“Foul weather is no news; hail, rain and snow,
Are now expected, and esteem’d no woe;
Nay, ‘tis an omen bad the yeomen say,
If Phoebus shews his face the second day”
There were similar sayings elsewhere for example this story was taken by early German pioneers to America becoming Groundhog Day.
“The badger peeps out of the hole on Candlemas Day and when he finds the snow walks about, but if he sees the sun shining he draws back into his hole”.
An old English song went as follows:
“If Candlemas be fair and bright, / Come, Winter, have another flight. / If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, / Go, Winter, and come not again.”
Among the many holy feasts in the Christian calendar, the Feast of the Presentation, or the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, on Candlemas Day is one of the oldest, celebrated since the 4th century A.D. in Jerusalem.
In Kirkcudbright the Candlemas Ball is the highlight of the School year. Its history is described in this article.
https://www.kirkcudbrighthistorysociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/The-Candlemas-Ball.pdf
Memories of the Old High Street: Mary McKinnell
The following is an article from 1972, which was posted recently on Facebook by Jim Bell.
Mary McKinnel was a well known figure in town especially with her regular entry in local pageants with “Billie Marshall’s Gypsies”. Her memories of Old Kirkcudbright were always popular.
This is the original article (sic) transcribed and enhanced by the addition of photographs of the period.
“The Town of Kirkcudbright is of great antiquity and has a wealth of historical interest and events, the town having existed before the invasion of the Romans.
The old part of the town is practically unchanged, High Street with its Georgian houses, old closes with the gardens running down to the Castledykes, and the ancient 16th Century Tolbooth is much the same as it was in my young days a warm, sunny, charming street full of happy children playing games and getting into mischief.
Down at the harbour the boats and the fishermans gear were a big attraction, there always seemed to be someone repairing or painting boats, making creels or mending nets.
Bob Clacherty, a deep sea sailor who had been to far off ports used to regale and enchant us with his stories of adventure.
As a matter of fact, me and my buddy, Kelly, were packed off to the “Auld Castle” school at the tender age of barely four years because “Hubby” prophesised we would fall off the dock into the Dee. School was very pleasant and I remember with great affection my two teachers, “Miss Polly” and “Miss Babs” who taught me my three Rs.
The cobblestones have long gone from the brae at the harbour and now there is a fine smooth surface all along the High Street, it used to be very rough and dusty during the summer, requiring frequent applications from Sammy McNeilie’s watering cart, a great ploy for the children, we used to race after it on our bare feet, kicking her legs in the cascading water, getting a skelp from our mothers for getting wet.