Editing Portpatrick (section)

=== Harbour ===
[[File:Arial view of Portpatrick Village, Wigtownshire, Scotland.jpg|thumb|left|Portpatrick Harbour]]

Portpatrick village was founded on fishing, operating from the sandy, crescent-shaped harbour that remains the focal point of the village. It was the principal port for goods and mail traffic to Ireland from the 17th century, but the strong winds across the [[North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)|North Channel]] made this impractical. In 1770 [[John Smeaton]] constructed the town's first proper harbour. In 1821, [[John Rennie the Younger|John Rennie]] was appointed to create a new harbour defined by two new piers. The north pier collapsed in 1839, but the south remains standing. The harbour's inner basin was built between 1861 and 1863, but by then, the main goods route to Ireland was via [[Stranraer]], and services went into decline.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.portpatrickharbour.org/harbour-history|title=Portpatrick harbour history |publisher=Portpatrick Community Benefit Society|accessdate=22 February 2021}}</ref>
{{clear left}}