Port Logan, formerly Port Nessock, is a small village in the parish of Kirkmaiden in the Rhins of Galloway in Wigtownshire. The Gaelic name is Port Neasaig. Port Nessock Bay is now all that remains of the western end of a strait that in post-glacial times separated the main part of what is now the Rinns of Galloway from three smaller islands to its south. There was a ruined pier in the bay in 1790, at which time kelp and samphire were gathered on the coast to the south. The village was planned; it was created by Colonel Andrew MacDowall, the laird of Logan, in 1818. MacDowall erected a quay and bell tower designed by Thomas Telford, and a causewayed road leading to them. This causeway blocked the view to seaward of the existing houses on the Lower Road, whose inhabitants MacDowall expected to move to a new Upper Road; in the event, they welcomed the shelter it provided from the brisk onshore winds, and preferred to stay put, though subsequently most of them added a second storey so recovering some of the sea view.
Character and facilities
Facilities include a village hall which used to be the local Lifeboat Station. It is run by a local committee and completely self-funding. In recent years it has been used for a range of social events such as weddings and to celebrate Hogmanay and St Andrew's Night. It is sometimes used for meetings of the Kirkmaiden Community Council. There is a tiny part-time post office, as well as a small market garden supplying local businesses and the public. For a couple of years until 2006 they also included a newly built cafe with excellent views called the Butterchurn; however, this was then closed, and converted into a private house.
Tourist attractions
The Logan Fish Pond, Logan Botanic Garden & Logan House Garden are nearby. Logan Fish Pond was also built by Colonel Andrew McDouall, originally as a fish larder for Logan House, circa 1788 and completed around 1800, with a Keeper's Cottage and Bathing Hut which still stand as part of the modern Logan Fishpond Marine Life Centre. 2016, the Fishpond - the oldest natural marine aquarium in the UK, if not the world - is still a tourist attraction, opened again under new management. The story of Logan Fishpond can be found at the website of Historic Scotland.
On 27 July 1944, two Douglas C-47 Skytrains of the United States Army Air Forces were on a flight from Filton to a stop at Prestwick before flying on to the United States. The flight was transporting wounded soldiers. The flight encountered bad weather, and the pilot of 42-93038 tried to gain altitude to clear the cliffs. The C-47 crashed into the cliff side at Port Logan, where all 22 passengers and crew died.
