History
There is considerable evidence of local habitation by early man in and around St Combs. Somewhat to the southwest lies the Catto Long Barrow and a number of tumuli. [4]
The "new toon" of St Combs was laid out in 1784 by Charles Gordon of Cairness. [3] Houses were laid out in large garden plots, gable to the street, running downhill to the shore. [3] Lonmay Parish Church was established in 1787, and Cairness House (the work of James Playfair) followed in the 1790s. [3]
Charlestown, just across the Mill Water and closer to the shore, was founded by the Inverallochy Eastate in 1800. This was much to the chagrin of the St Combs inhabitants, who named it Sodom. [3]
St Combs railway station opened in 1903 and closed in 1965. It was the terminus of a short branch line from Fraserburgh. In 1904 Kirkton Bridge Halt railway station was opened on the line.
Notable people
James Duthie 1942-2009. James Duthie was a fisherman who began to write plays at the age of 40. His plays were received with great acclaim, notably two of his plays were shown on BBC TV, namely Donal and Sally, and The Drystane Dyker. Donal and Sally starring famous Scottish actor Gerard Kelly can now be watched on youtube.
Buchan is a coastal district in the north-east of Scotland, bounded by the Ythan and Deveron rivers. It was one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas of Aberdeenshire.
Cruden Bay is a small village in Scotland, on the north coast of the Bay of Cruden in Aberdeenshire, 26 miles (42 km) north of Aberdeen.
The villages of Inverallochy and Cairnbulg lie some 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Fraserburgh, in North East Scotland. It formerly consisted of the three fishing villages of Brandesburgh, Cairnbulg and Inverallochy, but the former village has since disappeared.
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is the council area's largest settlement, with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. It is the largest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landings by UK vessels, according to a 2019 survey.
Cairness House, 4.5 miles (7 km) south-east of Fraserburgh in Buchan in the county of Aberdeenshire, is a country house built in the Neoclassical style between 1791 and 1797 to designs by architect James Playfair. It replaced an earlier house of 1781 by Robert Burn, which was in part incorporated into the Playfair scheme. Sir John Soane assisted in the final stages of the construction after Playfair's death in 1794. The park was laid out by Thomas White, a follower of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown.
Cove Bay, known locally as Cove, is a suburb on the south-east edge of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Maud is a village in the Buchan area of the Scottish county of Aberdeenshire, with a population of 780. Located 13 miles (21 km) west of Peterhead on the South Ugie Water, Maud rose to prosperity after 1863 as a railway junction of the Formartine and Buchan Railway that ran through Maud to Fraserburgh and Peterhead, but has always been the meeting place of six roads. It has had a variety of names:
The name Bullers of Buchan refers both to a collapsed sea cave and to the adjacent village, situated about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Peterhead in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Deer Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in Buchan, Scotland. It was founded by 1219 under the patronage William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, who is also buried there.
Lonmay is a village and parish in the Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies along the A90 road, between Peterhead and Fraserburgh, near to the junction with the A952 road at Cortes. The parish, formerly known as St Colms, encompasses the villages of St Combs and Crimond, as well as the village of Lonmay. It had a station on the Formartine and Buchan Railway, but this closed in 1965. The present Lonmay Kirk dates from 1786.
Mintlaw(literally meaning a smooth, flat place) is a large village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies at the intersection of the A950 and A952 roads, west of Peterhead. The 2001 UK census records a population of 2,647 people.
Longside is a village located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, consisting of a single main street. It lies seven miles inland from Peterhead and two miles from Mintlaw on the A950. Its population in 2001 was 721. The River Ugie flows through it.
Strichen is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It sits on the A981, connecting it to New Deer 7.2 miles (12 km) to the southwest and Fraserburgh 8 miles (13 km) to the north-northeast, and the B9093, connecting it to New Pitsligo about 4 miles (6.4 km) due west. The village got its name from Lord Strachen. It is situated on the River Ugie at the foothills of Mormond Hill. The Strichen White Horse is constructed of quartz on Mormond Hill, some 1,500 m (1,600 yd) northeast of Strichen.
New Pitsligo, also known as Cavoch, is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, near Fraserburgh.
Boddam is a coastal village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is 29 miles (47 km) north of Aberdeen and 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Peterhead. The settlement of Stirling Village lies immediately to the west. Sea cliffs rise to 200 feet (61 m), south of the village: a coastal path leads along these to the Bullers of Buchan.
Hatton is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that lies on the A90 road, approximately equidistant from both Ellon and Peterhead.
Cairnbulg railway station was a station on the Fraserburgh and St Combs Light Railway, Aberdeenshire. It was opened in 1903 as Inverallochy and was renamed Cairnbulg on 1 September 1903.
Clola is a hamlet in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Clola is situated on the A952 road. There is considerable evidence of local habitation by early man in the vicinity of Clola. Some of these nearby human traces are evident in Catto Long Barrow, a massive stone structure now surrounded by agricultural fields.
Rathen is a parish and hamlet near Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In Scottish Gaelic, its name means fort on the river.
The Fraserburgh and St Combs Light Railway was a short railway branch line built in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to serve fishing harbours. It was built by the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR), and it connected with the GNoSR at Fraserburgh.
