Page last updated on: Sunday, 17 December, 2017.

This poem is a brief commentary on the social status of streets in Gatehouse (maybe mid 19th century ?)

Front Street's a grand street
Back street is dandy
The Whistle Raw's abune them a'
For drinking ale and brandy

Present day name

Old name

Date

Notes

Ann Street

Old Military Road until 1820s

Murray Place marked on 1866 Estate plan of Gatehouse.

c.1820

After Anne, wife of Alexander Murray of Cally.

 

Top end sometimes referred to as Rosebank.

Nurseryville used for south side in 1841 census.

Back Neilson

Neilson Square in 1841 census.

c.1812

Tenement behind Neilson Sq., demolished in 1930s.   Now a house name on same site.

Birtwhistle Street

Local name: Whustle Ra'

1841 : Birtwhistle Row

1851 : Birtwhistle St.

On 1854 OS map

Named after Birtwhistle family who owned cotton mills in the town. Brick-built workers' terraced cottages.

Boatgreen

 

Late 18th century

Formerly town harbour.

Brewery Brae

 

Brewery opened 1784

The hill in High Street as it passes the Old Brewery.

Bridge Terrace

Bridge End Terrace per 1841 census.

 

Bridge End also applied to Fleet St & Garden Street (1797 will of James Murray)

Castramont Road

Formerly road to Laurieston

Marked on 1866 Estate Plan of Gatehouse

First use in a census was in 1911.

Catherine Street

Back Street from before 1841 census

1891 census: Catherine St

Named after Catherine, wife of James Murray of Cally.

Church Street

 

1891 census: first mention.

Girthon Church built 1818

Deil's Elbow or Devil’s Elbow

1881 census:

Hunter Square

 

1901 census:

Murray Square

 

Courtyard off High Street.

James Hunter owned the adjacent brewer buildings from 1857 to 1869.

Horatio G Murray Stewart owned them from 1874 to 1869.

Digby Street

Cross Street from before 1841 census.

Upper Cross Street

On 1854 map as Cross St.

Digby St. in 1891 census.

Possibly after Anne Eliza Wingfield Digby, wife of Horatio Granville Murray Stewart of Cally.

Dromore Road

Rusko Street used in 1841 census. Marked on 1866 Estate Plan of Gatehouse.

1891 census: first use of Dromore Rd.

Dromore was one of the names used for Gatehouse Station.    Local name = ‘Back Road’

Fleet Street

Bridge End (in a 1797 will)

Fleet St. in 1841 census.

 

Name also applied to Bridge Terrace & Garden Street (1797 will of James Murray).

First houses feued in Fleet Street in the 1790s.

Garden Street

From before 1841 census: Back Fleet St.

 

1871 census: Garden St

 

Local name:  Wee Ireland  (Many people of Irish descent lived here in the early censuses)

Hannay Street

Boatgreen St. in 1841 census.

George Street (suggested by John Russell in his History of Gatehouse – source is unknown)

1891 census: Hannay St..

1911 census: Boatgreen Rd.

Hannay - maybe after Hannay family from Kirkdale ?

High Street

1841 census: both

Front Street & High St.

1851 census: High Street

1854 OS map: Main Street

 

First houses feued in High Street in the 1760s.

Horatio Square

1881 census: first time appears in a census

House built in 1782

Probably named after Horatio Granville Murray Baillie of Cally.

Neilson Square

(East Neilson & West Neilson)

Neilson Street in 1841 census.

 

 

An earlier name may have been East Quebec Terrace

(Presumably there was also a West Quebec Terrace)

1812 - date carved in stone on building.

 

1840's marriage announcement in D&G Standard gives East Quebec Terrace

Often wrongly written as Nelson St.(e.g. 1851 census).     Named after the first owner of the houses: William Neilson.

 

The money for Neilson Square and Back Neilson was partly provided by the family of William Neilson (the builder), and who lived in Quebec, Canada. (ex David Steel)

 

Old Ford Road

The Wee Road

 

Lane from High Street that passes between Birtwhistle St. and Swan St. before leading to an early ford over the River Fleet before the Fleet Bridge was built.

Roseberry Terrace

or Rosebery Terrace

Part of Swan St. and / or Digby St.

1911 census: first use of Roseberry Terr.

Suggestion that it may have been named after Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, the Prime Minister 1894-95.

Swan Street

 

1841 census.

 

The Cut

 

c.1820

 

Trevarthen Place

Lower part of Dromore Rd beside Ship Inn ?

1920 Valuation Roll

Name used by Dignam Family at Ship Inn

Victoria Street

1851 census:

Bankhead Street.

1861 census: Bank St.

also Cross Street and

Lower Cross Street

Bankhead St c.1790s

Victoria St. in 1881 census

Bankhead Street marked on 1866 Estate map of Gatehouse.

Named after Queen Victoria (reigned 1837 to 1901)

Woodside Terrace

Mail Road

Townend

First used in 1881 census

Townend used when there was no road out of Gatehouse at the dams.