Town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Stranraer
Stranraer gave its name to a biplane flying boat, an Arctic explorer built its castle-style house, and its ferries carried generations to Ulster.
Key information
- County
- Dumfries and Galloway
- Nation
- Scotland
- Population
- About 10,000 (2011 Census)
- Known for
- Ferries to Northern Ireland, Loch Ryan oysters, Sir John Ross, a flying boat named after it
- Famous people
- Sir John Ross, John Graham of Claverhouse (as a Covenanter-era resident of the castle)
- Football clubs
- Stranraer FC, nicknamed the Blues, who play at Stair Park
About Stranraer
The town that lent its name to an aeroplane
In 1934 a twin-engined biplane flying boat took to the air with the name Supermarine Stranraer. It was named after the town because Loch Ryan, the sheltered sea loch Stranraer sits at the head of, was a base for flying boats. RAF Stranraer was one of the stations where crews trained and flew in the Second World War. Some of the aircraft later served with the Royal Canadian Air Force, which kept them flying until 1946. Not many Scottish towns of ten thousand people can say a warplane carried their name across the Atlantic. The name itself comes from Gaelic, often explained as meaning 'the fat nose' or broad promontory, which suits the way the town pokes into the loch.
A century of ferries across the North Channel
For well over a century, Stranraer was the gateway between Scotland and Northern Ireland. The crossing to Larne began in the 1860s, and trains ran right onto the harbour so passengers could step from rail to boat. On the other side, Portpatrick to Donaghadee is only about 21 miles of water. In 1996 the high-speed Stena Voyager catamaran entered service on the Stranraer–Belfast route, cutting the crossing time dramatically. Stena had moved its Northern Ireland terminal from Larne to Belfast in 1995. In 2011 the ferries moved a few miles up the loch to Cairnryan, and the old harbour fell quiet. Stranraer is still the town you pass through on the way to the ferries, and it remains the main shopping and service centre for the Rhins of Galloway.
The worst day on the Irish Sea
On 31 January 1953 the Princess Victoria left Stranraer for Larne in a ferocious storm. Her stern doors were damaged by the waves, the sea flooded in, and she sank off the Irish coast. 133 people died. Among the dead were Maynard Sinclair, Northern Ireland's finance minister and deputy prime minister, and Sir Walter Smiles, an MP. Only 44 people survived. It remains one of the worst peacetime disasters in British waters, and it is still remembered on both sides of the North Channel. The disaster led to changes in ferry design, especially to the way cars were loaded and secured.
A covenanter's lock-up and an explorer's castle
The Castle of St John, in the middle of town, is a tower house from the 16th century. Soldiers led by John Graham of Claverhouse were based here in the 1680s, hunting Covenanters who refused to accept the king's religion. Later it served as the town jail, until 1907. A few steps away stands North West Castle, built in the 1820s by Sir John Ross, who was linked to Stranraer and became one of the era's best-known Arctic explorers. His 1829–33 expedition was trapped in ice for years, and his nephew James Clark Ross located the North Magnetic Pole in 1831. Ross lived in Stranraer, and his house later became a hotel with an indoor curling rink, which is certainly an unusual feature for a hotel. The Stranraer area also has strong links to the sea, so it is no surprise an Arctic mariner chose it for his home.
Oysters, the Blues and a famous place at the end of the alphabet
Loch Ryan has a native oyster bed that has been fished for centuries. Stranraer celebrates it with an oyster festival each year, with shellfish, music and stalls along the shore. On the football pitch, Stranraer FC (founded 1870, the Blues) play at Stair Park, named after the local Earls of Stair. They won the Scottish Challenge Cup in 1996, beating St Johnstone 1–0 in the final on 3 November, and are a proud presence in lower-league Scottish football. They also have a quirk of the alphabet: Stranraer usually comes last in any alphabetical list of Scottish league clubs. When results were read out on the radio, it was often the final name before the closing music.