Penpont
Archaeology
There are several archaeological sites nearby, including Late Bronze Age hill forts on Tynron Doon and Grennan Hill and a long cairn at Capenoch Loch dating from the 2nd or 3rd century.
History
The toponym Penpont means "bridge-head" in the Cumbric language once spoken in the region.
The A702 road passes through Penpont. West of Thornhill it crosses the River Nith on a two-arched stone bridge in Penpont parish. It was built in the 1760s after the presbytery of Penpont raised £680 toward the cost. Work started about 1774, but in 1776 the bridge collapsed. The bridge was completed in 1778 and strengthened in 1930–31. It is a Category A listed building.
Penpont's Church of Scotland parish church is a Gothic Revival building completed in 1867. It is a Category B listed building. It has an Art Nouveau Communion table made in 1923.
Penpont's war memorial was made by Glasgow sculptor William Kellock Brown and installed in 1920. It is a bronze statue of an infantryman, with his rifle pointing downwards, his hands resting on the butt and his head slightly bowed.
Notable people
- Sir Hugh Steuart Gladstone FRSE FZS (1877-1949) civil servant and ornithologist, Lord Lieutenant of Dumfries, lived at Capenoch House in Penpont.
- Joseph Thomson (1858–95), the geologist and explorer after whom Thomson's Gazelle is named, was born in Penpont.
- The sculptor Andy Goldsworthy has lived in the village since 1986 and has a workshop there. Many of his works are in the surrounding countryside, including a pinecone-shaped sculpture at Stepends Farm made to celebrate the year 2000. Each year Penpont holds a week-long festival called the Penpont Gala, beginning in the first week of July.
- Kirkpatrick MacMillan, generally credited with the invention of the pedal driven bicycle, was born and died in Keir, one mile south of Penpont.
- Leo Kearse Comedian and broadcaster
- Joanna Lumley owns a cottage near the village.
- Hugh McMillan (poet) born 1955
See also
References
- ^ "Views around the top of Tynron Doon". Cairnsmore of Carsphairn and the Scaur Hills. South West Scotland Hill Walking Routes.
- ^ "Capenoch Loch (Cairn(s))". The Modern Antiquarian. Julian Cope.
- ^ Watson, William J (1925). "The Celts (British and Gael) in Dumfriesshire and Galloway" (PDF). Transactions and Journal of Proceedings of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. Third Series. XI: 147. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2014.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Nith Bridge (A702 over River Nith) (Category A Listed Building) (LB17286)". Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Penpont Village Penpont Church and churchyard (Category B Listed Building) (LB17267)". Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X.
- ^ "Andy Goldsworthy Archive". Andy Goldsworthy Digital Catalogue.
- ^ "Penpont Gala Week 2008". Archived from the original on 20 August 2008.
- ^ "Famous People of Penpont". Penpont Heritage. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
External links