Eastriggs

Situated in the parish of Dornock, in the traditional county of Dumfriesshire, Eastriggs appears to have taken its name from the farm, or farm house, known as Eastriggs that was located in the middle of what was to become the new township.[3] The only other buildings in the area prior to World War I were a group of houses at Lowtherton (now North Road, Lowthertown); a parallel group on what is now the B721 road; an inn and a smithy where East Road joins the B721.[3]

Wooden house in Eastriggs
(demolished in March 2010)

The township of Eastriggs was created as a result of the shell and ammunition crisis of June 1915 which prompted the newly founded Ministry of Munitions to create a new cordite factory.[4]

Officially designated H.M. Factory Gretna, the factory was spread over a 9-mile (14 km) site stretching from Dornock through Gretna to Longtown, Cumbria.[5] This required a huge influx of labour, and 30,000 men and women came from all over the British Commonwealth to serve as construction and factory workers.[6]

Sir Raymond Unwin, Chief Housing Architect of the housing branch of the Explosives Department of Ministry of Munitions, designed wooden housing for the workers in both Eastriggs and Gretna.[7] As a mark of respect for the immigrant workforce, the streets were named after various cities within the Commonwealth.[6]

Eastriggs is in the parliamentary constituency of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, David Mundell is the current Conservative Party member of parliament.

It is part of the South Scotland region in the Scottish Parliament, being in the constituency of Dumfriesshire. Oliver Mundell of the Conservatives is the MSP.

Prior to Brexit, for the European Parliament its residents voted to elect MEP's for the Scotland constituency.

Church of St John the Evangelist, Eastriggs.

Designed in the Gothic style by C M Crickmer under the direction of Sir Raymond Unwin,[8] the Church of St John the Evangelist was dedicated in 1917, and was presented with a signed altar book the following year by King George V and Queen Mary, who were paying an official visit to HM Factory, Gretna.

The Glasgow South Western Line connecting Carlisle, Gretna Green and Annan passes through the currently closed Eastriggs railway station. This station is disused, but there are plans to provide a smaller replacement on the line, which has been upgraded from single to double track, enabling simultaneous passenger and freight traffic.

• Reprinted one-inch Victorian Ordnance Survey Maps of Scotland (Sheet 6), Annan & Whithorn. 1st edition revised to 1896. Kyle of Lochalsh: Caledonian Maps. ISBN 1-85349-006-7.
• Ordnance Survey Landranger Map (number 85) - 1:50,000 scale (1.25 inches to 1 mile). ISBN 0-319-22685-9.
• Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (number 323) - 1:25,000 scale (2.5 inches to 1 mile)
• Ministry of Munitions of War, (1918). H.M. Factory, Gretna: Description of Plant and Process. Dumfries: J. Maxwell & Son for His Majesty's Stationery Office.
• Stratton, Michael and Trinder, Barrie (2000). Twentieth Century Industrial Archaeology. London: E & FN Spon. ISBN 0-419-24680-0.
• Video/DVD, (1994). The Longtown Military Railway. Carnforth: Tele Rail.

• Eastriggs railway station

• 
  Eastriggs, The Commonwealth Village, from the east.
• 
  Eastriggs from the west
• 
  Dornock and Eastriggs war memorial

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eastriggs.

• Eastriggs Primary School on annan.org.uk