Geograph - photograph every grid square

Gretna Green gained its fame after 1753 when a Marriage Act was passed in England requiring both parties to a marriage to be at least 21 years old if they didn't have the consent of their parents. The Act did not apply in Scotland where the law allowed for "irregular marriages", meaning that if a declaration was made before two witnesses, almost anybody had the authority to conduct the marriage ceremony. Because of this, many young couples who wished to marry eloped to Scotland from England, and the first place they encountered was Gretna Green. The blacksmiths in Gretna became known as "anvil priests" and the Old Blacksmith's Shop, built around 1712, became, a focal point for the marriage trade.

The Old Blacksmith's opened to the public as a visitor attraction as early as 1887 and is now the centrepiece of the Gretna Green Visitor Centre. With shops, toilets, cafes and pubs it is stopping off point for coaches and a mecca for foreign tourists who love to take photographs of each other.