Banchory

Last updated

Banchory
Banchory highstreet.jpg
Banchory High Street
Aberdeenshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Banchory
Location within Aberdeenshire
Population7,440 (mid-2020 est.) [1]
OS grid reference NO698958
•  Edinburgh 81 mi (130 km)
•  London 395 mi (636 km)
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BANCHORY
Postcode district AB31
Dialling code 01330
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
57°03′18″N2°29′24″W / 57.055°N 2.49°W / 57.055; -2.49 Coordinates: 57°03′18″N2°29′24″W / 57.055°N 2.49°W / 57.055; -2.49

Banchory ( /ˈbæŋxəri/ , Scots : Banchry, [2] Scottish Gaelic : Beannchar) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is about 18 miles (29 km) west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee.

Contents

Prehistory and archaeology

In 2009, a farmer discovered a short cist burial to the east of the town. Archaeologists were called into excavate it and they found that it was a burial from the Beaker culture. Radiocarbon dating put the burial at sometime between 2330 and 2040 BC. Stable isotope analysis of the human remains indicated that he or she grew up on basalt geology, like that of the region, or on chalk, meaning they were either local or could have come from another place, like Yorkshire. Residue analysis of the Beaker pot found in the burial established that it had held either butter or milk. [3]

History

The name is thought to be derived from an early Christian settlement founded by St Ternan. It is claimed that Ternan was a follower of St Ninian. Tradition has it that he established his settlement on the banks of the River Dee on what was later to become the kirkyard of the medieval parish of Banchory-Ternan. [4] The village and parish retained the name until the 1970s. The original Gaelic form is almost identical to that of Bangor, of similar meaning, and also the site of a monastery, in Northern Ireland. Relics associated with St. Ternan were preserved by hereditary keepers at Banchory until the Scottish Reformation. Two early Christian cross-slabs survive in or near the old churchyard on the site of the early church. One is built into a corner of the 'mort house' in the churchyard, and shows two crosses incised in a worn pink granite slab. The other is a ringed cross in relief built into the wall facing the main road outside the churchyard. [5]

Overview

Banchory Town Hall Banchory Town Hall (geograph 5885221).jpg
Banchory Town Hall

Banchory is the largest town in the area and has a High Street. There are a number of hotels and restaurants including the Stag Hotel, Scott Skinners Bar and Restaurant, the Burnett Arms, and the Douglas Arms. The shops include newsagents, hairdressers and chemists. Since the 1970s, the town has grown steadily. Since 2001 there has been rapid expansion. A large forested area 'the Hill of Banchory', owned by the Burnett family (owners of Crathes Castle), to the north east of the town has been replaced by a large housing estate and an influx of new residents. The Hill of Banchory primary school was opened in 2006 to cater for the increased population. [6]

Banchory Town Hall was completed in 1873 [7] and the Kinneskie Road drill hall was completed in around 1908. [8]

Land use

Banchory Academy is a state secondary school, with a school roll capacity of 900. [9]

The Banchory Sports Village opened in 2019 within the Hill of Banchory development area, with a 25m 6-lane swimming pool, gym and sports hall. [10]

Tourism and culture

Until 1966 Banchory had a railway station on the Aberdeen to Ballater line Banchory railway station 1751818 82dc05c1.jpg
Until 1966 Banchory had a railway station on the Aberdeen to Ballater line

Banchory is known as the Gateway to Royal Deeside. [11] Banchory River Festival is held every June: the main event is held on the Saturday in the Bellfield Park, Banchory. [12] The Banchory show is held every July: there is an Agricultural Show, Dog Show, Craft Fair, Highland Dancing Competition and the Scolty Hill Race, as well as traditional fairground stalls and games. [13]

Scotland's only Rum distillery, Dark Matter Distillers, is located on the outskirts of Banchory. [14]

Transportation

In 2017, the Banchory town service 205 was withdrawn. [15] An internal bus was re-introduced in 2020. [16] The town is on the Deeside Way, a shared pedestrian and cycle path which runs along the trackbed of the former Deeside Railway.

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberdeenshire</span> Council area of Scotland

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kincardineshire</span> Historic county in Scotland

Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of northeast Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and west, and by Angus on the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Dee, Aberdeenshire</span> River in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

The River Dee is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It rises in the Cairngorms and flows through southern Aberdeenshire to reach the North Sea at Aberdeen. The area it passes through is known as Deeside, or Royal Deeside in the region between Braemar and Banchory because Queen Victoria came for a visit there in 1848 and greatly enjoyed herself. She and her husband, Prince Albert, built Balmoral Castle there which replaced an older castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mounth</span>

The Mounth is the broad upland in northeast Scotland between the Highland Boundary and the River Dee, at the eastern end of the Grampians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grampian Mountains</span> Mountain range in Scotland

The Grampian Mountains is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian range extends southwest to northeast between the Highland Boundary Fault and the Great Glen. The range includes many of the highest mountains in the British Isles, including Ben Nevis and Ben Macdui.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A93 road</span>

The A93 is a major road in Scotland and the highest public road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from Perth through Blairgowrie and Rattray, then through the Grampian Mountains by way of Glenshee, the Cairnwell Pass and Glen Clunie to Braemar in Aberdeenshire. At Braemar, the road then switches east down the strath of the River Dee before crossing the A90 and terminating in Aberdeen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997 onwards

West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Westminster), which elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was first used in the 1997 general election, but has undergone boundary changes since that date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torphins</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Torphins is a village in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland which lies about 22 miles (35 km) west of Aberdeen. It is situated on the A980, about 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Banchory, and was once served by the Great North of Scotland Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deeside Way</span> Walking and cycling route following a disused railway line in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

The Deeside Way is a 41-mile (66 km) rail trail that follows, in part, the bed of the former Deeside Railway in Aberdeenshire. Forming part of the National Cycle Network the trail leads from Aberdeen to Ballater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deeside Railway</span> Closed railway in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

The Deeside Railway was a passenger and goods railway between Aberdeen and Ballater in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Opening in 1853 to Banchory, an extension reached Aboyne in 1859. A separate company, the Aboyne & Braemar Railway, built an extension to Ballater and this opened in 1866. By 1855 there were five services a day over the 43+1⁄4-mile (69.6 km) long line, taking between 1 hour 50 minutes and 2+1⁄2 hours. The line was used by the Royal Train for travel to and from Balmoral Castle from 1853 and a special 'Messenger Train' ran daily when the Royal Family was in residence.

Saint Ternan is venerated as the "Bishop of the Picts". Not much is known of his life. Different historians place him either at the mid-fifth century or the latter part of the sixth. Those who place him in the earlier period, associate him with Palladius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kincardine O'Neil</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Kincardine O'Neil is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated between the towns of Banchory and Aboyne approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of Aberdeen on the north bank of the River Dee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinnet</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Dinnet is a village in the Marr area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Approximately equidistant from Deeside towns Aboyne and Ballater and situated on the main A93 road in the valley of the River Dee, it is said to be the gateway to both the Highlands and the Cairngorms National Park. It is the first village along the Dee to be located inside the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banchory-Devenick</span>

Banchory-Devenick is a village approximately two kilometres south of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire. The village should not be confused with the historic civil parish of the same name which spanned the River Dee until 1891, its northern part lying in Aberdeenshire and its southern part in Kincardineshire. In that year the northern part became part of the neighbouring parish of Peterculter, the southern part remaining as the parish of Banchory-Devenick. The village of Banchory-Devenick is on the B9077 road, and the ancient Causey Mounth passes directly through the village. An historic graveyard dating to 1157 AD is present at the village of Banchory-Devenick. Other historic features in the vicinity include Saint Ternan's Church, Muchalls Castle and the Lairhillock Inn.

<i>Deeside</i> (book)

Deeside is a book which was published in 1911 describing the geography and history of Deeside in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banchory Ternan East Church</span> Church

Banchory Ternan East Parish Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland, a member of the Presbyterian Church. The church building is located in Station Road, Banchory, Kincardineshire, Scotland. The church today serves the east parish of the town of Banchory in Royal Deeside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberdeenshire West (Scottish Parliament constituency)</span> Constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Aberdeenshire West is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the council area of Aberdeenshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of ten constituencies in the North East Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

Braehead, Banchory is a proposed major housing development to the south of Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site is home to Braehead farm, formerly part of the historic Banchory Lodge estate situated to the south of the River Dee, between the Falls of Feugh and Scolty Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinneskie Road drill hall, Banchory</span>

The Kinneskie Road drill hall is a former military installation near Banchory, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banchory Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Banchory, Scotland

Banchory Town Hall is a municipal structure in the High Street, Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The structure is primarily used as a community events venue.

References

  1. ↑ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Map of Scotland in Scots" (PDF). Scots Language Centre. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  3. ↑ "Vol 83 (2019): Knappach Toll, Balbridie: a late third-millennium bc Beaker burial on Deeside, Aberdeenshire | Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports". journals.socantscot.org. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  4. ↑ David Jameson, W. Stewart Wilson (1999). Old Banchory. Catrine, Ayrshire: Stenlake Publishing. p. 3. ISBN   9781840330878.
  5. ↑ "Early Crosses, Banchory". University of Aberdeen. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  6. ↑ "Hill of Banchory". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory of Scotland". 1903. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "Banchory, 17 Kinneskie Road, Drill Hall". Canmore. Retrieved 26 June 2017.[ permanent dead link ] (The 1:2500, 2nd edition, Ordnance Survey Plan, published in 1904-1905, does not show the drill hall)
  9. ↑ "Aberdeenshire's Towns - Banchory" (PDF). Aberdeenshire Council. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "By Banchory - For Banchory". Banchory Sports Village. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "Banchory". Discover Royal Deeside. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013.
  12. ↑ "Banchory River Festival - 13th, 14th & 15th June 2014". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "Banchory Show". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2007.
  14. ↑ "Dark Matter Spiced Rum - Scottish Rum Distillery". Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  15. ↑ Warnock, Joanne (10 June 2017). "Community bus faces chop". The Press & Journal. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "Stagecoach phases in an increase in Aberdeenshire bus services". Grampian Online. 25 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  17. ↑ "Former Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.