( ''Caisteal Dhùghlais''), a town in the south of
Scotland in
Dumfries And Galloway , lies in the eastern part of
Galloway known as the
Stewartry , between the towns of
Dalbeattie and
Gatehouse Of Fleet .
Castle Douglas is built next to
Carlingwark Loch in which traces of prehistoric
Crannogs can be found, evidence of early inhabitation of the area. Small
Roman forts were situated nearby, built around AD
81 but were abandoned soon after.
Nearby
Threave Castle was the seat of power for the ruling
Douglas family. A small collection of cottages developed by the shores of Carlingwark, which was a source of
Marl . These cottages can still be seen on the Western approach to Castle Douglas and are known as ''the Buchan''. The development of a military road through
Galloway passed through the Carlingwark area and improved transportation connections in the 1700s.
Castle Douglas was founded in
1792 by a wealthy descendant of the Douglas family,
William Douglas , who made his money in an 'American Trade' and created a planned town on the shores of Carlingwark loch. The town's layout is based upon the
Grid Plan pattern of streets as used in Edinburgh's New Town, built around the same time. Sir William Douglas also created a number of industries in Castle Douglas, including hand-waven cotton factories from which ''Cotton Street'' derives its name.
The completion of the
Castle Douglas And Dumfries Railway in 1859 further improved the town's connections, and it soon developed into a major market town for the surrounding area. This is still true today and the
1900 hexagonal market building is in constant use. Although the railway was closed in
1965 the A75 trunk road was developed roughly following the lines of the original military road and passed through Castle Douglas. The many hotels and pubs which derived from coach stops are an indication of the towns importance as a stopping place for travellers.
The town houses the Castle Douglas Art Gallery, an offshoot of the
Stewartry Museum at
Kirkcudbright .
Nearby stands
Threave Castle , the family
Castle of the
Black Douglas line of the
House Of Douglas .
The town is commonly used by tourists as a base for exploring the rest of the area.
