from the Chairman of Kirkcudbright Forum - ANDY CAMPBELL MBE Welcome to Kirkcudbright Dear Visitor Welcome to Kirkcudbright! Say it ‘Cur– coo – bree’. The town takes its name from the long-since demolished Kirk of St Cuthbert, built near the town over a thousand years ago, when this part of Scotland, called Galloway, was part of the English Kingdom of Northumbria – St. Cuthbert was their patron saint. For an old county town with a small population you will be amazed at how much we have to show you. Kirkcudbright has long had a reputation as an “Artists’ Town” and you will find art and craft exhibitions here every month of the year, but especially July and August when the Town Hall is the venue for a major art exhibition each year. If music is your thing, look out for the Jazz Festival in June, and for a good night out don’t miss the July and August Summer Festivities programme, culminating in the grand Tattoo at the end of August. These are just a few of the highlights of the year long list of events, and don’t forget the range of attractions from ancient monuments to museums to a wildlife park, which you can find in and around the town. All the details are in the following pages of this first comprehensive guide to Kirkcudbright. On the inside back cover of this brochure you’ll find a Free Prize Draw, with a £100 prize for the lucky winner - the catch is you will need to visit us to enter! The area has a long historic background and there remain many wonder- ful attractions for those interested in the region’s past. Within the town We are justly proud of our town and we look forward to sharing it with you soon. Tell your friends too! of Kirkcudbright, which became a Royal Burgh in 1455, there stands the Kirkcudbright - 17th century Tolbooth, in which was incarcerated, for a brief period, the Kirkcudbright is situated American naval hero John Paul Jones who was born nearby. Since then A Tourist Paradise the Tolbooth has been converted into an award winning art gallery and CONTENTS on the Dee estuary where it visitor centre and as such is a venue for exhibitions, workshops and Kirkcudbright - A Tourist Paradise 3,4 Tolbooth Art Centre 16 meets Kirkcudbright Bay in patrons’ comfort in the cafe. Town Map 5 Stewartry Museum 17 the beautiful Dumfries and Near the centre of the town stands the imposing ruin of MacLellan’s Events Calendar 6,7 Castle, which dates from the late 16th century. Originally built as the town Broughton House 18 Galloway region of South Art in Kirkcudbright 8 MacLellan’s Castle 18 house of Sir Thomas MacLellan of Bombie, it is now owned and run by ‘Consider the Lilies’ art exhibition 9 Harbour Cottage Gallery 18 West Scotland. Historic Scotland and is open to the public in the summer months. International Arts Festival 10 Golf Club 19 This picturesque working The High Street, which originally was the only street in Kirkcudbright, is Kirkcudbright Abroad 10 Swimming Pool 19 ‘L’ shaped and contains many attractive 18th century properties. Most harbour town is surrounded Jazz Festival 11 Marina 19 of these buildings, which are in the main private dwellings, have been Summer Festivities Programme 12,13 Activities 20 by a unique landscape of painted in a variety of colours and give the town a bright and pleasant aspect. Another attractive architectural feature of the High Street are Kirkcudbright Tattoo 14 Accommodation 22,23 rolling hills, bluebell woods, the old arched closes leading off, which offer secret glimpses of other Kirkcudbright Half Marathon 15 Dining Out 23 and fields abundant in properties and gardens to the rear. Riding the Marches 15 Reply Slip £100 prize 23 gorse, which offer spectacular The Stewartry Museum, situated on St Mary Street, was founded in 1879, scenery and vivid colour the present building being opened in 1893. Although upgraded, it retains Kirkcudbright Forum are pleased to acknowledge the charm of a late Victorian museum displaying artefacts relating to the support of Dumfries and Galloway Council during all the seasons of the human and natural history of the area. There are regular special in the production of this guide the year. exhibitions held throughout the year. 2 3 Kirkcudbright is known as the “Artists’ Town” because of the fact that many well-known Scottish artists lived and worked within its boundary. One of the main attractions is Broughton House, which was the home of E.A. Hornel, who was one of the famous ‘Glasgow Boys’. The National Trust for Scotland now owns his home and after recent restoration work, the house and its lovely garden are open to the public. There are numerous art galleries in the town and over recent years there have been major exhibitions which have attracted many visitors. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Harbour Cottage Gallery which is mounting a special exhibition in September to mark the occasion. You will find the gallery in a picturesque setting by Kirkcudbright’s busy fishing harbour, sitting in the shadow of MacLellan’s Castle. Converted in 1957 from a fisherman’s cottage scheduled for demolition, this initiative was inspired by local artists and businessmen who saw the need to save an attractive corner of the town together with the opportunity to create a permanent exhibition space. In addition to the foregoing attractions there are many sports and leisure facilities available. These include a Swimming Pool, Yacht Club, Marina, Bowling Green, Golf Courses, and Coastal and Country Walks. The Galloway Wildlife Conservation Park is nearby as is the Galloway Hydros Visitor Centre at Tongland. Two of the 7stanes mountain biking centres, at Kirroughtree and Dalbeattie, are only a short drive away. In the surrounding area there are many other tourist attractions, such as Dundrennan Abbey, Threave Castle and Gardens, Cardoness Castle, Mill on the Fleet, Cream o’ Galloway, the David Coulthard Museum at Twynholm, an Equestrian and Tracking Centre at Ringford and more water sports at Loch Ken. Our beautiful countryside is overflowing with wonderful sights, sounds and scents for you to experience. Accommodation is readily available in the vicinity. This includes quality Hotels, Guest Houses, Self-Catering facilities and excellent Leisure and Holiday Parks, some of which are listed in the back of this brochure. And whether it’s a fast snack or a superb dining experience, you’ll find that all tastes are catered for within Kirkcudbright. For more information on where to stay or eat, you will find our local Tourist Information Centre in the Harbour Square. During the year there are many special events held locally, most famously the Kirkcudbright Summer Festivities, which last from mid July till the end of August. At this time there are Scottish evenings in the Harbour Square, historic walks, competitions etc. culminating in the Tattoo which attracts many visitors to the town. There is also a very successful Jazz Festival held in June, which brings a large number of jazz enthusiasts to Kirkcudbright. There is so much to do here, so no two days will be the same, and the kids will never be bored. Now isn’t that worth making the trip. 4 5 6 � � � 7 The Artists’ SPRING FLING 26-28 May Town Art & Craft open studio weekend www.spring-fling.co.uk Artists and craft-makers open their studios across Dumfries and Galloway for this unique weekend. Watch demonstrations or buy a special piece of work. Everyone welcome. See web-site for details. The red route of the Spring Fling has seven of the studios in and around ‘St Ives of the North’ Kirkcudbright and includes: A Thriving Community Kevan McGinty Landscapes Jo Gallant Textiles Steven Higginson Figure, Urban Landscape, Still Life Kirkcudbright earned its Linda Mallett Etchings & Drawings name as an artists’ town Peter Machell Chair Design due to the importance and Angela Lawrence Landscapes, Oil and Watercolour Kate Anderson Mosaics reputation of the artists Kevin McGinty who lived and worked here KIRKCUDBRIGHT ART & CRAFTS TRAIL from the 1880s. The reasons Friday to Sunday 27-29 July artists came to paint and www.artandcraftstrail.co.uk stayed are as true today as 11am to 4pm daily This now annual event celebrates art- they were then, and there is ists and craftworkers in and around still a thriving community of the town. You can start this event artists living in and around by joining artists and guests for ‘Pimms on the Patio’ at Broughton Kirkcudbright. House on Thursday evening. Over the following 3 days enjoy walking around Kirkcudbright and experience There are six galleries with the “Artists’ Town” through the studios and crafts of its residents past and a programme of exhibitions present. You can visit artists as varied as Jane Gibson RMS HS, artist in held throughout the year residence to the Dorothy L. Sayers society, well known for her miniatures, to Pauline Saul who lives and works in the same house that belonged to including our big summer Jessie M King. Last year there were 36 participants! art exhibition held in the Town Hall. This year see GALLERIES ‘Consider the Lilies’ from the As is the nature of exhibitions, content can change. You can call for up- McManus Galleries, Dundee. to-date information or have a look at their websites. You can find out more about Harbour Cottage Gallery, 01557 330207 www.kirkcudbrightartiststown.co.uk High Street Gallery, 01557 331660 www.highstgallery.co.uk; Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright’s artists at: Picture Framers, 01557 339212; The Backroom Gallery, o1557 330423; Tolbooth Art Centre, 01557 331556 www.kirkcudbrightartiststown.co.uk; www.artistsfootsteps.co.uk Whitehouse Gallery, 01557 330223 www.whitehousegallery.com 8 art & festivals KIRKCUDBRIGHT ABROAD Kirkcudbright’s trans-national arm In 2007 Kirkcudbright Abroad The Kirkcudbright will be presenting two 9th July to the 29th July 2007 International Arts international events in the town.