Cults
Encyclopedia
Cults is a suburb on the western edge of Aberdeen
, Scotland
. It lies on the banks of the River Dee
and marks the eastern boundary of Royal Deeside.
Cults, known for its historic granite housing, sits approximately six miles from the coast of the North Sea. Cults maintains village status and enjoys a best of both luxury, with many of the societial structures found in a country village, despite its proximity to the west of the City of Aberdeen. The name is a corruption of Coilltean, a Scottish Gaelic word for "Woods".
Along with the adjoining village of Bieldside
, Cults is known as a wealthy area; it has been recognised as the second wealthiest area in Scotland in a recent survey. Cults was once home to Sir Alex Ferguson
, who was the manager of Aberdeen F.C.
at the time.His house on Quarry Road overlooked the Cults Academy playing fields.
There are various green spaces in Cults, the largest of these being Allan Park, a public park situated near the golf club and the River Dee. The park is also home to the Cults Cricket Club.
Line before the line was closed in the middle of the 20th century. The route has since been converted into a cycle path which leads to Duthie Park in Aberdeen in one direction and further into Deeside in the other, running alongside Cults' public park, Allan Park. Cults was also on a tram route between Aberdeen and Bieldside, operated by the Aberdeen Suburban Tramways Company until 1927. Today, public transport to Aberdeen takes the form of buses.
-owned Royal Darroch Hotel which exploded on an October morning in 1983 due to gas build up, killing 6 staff and guests. A few chain stores, such as Tesco Express, Costa Coffee
, Lloyds Pharmacy and Subway
have branches in Cults, along with the Clydesdale Bank
and the Bank of Scotland
.
(one of Scotland's top-performing secondary schools), and the independent Waldorf School. The village is also only a short drive from the International School of Aberdeen (ISA)
in Milltimber
and a complex of Waldorf/Steiner Camphill schools
in Bieldside.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It lies on the banks of the River Dee
River Dee, Aberdeenshire
The River Dee is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It rises in the Cairngorms and flows through Strathdee to reach the North Sea at Aberdeen...
and marks the eastern boundary of Royal Deeside.
Cults, known for its historic granite housing, sits approximately six miles from the coast of the North Sea. Cults maintains village status and enjoys a best of both luxury, with many of the societial structures found in a country village, despite its proximity to the west of the City of Aberdeen. The name is a corruption of Coilltean, a Scottish Gaelic word for "Woods".
Along with the adjoining village of Bieldside
Bieldside
Bieldside is a suburb to the west of Aberdeen, Scotland, together with its neighbouring village of Cults. It has one pub/restaurant Bieldside is a suburb to the west of Aberdeen, Scotland, together with its neighbouring village of Cults. It has one pub/restaurant Bieldside is a suburb to the west...
, Cults is known as a wealthy area; it has been recognised as the second wealthiest area in Scotland in a recent survey. Cults was once home to Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
, who was the manager of Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
at the time.His house on Quarry Road overlooked the Cults Academy playing fields.
There are various green spaces in Cults, the largest of these being Allan Park, a public park situated near the golf club and the River Dee. The park is also home to the Cults Cricket Club.
History
Originally, Cults had two railway stations on the Royal Deeside RailwayRoyal Deeside Railway
The Royal Deeside Railway was formed in 1996 with the intention of reclaiming part of the former branch line from Aberdeen to Ballater, constructed between 1853 and 1856 by the Deeside Railway company and closed by British Railways in 1966...
Line before the line was closed in the middle of the 20th century. The route has since been converted into a cycle path which leads to Duthie Park in Aberdeen in one direction and further into Deeside in the other, running alongside Cults' public park, Allan Park. Cults was also on a tram route between Aberdeen and Bieldside, operated by the Aberdeen Suburban Tramways Company until 1927. Today, public transport to Aberdeen takes the form of buses.
Amenities
Cults is served by a variety of small shops, churches, modest-sized hotels and eateries, mostly situated in the village centre. Key amongst them are the Kelly of Cults supermarket, a local family-run grocer and bakery which dates back over 100 years; the golf-themed Cults Hotel; the Deeside Golf Club (shared with Bieldside.) Similarly, the local shop situated on Kirk Brae (commonly known as 'Archie's') has been a mainstay of Cults since the 1970s. Cults is also home to the Cults Parish Church, which was formed by the merger of the Cults East and Cults West parishes, with the buildings of the former now housing an outreach centre. Cults was also once home to the StakisStakis Hotels
Stakis Hotels is a former hotel company in the United Kingdom led by Sir Reo Stakis, headquartered in Glasgow. The company sold itself to Hilton PLC in 2000 for £1.2 billion....
-owned Royal Darroch Hotel which exploded on an October morning in 1983 due to gas build up, killing 6 staff and guests. A few chain stores, such as Tesco Express, Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over...
, Lloyds Pharmacy and Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
have branches in Cults, along with the Clydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank is a commercial bank in Scotland, a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group. In Scotland, Clydesdale Bank is the third largest clearing bank, although it also retains a branch network in London and the north of England...
and the Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
.
Education
There are four main schools in the village: the state-run Cults Primary School and Cults AcademyCults Academy
Cults Academy is an Aberdeen City Council secondary school in Cults, Aberdeen, Scotland. It is the recipient of The Sunday Times Scottish State Secondary School of the Year Award 2008 due to its outstanding exam results in the past year , having been rated 3rd in 2005...
(one of Scotland's top-performing secondary schools), and the independent Waldorf School. The village is also only a short drive from the International School of Aberdeen (ISA)
International School of Aberdeen
The International School of Aberdeen is a school in Pitfodels, Cults, Aberdeen, Scotland. It takes in students that come from other countries besides the UK, although often British students are allowed to attend the school. It was formerly known as the American School in Aberdeen.It is one of...
in Milltimber
Milltimber
Milltimber is a suburb to the west of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is situated approximately 8 miles inland of the North Sea, around 6 miles west of Aberdeen....
and a complex of Waldorf/Steiner Camphill schools
Camphill Movement
The Camphill Movement is an initiative for social change inspired by anthroposophy. Camphill communities are residential "life-sharing" communities and schools for adults and children with learning disabilities, mental health problems and other special needs, which provide services and support for...
in Bieldside.