How Annan is restoring its harbour after decades of decline

“Annan – as it exists today – is simply because of the harbour,” he said.

“It brought in massive wealth in the 18th and early 19th Centuries and built the high street in the sandstone opulence that you see.

“It brought wealth to Annan on a considerable scale, it brought jobs, it did a great deal.”

However, that was some time ago.

“Annan harbour peaked in the 1830s and has been going downhill ever since,” he said.

“It was just a change and ships got bigger and couldn’t make it up the river.

“The railways came, there was a move to road transport, so it became less and less and less important.”