Drummore
| |
|---|---|
  Drummore Location within Dumfries and Galloway | |
| Population | 534 |
| OS grid reference | NX136366 |
| • Edinburgh | 110 mi (177 km) |
| • London | 296 mi (476 km) |
| Civil parish | |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STRANRAER |
| Postcode district | DG9 |
| Dialling code | 01776 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Drummore (drum-ORE; (from Gaelic An Druim Mòr meaning "the great ridge") is the southernmost village in Scotland, located at the southern end of the Rhins of Galloway in Dumfries and Galloway: it has two satellite clachans, called Kirkmaiden and Damnaglaur.
The village lies where the Kildonan Burn runs out to the sea, north of the Mull of Galloway. It is further south than the English cities of Durham and Carlisle. It is historically within the Wigtownshire area and the parish and community of Kirkmaiden. It is 16 miles (26 km) from the nearest major town, the ferry port of Stranraer. In the 2011 census, the population was 534.
Drummore shares its name with High Drummore a mile (1.6 km) up Glen Lee, and also with Drummore Glen 1⁄2 mile (800 m) to the east. The underlying name is the Gaelic "druim mòr" or "big ridge", and it has been suggested that this reflected the motte associated with the castle of the Adairs of Kinhilt, whose lands were granted in 1602 by King James VI.
The rather scattered incidence of related names, however, makes it more likely that the hill-ridge itself is in question, although at 90 m (300 ft) it is not all that prominent compared to the 140 m (450 ft) Muntloch Fell and Inshanks Fell to the west, or even the 76 m (250 ft) Mull of Galloway itself, 3 miles (4.8 km) to the south.
A branch line was proposed in 1877 linking to the Portpatrick Railway. It was opposed by the feudal landowner, the Earl of Stair, and finally abandoned after the failure of the City of Glasgow Bank in 1882; aspects of the village's street layout still reflect plans for the railway.