Langholm Totally Explained

Everything about Langholm totally explained

'Langholm, also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the River Esk and the A7 road. The town grew around the textile industry, but is now best-known as the birthplace of Hugh MacDiarmid and Thomas Telford. The population in 2001 was 2,311.
   The Langholm Bridge was constructed over the River Esk between 1775 and 1778 by Robert Hotson. Thomas Telford worked on the construction as a journeyman, and the road west from the bridge is now named after him.
   The town was an important centre for the Border Reivers. Each year many visitors come for the annual Common Riding, which takes place on the last Friday of July.
   A branch of the Carlisle to Hawick railway line to Langholm was completed in 1864, but closed some 100 years later. The last regular passenger train was on 13 June 1964, although a special ran in March 1967 - complete with Restaurant Car; the freight service continued until September 1967.
   Langholm is also the birth town of Thomas Hope who was born in 1809. After emigrating to America, Hope set up a chain of stores and became rich. In 1888 he returned and Hope told his friend Robert Smellie that when he died he'd donate money for a town hospital. In March 1890 he died and between 1894 and 1896 the hospital was built. The Thomas Hope Hospital is still in use.
   Langholm was also the home of Albie Tedham who was one of Scotland's top fiddle players during his life.
   Langholm has a combined primary and secondary school of excellent repute Langholm Academy which has produced most of the town's eminent alumni.
   Actor Gregor Fisher, best known for his portrayal of his character Rab C Nesbitt in the British sitcom of the same name, spent part of his childhood in Langholm and now lives just outside the town.
   In 1871, Langholm Rugby Football Club was founded, being the oldest Rugby club in the borders.
   The unused episcopalian church on the Castle Holm in the burgh has been converted into the Armstrong clan museum. In 1972, astronaut Neil Armstrong was welcomed to the town, and made the first freeman of the burgh. He happily declared the town his home. The BBC (External Link) have a video clip of the visit.
   Langholm is surrounded by three hills. The highest is 300m Whita hill, on which stands an impressive obelisk commemorating the life and achievements of Sir John Malcolm (1769‑1833), the distinguished soldier, statesman, and historian. The others are Warblaw (in Langholm it's pronounced Warbla) and Meikleholmhill.
   The town is home to a music and arts festival, a food festival and the Langholm walks.
   The local newspaper is the Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser, which is part of the CN Group Ltd. The paper covers news from Langholm and its surrounding areas (notably Canonbie & Newcastleton) and is commonly referred to locally as 'The Langholm Squeak'.
   Langholm has long been home to a thriving woollen milling trade and at one stage there were 22 mills in the town. There has been consolidation and closure since then, but many people still earn their living in the trade. The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, seen on many a high street, is based in Langholm.
   Another local business is Border Fine Arts, set up in the early seventies. It makes figurines of local wildlife, each one hand painted by local people. The company trades around the world.
   The 'Langholm Project' is a reference to the Joint Raptor Study, a scientific study undertaken in the 1990s on Langholm moor into the effects of Raptors on red grouse populations. This was a large scale project involving a range of organisations including the Game Conservancy Trust CEH (or ITE as they were then known) and Buccleuch estates. The project was followed by a two year study on the effects of supplementary feeding of harriers, which ended in 1999. The findings of the study and the effect on the moor have been the subject of much debate. In 2007 SNH announced a further long term project to see if it was possible to recover the grouse stocks on the moor while managing for Harriers.

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