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Stranraer (Scottish Gaelic: An t-Sròn Reamhar, pronounced [ənˠ̪ t̪ʰɾɔːn ɾãũ.əɾ]) is a town in the south of Scotland in the west of the region of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire.
Stranraer lies on the shores of Loch Ryan on the northern side of the isthmus linking the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. The name is generally believed to come from the Scottish Gaelic "An t-Sròn Reamhar" meaning literally "The Fat Nose", but which more prosaically might be rendered as "the broad headland" - although another interpretation would connect the second element in the name with Rerigonium, a settlement anciently noted by Ptolemy in this part of Britain.
Stranraer is an administrative centre for the West Galloway (Wigtownshire) area of Dumfries and Galloway. It is best known as a ferry port connecting Scotland with Belfast in Northern Ireland.
A person from Stranraer is referred to as a Clayeholer, pronounced /kleɪˈhoʊlər/.
Stranraer became a burgh of barony in 1596 and a royal burgh in 1617. By 1600, it had become the market town for western Wigtownshire. At about this time Stranraer was reached by a military road built from Dumfries to allow easier access to Portpatrick for transportation to Ireland.
The first harbour in Stranraer was built in the mid-18th century, with further port development in the 1820s. The arrival of the railway from Dumfries in 1861 finally established Stranraer as the area's main port. In 1862, the line was extended to serve the harbour directly, and a link to Portpatrick was also opened. Some time later, a rail connection north to Girvan was established.
Stranraer remained the main Scottish port for the Irish ferries for the next 150 years or so. On 31 January 1953, 133 people died when the Princess Victoria sank near Belfast Lough after its car deck was swamped by heavy seas.
Stranraer and its surrounding area saw a significant amount of activity during the Second World War, as it became a focus for anti U-boat work. Flying boats operated from the area in an attempt to secure the waters of the North Channel and the south western coast of Scotland. Almost all Britain's shipping imports passed through those two sea areas en-route to the Clyde or the Mersey. Indeed, the flying boat Supermarine Stranraer is named after the town. Winston Churchill himself departed from Stranraer in a Boeing Flying Boat on the night of the 25 June 1942, when making his second visit of the war to the USA. Churchill also spent time at nearby Knockinaam Lodge during the war years.
Stranraer has an active local history trust which publishes work on the area's history commissioned from local authors.
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