House Clearance
in Newton Stewart

History of Newton Stewart

Newton Stewart is a small market town on the western bank of the River Cree, at the point where it narrows before flowing south through the Machars peninsula. It lies on the western edge of our service area, approximately 39 miles from Dumfries — a journey through some of the most varied and dramatic landscapes in southern Scotland.

The town was established in 1677 by William Stewart, son of the Earl of Galloway, who laid it out as a planned settlement on the west bank of the Cree. A bridge connecting it to the older settlement of Minnigaff on the east bank was built in 1813. Despite its modest size, Newton Stewart serves as a significant service centre for a wide rural hinterland.

The town sits at the foot of the Galloway Hills — an area of wild upland landscape including the Merrick, the highest point in the Southern Uplands at 843 metres. The Galloway Forest Park, one of the largest forests in Britain and one of Europe's darkest skies, begins just a few miles north. Glen Trool within the park is the site of Robert the Bruce's first significant military victory over the English in 1307.

Newton Stewart is also close to Wigtown, Scotland's national book town, and to the remarkable early Christian sites of the Machars including Whithorn Priory — the cradle of Christianity in Scotland.