Summerhill, Dumfries

Summerhill in Dumfries is a post war residential suburb on the West side of the town. It is located on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith that runs through Dumfries. Summerhill is bounded by Terregles Road to the North, the streets that branch off Ellisland Drive to the East, the Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club [http://www.dandggolfclub.co.uk/] to the South and West and also to the West by the disused Maxwelltown train station.

Housing

The suburb comprises primarily but not exclusively of a mixture a terraced houses and blocks of 3 storey flats.

Most of the streets in Summerhill were named containing connotations associated with Scotland's national poet Robert Burns. Burns lived in Dumfries for his last years and died there in 1796. Examples of the Burns influenced street names in Summerhill are Afton Drive, Armour Drive, Ballochmyle Terrace, Campbell Avenue, Doon Terrace, Ellisland Drive, Gilbert Circle, Glencairn Road, Mauchline Terrace and Mossgiel Avenue. [http://europe.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&country=GB&addtohistory=&city=Dumfries] [http://www.robertburns.org/encyclopedia/index.shtml]

The housing capacity of Summerhill was increased in the 90s with the creation of 3 additional streets.

Terregles Road

As the name suggests Terregles Road forms part of the spoke from Dumfries leading to the village of Terregles approximately 2 miles further West from Summerhill. When Summerhill housing estate was originally completed the visible marker connecting the urban area of Dumfries and the rural areas beyond was the hump back railway bridge on Terregles Road. In the 1990s the urban boundary moved further West with the development of a new housing estate beyond the bridge. Terregles Road was also home to the offices and yard of Haley's builders before Haley's demise.

The terraced houses on the council built Southern side of Terregles Road contain 4 bedroom gable end houses. As such the 4 bedroom houses were used by the council for housing the biggest families in Summerhill. The numbers of the 4 bedroom gable end houses are 3, 9, 11, 25, 27, 33, 35, 41, 43, 57, 59 and 65.

Terregles Road is a continuation of Terregles Street. Terregles Street is home to Palmerston Park of Queen of the South F.C.

Boundary with Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club

The Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club [http://www.dandggolfclub.co.uk/] is the only golf club in Dumfries on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith. It is the area around the 2nd and 5th holes and the 6th tee on the course that partially hem in Summerhill. The 2nd and the 5th are the only par 5 holes of the 18 on the course. Golf Avenue is the longer and older of the 2 streets in Summerhill adjacent to the golf course. Golfers playing the par 4 6th are required to negotiate a burn (small stream) that runs most of the length of the hole. The burn eventually runs into the nearby Cargen Pow, a tributary of the Nith.

Transport

The line from Dumfries through Maxwelltown station on the periphery of Summerhill to Castle Douglas and beyond was closed to passengers in the 1960s as part of the Beeching axe. The line through the station was used for some years more to allow trains to carry chemical tankers to/from the ICI factory just outside Dumfries at Cargenbridge. Without passengers Maxwelltown station was redundant and so was closed. More recently the line has been closed completely and has been replaced with a cycle path.

Bus services 7 & 7A run between Dumfries town centre and Afton Drive in Summerhill. Bus service 373 between Dumfries and Shawhead runs along Terregles Road.

[http://www.travelinescotland.com]

chools

Summerhill is one of the suburbs in the catchment area for Laurieknowe primary school. Pupils from Summerhill would use the James Avenue entrance accessed from Terregles Street. The school to serve those in Summerhill desiring a catholic school education for their children is St Teresa's in the Lochside area of Dumfries. [http://europe.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&country=GB&addtohistory=&city=Dumfries]

Laurieknowe school is adjacent to Dumfries prison. The prison is on Nelson Street accessed from Terregles Street. Neither the school nor the prison are in Summerhill.

Recreation

The council maintained grassed recreational field at the West End of Armour Drive and Golf Avenue was replaced with additional housing in the 90s. The new street was named McGeoch Drive. This leaves 2 grassed recreational fields; 1 at Ballochmyle Terrace and 1 at Doon Terrace that has suffered historically with poor drainage.

Summerhill Community Centre is also on Ballochmyle Terrace. [http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/]

Public houses and licensed bars

Summerhill was once home to a licensed bar named The Palmerston Hotel. The Palmerston was renamed on more than one occasion before closing its doors for the last time in the 90s. Its grounds were then used to build additional housing on a newly created street called Simpson Gardens.

Thus the hostelries typically (but not exclusively) used by people from Summerhill based on the pubs' proximity between the suburb and the town centre are The Spread Eagle, The Salutation, The Globe Inn (not to be confused with The Globe Inn on the High Street associated with Robert Burns) and The Devorgilla Lounge. All four are in the Market Street area only separated from Dumfries town centre by the Nith. [http://www.pubinnguide.com/pubsidx66x0.asp]

Palmerston Hotel Dumfries

This burnt down in the either the 60's or early 70's a pub was built on the site and was called Sliquors, around 1984 it was taken over by new owners and called the Driveway (because of the big driveway leading down to it) It stayed as the Drive way till the early 90's it was then occupied by a charity (unknown) for a couple of years before being knocked down and houses being built on what was the grounds of the former Palmerston hotel which was previously called Summerhill house and built in 1890.

ee also

*List of places in Dumfries and Galloway