Historic Longtown
With centuries of cross border conflict at an end, Longtown at last looked forward to an upturn in its fortunes. Where previously the river had been crossed by an often dangerous ford, in 1756 a fine stone bridge of five arches was built.
The building of the Esk bridge marked a change in the town's prosperity.
At that time the estates of the influential Graham family of Netherby had been inherited by the remarkable Reverend Dr.Robert Graham a great agriculturalist, who transformed the face of the local countryside.
Longtown's cattle market was already well established but the town itself was little more than a dozen or so simple houses constructed of clay and thatch.
A new 'model' town was created with the wide tree-lined streets we see today. It is considered by experts to be one of the finest examples of an 18th century "planned town" in England.
The Graham Arms Hotel, built at the central crossroads of the now bustling 18th centruy market town, became one of the great coaching inns of the Border and last stop for the mail coach before Gretna Green!