Old Gretna

Old Gretna tells the tale of a village still famed as an elopement destination, and is illustrated with photographs of 'priests' and various places where an English couple could be wed such as Gretna Hall and the Queen's Head Hotel. Read about the disapproval of Gretna's parish minister, the story of Lord Erskine's farcical elopement in 1816 and that of James Goldsmith in 1953. The First World War had a major impact on Gretna and there is a large section devoted to the munitions factory and township which was built in 1916. The 'Gretna Girls' are featured both in photograph and poem, together with stories of the social consequences of having so many people together in a district with few entertainment facilities - the township could get very rowdy indeed! On a more sober note there are also photographs of the Quintinshill rail disaster of 1916 during which 220 soldiers lost their lives. Dornock village is also featured.