The Ecclefechan Heritage Trail

Their remit is to develop a heritage trail around Ecclefechan. This involves research into the letters of Thomas Carlyle to extract interesting and relevant sections tell stories that illustrate the social history of Ecclefechan. This would bring to life some of the local characters through anecdotal tales. We envisage the interpretation in the form of tactile zinc etched panels with the letters being produced in relief along with images of local landmarks, characters and buildings.

The heritage trail around the town will offer a unique insight into a social commentary as told by the letters that Thomas Carlyle wrote in which he describes not just a social history but a personal dialogue which has resonance across the centuries.

The dominance of Thomas Carlyle’s statue above the town of Ecclefechan is significant and it is an important destination for the trail from the centre of the village.

All of the interpretation and notice board panels will use the silhouette of the skyline of Ecclefechan as a template - a skyline that has been unchanged for decades. Panels will have a steel frame with either a zinc etched image and texts.

The work involved:

To set up and run a series of workshops, enabling the wider community to take part in the project. Target groups will include the community, primary school and day centre. The appointed consultant will also make links with the DGHP Community Workers to enable input from hard to reach groups to the project.

  • To develop through the workshops the content and design of interpretation material identified by the community, such as leaflets, interpretation boards as well as individual waymarkers.

  • To ensure that timesheet data from the volunteers attending the workshops is collected according to LEADER requirements.