Stonehaven
Encyclopedia
Stonehaven stoʊnˈheɪvən is a town in Aberdeenshire
, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 9,577 in 2001 census.
Stonehaven, county town
of Kincardineshire
, grew around an Iron Age
fishing village, now the "Auld Toon" ("old town"), and expanded inland from the seaside. As late as the 16th century, old maps indicate the town was called Stonehyve or Stonehive.
The town is served by Stonehaven railway station
.
and neolithic
pottery
excavations from the Spurryhillock area. The town lies at the southern origin of the ancient Causey Mounth
trackway
, which was built on high ground to make passable this only available medieval route from coastal points south to Aberdeen
. This ancient passage specifically connected the Bridge of Dee
to Cowie Castle
via the Portlethen Moss
and the Stonehaven central plaza. The route was that taken by the Earl Marischal
and Marquess of Montrose
when they led a Covenanter
army of over 9000 men in the first battle of the Civil War
in 1639. Originally the settlement of Stonehaven grew and prospered and was known as Kilwhang. With 'Kil' meaning hill and 'whang' the name, or sound of a whip, possibly, the name is derived from the cliffs above the original settlement and the sound of wind whistling around their meagre shelters.
The Covenanters were imprisoned in Dunnottar Castle
, where many died. A memorial to them can be found in Dunnottar Church. Other castles in the vicinity are Fetteresso Castle
and Muchalls Castle
, both of which are in private ownership and not open to the public. The oldest surviving structure in Stonehaven is the Stonehaven Tolbooth
at the harbour, used as an early prison
and now a museum
.
Dunnottar Castle
, perched atop a rocky outcrop
, was home to the Keith family, and during the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Scottish Crown Jewels
were hidden there. In 1296, King Edward I of England
took the castle
only for William Wallace
to reclaim it in 1297, burning down the church in the process with the entire English garrison still in it. In 1650, Oliver Cromwell
sacked the castle to find the Crown Jewels following an eight month siege (having previously destroyed the English Crown Jewels). However, just before the castle fell, the Crown Jewels were smuggled out by some ladies who took them by boat to a small church just down the coast in the village of Kinneff, where they remained undetected for eleven years.
Near the Cowie Bridge
, at the north of Stonehaven, was a prior historic fishing village known as Cowie
, which area has now been subsumed into Stonehaven. Somewhat further north are the ruins of Cowie Castle
. Slightly to the west of Stonehaven is the ruined Ury House
, originally a property of the Frasers
.
The fossil
of what is said to be the oldest air-breathing invertebrate
discovered was found at Stonehaven's Cowie Beach. This was Pneumodesmus newmani
, a species
of millipede
.
Stonehaven is 15 miles (24 km) south of Aberdeen
in a sheltered position on Stonehaven Bay
between the Carron Water
and the Cowie Water
. Stonehaven lies adjacent to a deeply indented bay surrounded on three sides by higher land between Downie Point
and Garron Point. The harbour, consisting of two basins, was improved in the 1820s by the engineer Robert Stevenson
(grandfather of the author Robert Louis Stevenson
) and became an important centre of the 19th century herring
trade; the harbour is bordered on the north by Bellman's Head
and at the south by Downie Point
. At the western edge of Stonehaven west of the A90 road
lies the village of Kirkton of Fetteresso
. Stonehaven is also the site of one of Europe's largest permanent and purpose built outdoor radio controlled car circuits (www.sdrcc.co.uk).
Stonehaven has grown rapidly since the oil
boom in Aberdeen. The increasing demand for new, middle-class housing has seen four new estates being appended to the town, creating an expanse of suburb
s.
, South Parish Church and Fetteresso Parish Church, an evangelical Church of Scotland. The town also has one Baptist Church, an Episcopal Church and a Catholic church.
. Led by the herring
fishery, the catch peaked around the year 1894 with a peak catch of about 15 million fish per annum and an employment in the fishing industry of 1280 people. Due to overfishing
to serve the expanding regional population
, the fishing industry declined with diminishing catches, such that by 1939 only a remnant of the earlier fishing fleet continued to exist, and the catch mostly supported the local population from that point onward.
At present day the town's primary industries are marine services and tourism
, with Dunnottar Castle
, a local landmark, bringing in a large number of tourists every year. Dunnottar Castle is regularly used in promotional material by the Scottish tourism industry; in addition, it was used in the 1990 movie Hamlet, and appeared as a featured desktop background in the UK edition of Micorosoft Windows 7.
The town has a long beach facing the cold North Sea
, with large cliffs at either end sheltering small rock pools and inlets. It is also famous for its olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool
, which is heated and filled with a mixture of tap water and filtered seawater. Another attraction is the local harbour, which features the Tolbooth
, the town's tiny museum of local heritage.
During Hogmanay
festivities, the High Street
comes alive with crowds watching the annual fireballs ceremony, in which volunteers walking down the High Street swing huge balls of fire around and around at the ends of chains. The Fireball Festival was part of the content of STV's Hogmanay
coverage. The fireballs are finally thrown into the harbour.
Every July Stonehaven holds a Highland Games
. All those competing in the heavy events (which include the Hammer, the Heavy Stone and Tossing the Caber) must wear full Highland
dress. Other events include the Stonehaven Folk Festival regularly attended by famous Glaswegian comedian Billy Connolly
. On the first Saturday in June the Feein' Market recreates a 19th Century agricultural hiring fair. The RW Thomson Classic Car Rally is an annual celebration of the inventor of the pneumatic tyre and attracts an impressive range of vintage and classic cars. There are two harbour festivals each summer. A farmers market is now held once a month in the market square where local food suppliers and producers can sell fresh fruit, vegetables, poultry and other types of meat.
The town's Haven Fish Bar was the likely origin of the Deep-fried Mars Bar
, a snack now culturally associated with Scotland - and its health record - as a whole. The premises are now the award-winning Carron fish and chip shop.
Stonehaven, known informally to locals as Stoney, has three primary schools (Dunnottar, Arduthie and Mill O'Forest) and a large secondary school (Mackie Academy
). Population expansion has led to the expansion of primary schools and extra spaces built for classrooms in the secondary school.
The town supports a Rugby club - Mackie Academy Former Pupils Rugby Football Club - which plays in the BT National League Division 5. The town also has a junior football club who play in the North Region SuperLeague at Glenury Park.
Stonehaven's long established pipe band plays at events throughout the year, including the folks festival and fireball ceremony. The band has competed at various levels throughout its illustrious history including several years at the prestigious Grade 1.
Stonehaven has one of the largest purpose built radio controlled car circuits in the UK, located at the far end of Mineralwell Park. The track hosts some great driving of cars that reach 60mph
, inventor of the pneumatic tyre
and the fountain pen
, of journalist James Murdoch
and Lord Reith of Stonehaven
, first Director-General of the BBC
.
Stonehaven was a holiday retreat of the poet, Robert Burns
.
The novelist Lewis Grassic Gibbon
(James Leslie Mitchell) attended school at what was the old Mackie Academy
(now Arduthie Primary). As a state secondary school, Mackie Academy now serves over 1000 pupils and they study his work.
Famous historical visitors include William Wallace
and Mary, Queen of Scots.
. Broadcasting from Stonehaven Town Hall to the town and surrounding area, the station aims to help keep Stonehaven, Inverbervie
and Laurencekirk
up to date with local and charity events, as well as playing music. Staffed completely by volunteers, it is run as a not-for-profit organisation, broadcasting under a community radio licence, with a remit to provide locally-focused news, events and programming. Jointly funded by local adverts and local and national grants, Mearns FM has one of the largest listening areas of any community radio station owing to the Mearns' distributed population.
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 9,577 in 2001 census.
Stonehaven, county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland...
, grew around an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
fishing village, now the "Auld Toon" ("old town"), and expanded inland from the seaside. As late as the 16th century, old maps indicate the town was called Stonehyve or Stonehive.
The town is served by Stonehaven railway station
Stonehaven railway station
Stonehaven railway station serves the town of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. Despite its small size, it is a calling point for a large number of services going both North to Aberdeen and South to Edinburgh and Glasgow...
.
History
Stonehaven is the site of prehistoric events as witnessed by finds at Fetteresso CastleFetteresso Castle
Fetteresso Castle is a 14th century towerhouse, rebuilt in 1761 as a Scottish gothic style Palladian manor, with clear evidence of prehistoric use of the site. It is situated immediately west of the town of Stonehaven in Kincardineshire slightly to the west of the A90 dual carriageway...
and neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
excavations from the Spurryhillock area. The town lies at the southern origin of the ancient Causey Mounth
Causey Mounth
The Causey Mounth is an ancient drovers' road over the coastal fringe of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This route was developed as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen around the 12th century AD and it continued to function as the principal route connecting these...
trackway
Trackway
A trackway is an ancient route of travel for people or animals. In biology, a trackway can be a set of impressions in the soft earth, usually a set of footprints, left by an animal. A fossil trackway is the fossilized imprint of a trackway. Trackways have been found all over the world...
, which was built on high ground to make passable this only available medieval route from coastal points south to Aberdeen
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 ....
. This ancient passage specifically connected the Bridge of Dee
Bridge of Dee
The Bridge of Dee or Brig o' Dee is a road bridge over the River Dee in Aberdeen, Scotland. The term is also used for the surrounding area of the city. Dating from 1527, the bridge crosses at what was once the City of Aberdeen's southern boundary...
to Cowie Castle
Cowie Castle
Cowie Castle is a ruined fortress in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site lies at the northern end of Stonehaven near the North Sea coast. To the immediate south is the Cowie Bridge crossing of the Cowie Water. Evidence of prehistoric man exists in the vicinity dating to the Iron Age in the form of...
via the Portlethen Moss
Portlethen Moss
The Portlethen Moss is an acidic bog nature reserve located to the west of the town of Portlethen, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. Like other mosses, this wetland area supports a variety of plant and animal species, even though it has been subject to certain development and agricultural degradation...
and the Stonehaven central plaza. The route was that taken by the Earl Marischal
William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal
William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal was a Scottish nobleman and Covenanter. He was the eldest son of William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal...
and Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed...
when they led a Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
army of over 9000 men in the first battle of the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
in 1639. Originally the settlement of Stonehaven grew and prospered and was known as Kilwhang. With 'Kil' meaning hill and 'whang' the name, or sound of a whip, possibly, the name is derived from the cliffs above the original settlement and the sound of wind whistling around their meagre shelters.
The Covenanters were imprisoned in Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about two miles south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th–16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been an early fortress of the Dark Ages...
, where many died. A memorial to them can be found in Dunnottar Church. Other castles in the vicinity are Fetteresso Castle
Fetteresso Castle
Fetteresso Castle is a 14th century towerhouse, rebuilt in 1761 as a Scottish gothic style Palladian manor, with clear evidence of prehistoric use of the site. It is situated immediately west of the town of Stonehaven in Kincardineshire slightly to the west of the A90 dual carriageway...
and Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well preserved double groined 13th century towerhouse structure, built by the Frasers of Muchalls. Upon this structure, the 17th century castle was begun by...
, both of which are in private ownership and not open to the public. The oldest surviving structure in Stonehaven is the Stonehaven Tolbooth
Stonehaven Tolbooth
The Stonehaven Tolbooth is a late 16th century stone building originally used as a courthouse and a prison in the town of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland...
at the harbour, used as an early prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
and now a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
.
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about two miles south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th–16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been an early fortress of the Dark Ages...
, perched atop a rocky outcrop
Outcrop
An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
, was home to the Keith family, and during the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Scottish Crown Jewels
Honours of Scotland
The Honours of Scotland, also known as the Scottish regalia and the Scottish Crown Jewels, dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, are the oldest set of crown jewels in the British Isles. The existing set were used for the coronation of Scottish monarchs from 1543 to 1651...
were hidden there. In 1296, King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
took the castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
only for William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
to reclaim it in 1297, burning down the church in the process with the entire English garrison still in it. In 1650, Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
sacked the castle to find the Crown Jewels following an eight month siege (having previously destroyed the English Crown Jewels). However, just before the castle fell, the Crown Jewels were smuggled out by some ladies who took them by boat to a small church just down the coast in the village of Kinneff, where they remained undetected for eleven years.
Near the Cowie Bridge
Cowie Bridge
Cowie Bridge is a roadway bridge across the Cowie Water in Stonehaven, Scotland near the river's mouth at the North Sea. This construction is a listed historical structure in Aberdeenshire. Historically the area in the vicinity of the Cowie Bridge site has been an old fishing village known as...
, at the north of Stonehaven, was a prior historic fishing village known as Cowie
Cowie, Aberdeenshire
Cowie is an historic fishing village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This village has existed since the Middle Ages, but in current times it is effectively subsumed into the town of Stonehaven.-History:...
, which area has now been subsumed into Stonehaven. Somewhat further north are the ruins of Cowie Castle
Cowie Castle
Cowie Castle is a ruined fortress in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site lies at the northern end of Stonehaven near the North Sea coast. To the immediate south is the Cowie Bridge crossing of the Cowie Water. Evidence of prehistoric man exists in the vicinity dating to the Iron Age in the form of...
. Slightly to the west of Stonehaven is the ruined Ury House
Ury House
The current incarnation of Ury House is a ruined large mansion built in the Elizabethan style in 1885 by Alexander Baird. It is situated about a mile north of Stonehaven, a town in Aberdeenshire on the North-East coast of Scotland...
, originally a property of the Frasers
Clan Fraser
Clan Fraser is a Scottish clan of French origin. The Clan has been strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century. Since its founding, the Clan has dominated local politics and been active in every major military conflict...
.
The fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
of what is said to be the oldest air-breathing invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
discovered was found at Stonehaven's Cowie Beach. This was Pneumodesmus newmani
Pneumodesmus newmani
Pneumodesmus newmani is a species of millipede that lived , in the Late Silurian. It is the first myriapod, and the oldest known creature to have lived on land. It was discovered in 2004, and is known from a single specimen from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.-Discovery:The single,...
, a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of millipede
Millipede
Millipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one...
.
Geography
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 ....
in a sheltered position on Stonehaven Bay
Stonehaven Bay
Stonehaven Bay is a natural harbour in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The town of Stonehaven is built along the shore of Stonehaven Bay. Nearby historical features include Fetteresso Castle, Stonehaven Tolbooth, Dunottar Castle and Muchalls Castle.-References:...
between the Carron Water
Carron Water, Aberdeenshire
Carron Water is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.Carron Water rises in Fetteresso Forest on the eastern edge of the Grampians. It flows past Fetteresso Castle and discharges into the North Sea at Stonehaven Bay. Carron Water separates the Old Town from Stonehaven's new town , laid out in...
and the Cowie Water
Cowie Water
The Cowie Water is a river rising in the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea in the northern part of Stonehaven. south of the ruined Cowie Castle...
. Stonehaven lies adjacent to a deeply indented bay surrounded on three sides by higher land between Downie Point
Downie Point
Downie Point is a prominent headland located at the southern edge of Stonehaven Bay in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. From the Stonehaven Harbour, there is a panoramic view of this cliff landform, especially from the tip of Bellman's Head....
and Garron Point. The harbour, consisting of two basins, was improved in the 1820s by the engineer Robert Stevenson
Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)
Robert Stevenson FRSE MInstCE FSAS MWS FGS FRAS FSA was a Scottish civil engineer and famed designer and builder of lighthouses.One of his finest achievements was the construction of the Bell Rock Lighthouse.-Early life:...
(grandfather of the author Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
) and became an important centre of the 19th century herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
trade; the harbour is bordered on the north by Bellman's Head
Bellman's Head
Bellman's Head is a headland point comprising the northern boundary of Stonehaven Bay in Stonehaven, Scotland. The corresponding headland at the south of the bay is Downie Point. Notable historic features in the general vicinity include the Tolbooth, Fetteresso Castle and Muchalls Castle....
and at the south by Downie Point
Downie Point
Downie Point is a prominent headland located at the southern edge of Stonehaven Bay in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. From the Stonehaven Harbour, there is a panoramic view of this cliff landform, especially from the tip of Bellman's Head....
. At the western edge of Stonehaven west of the A90 road
A90 road
The A90 road is a major north to south road in eastern Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.From Edinburgh, it travels west and over the Forth Road Bridge, before turning into the M90 motorway. At Perth, the M90 again becomes the A90, now running north east to Dundee...
lies the village of Kirkton of Fetteresso
Kirkton of Fetteresso
The Kirkton of Fetteresso is a well preserved village near Stonehaven, Scotland. In the planning area of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, this village contains many very old stone residential structures as well as the Church of St. Ciarans and its associated graveyard...
. Stonehaven is also the site of one of Europe's largest permanent and purpose built outdoor radio controlled car circuits (www.sdrcc.co.uk).
Stonehaven has grown rapidly since the oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
boom in Aberdeen. The increasing demand for new, middle-class housing has seen four new estates being appended to the town, creating an expanse of suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s.
Landmarks
- Dunnottar CastleDunnottar CastleDunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about two miles south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th–16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been an early fortress of the Dark Ages...
- Fetteresso CastleFetteresso CastleFetteresso Castle is a 14th century towerhouse, rebuilt in 1761 as a Scottish gothic style Palladian manor, with clear evidence of prehistoric use of the site. It is situated immediately west of the town of Stonehaven in Kincardineshire slightly to the west of the A90 dual carriageway...
- Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve
- Muchalls CastleMuchalls CastleMuchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well preserved double groined 13th century towerhouse structure, built by the Frasers of Muchalls. Upon this structure, the 17th century castle was begun by...
- Mackie AcademyMackie AcademyMackie Academy is a secondary school in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire. As of 2008, Mackie Academy currently has roughly 1300 pupils and 80 staff.-History:...
Places of worship
Stonehaven has three Churches of Scotland: Dunnottar Parish ChurchDunnottar Parish Church
Dunnottar Parish Church is a traditional church in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in the Mearns.- Future :The Rev Rosslyn Duncan is due to become minister of Stonehaven South Parish Church when its current minister, Rev...
, South Parish Church and Fetteresso Parish Church, an evangelical Church of Scotland. The town also has one Baptist Church, an Episcopal Church and a Catholic church.
Primary schools
- Arduthie Primary School is one of the two primary schools located in the newer part of Stonehaven serving a large portion of the north and east of the town as well as the surrounding countryside to the north-west. The building is built on the original location of Mackie Academy (the town's secondary school).
- Dunnottar Primary School Was founded in 1889. is linked to the notable parish Church and to the historic Dunnottar Castle and is located at the edge of the old town. It serves the old town and the majority of the countryside surrounding Stonehaven As part of the Stonehaven flooding in 2009 the school was affected and pupils had to be relocated for a week while work was undertaken.
- Mill O' Forest Primary School, like Arduthie, is located in the newer part of Stonehaven and serves the south and parts of the north of the town.
Secondary schools
- Mackie AcademyMackie AcademyMackie Academy is a secondary school in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire. As of 2008, Mackie Academy currently has roughly 1300 pupils and 80 staff.-History:...
is the town's secondary school and was originally founded at the site occupied currently by Arduthie School. Mackie takes pupils from a decent chunk of Southern Aberdeenshire with its catchment zone stretching from Johnshaven in the south to Netherley in the North and out to Glenbervie in the West.
Special Needs Schools
- Carronhill School is a special needs school located within the town.
Commerce and culture
Historically the chief commerce of Stonehaven lay in fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. Led by the herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
fishery, the catch peaked around the year 1894 with a peak catch of about 15 million fish per annum and an employment in the fishing industry of 1280 people. Due to overfishing
Overfishing
Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
to serve the expanding regional population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
, the fishing industry declined with diminishing catches, such that by 1939 only a remnant of the earlier fishing fleet continued to exist, and the catch mostly supported the local population from that point onward.
At present day the town's primary industries are marine services and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, with Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about two miles south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th–16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been an early fortress of the Dark Ages...
, a local landmark, bringing in a large number of tourists every year. Dunnottar Castle is regularly used in promotional material by the Scottish tourism industry; in addition, it was used in the 1990 movie Hamlet, and appeared as a featured desktop background in the UK edition of Micorosoft Windows 7.
The town has a long beach facing the cold North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, with large cliffs at either end sheltering small rock pools and inlets. It is also famous for its olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool
Stonehaven Open Air Pool
Stonehaven Open Air Swimming Pool, Queen Elizabeth Park, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire AB39 2RD, is an Olympic sized heated open air public pool opened in 1934. It is the lido in the UK.- Description :...
, which is heated and filled with a mixture of tap water and filtered seawater. Another attraction is the local harbour, which features the Tolbooth
Stonehaven Tolbooth
The Stonehaven Tolbooth is a late 16th century stone building originally used as a courthouse and a prison in the town of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland...
, the town's tiny museum of local heritage.
Hogmanay
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner...
festivities, the High Street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
comes alive with crowds watching the annual fireballs ceremony, in which volunteers walking down the High Street swing huge balls of fire around and around at the ends of chains. The Fireball Festival was part of the content of STV's Hogmanay
Hogmanay
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner...
coverage. The fireballs are finally thrown into the harbour.
Every July Stonehaven holds a Highland Games
Highland games
Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &Highland games are events held throughout the &(-è_çà in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain...
. All those competing in the heavy events (which include the Hammer, the Heavy Stone and Tossing the Caber) must wear full Highland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
dress. Other events include the Stonehaven Folk Festival regularly attended by famous Glaswegian comedian Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
. On the first Saturday in June the Feein' Market recreates a 19th Century agricultural hiring fair. The RW Thomson Classic Car Rally is an annual celebration of the inventor of the pneumatic tyre and attracts an impressive range of vintage and classic cars. There are two harbour festivals each summer. A farmers market is now held once a month in the market square where local food suppliers and producers can sell fresh fruit, vegetables, poultry and other types of meat.
The town's Haven Fish Bar was the likely origin of the Deep-fried Mars Bar
Deep-fried Mars bar
A deep-fried Mars bar is an ordinary Mars bar normally fried in a type of batter commonly used for deep-frying fish, sausages, and other battered products...
, a snack now culturally associated with Scotland - and its health record - as a whole. The premises are now the award-winning Carron fish and chip shop.
Stonehaven, known informally to locals as Stoney, has three primary schools (Dunnottar, Arduthie and Mill O'Forest) and a large secondary school (Mackie Academy
Mackie Academy
Mackie Academy is a secondary school in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire. As of 2008, Mackie Academy currently has roughly 1300 pupils and 80 staff.-History:...
). Population expansion has led to the expansion of primary schools and extra spaces built for classrooms in the secondary school.
The town supports a Rugby club - Mackie Academy Former Pupils Rugby Football Club - which plays in the BT National League Division 5. The town also has a junior football club who play in the North Region SuperLeague at Glenury Park.
Stonehaven's long established pipe band plays at events throughout the year, including the folks festival and fireball ceremony. The band has competed at various levels throughout its illustrious history including several years at the prestigious Grade 1.
Stonehaven has one of the largest purpose built radio controlled car circuits in the UK, located at the far end of Mineralwell Park. The track hosts some great driving of cars that reach 60mph
Notable people
Stonehaven was the birthplace of Robert William ThomsonRobert William Thomson
Robert William Thomson , from Stonehaven, Scotland, was the original inventor of the pneumatic tyre.-Biography:...
, inventor of the pneumatic tyre
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
and the fountain pen
Fountain pen
A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...
, of journalist James Murdoch
James Murdoch (Scottish journalist)
James Murdoch was a Scottish scholar and journalist, who worked as a teacher in the Empire of Japan and Australia. From 1903–1917, he wrote the three-volume A History of Japan, the first comprehensive history of Japan in the English language...
and Lord Reith of Stonehaven
John Reith, 1st Baron Reith
John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith, KT, GCVO, GBE, CB, TD, PC was a Scottish broadcasting executive who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom...
, first Director-General of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Stonehaven was a holiday retreat of the poet, Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
.
The novelist Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Lewis Grassic Gibbon was the pseudonym of James Leslie Mitchell , a Scottish writer.-Biography:...
(James Leslie Mitchell) attended school at what was the old Mackie Academy
Mackie Academy
Mackie Academy is a secondary school in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire. As of 2008, Mackie Academy currently has roughly 1300 pupils and 80 staff.-History:...
(now Arduthie Primary). As a state secondary school, Mackie Academy now serves over 1000 pupils and they study his work.
Famous historical visitors include William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
and Mary, Queen of Scots.
Local Radio
Stonehaven has a Local Community Radio Station, Mearns FMMearns FM
Mearns FM is a community run radio station based in the North East of Scotland. There are transmitters in Laurencekirk, Inverbervie and Stonehaven leading to a coverage area stretching from St Cyrus to Portlethen. The studio is located in Stonehaven Town Hall.-History:The station began as...
. Broadcasting from Stonehaven Town Hall to the town and surrounding area, the station aims to help keep Stonehaven, Inverbervie
Inverbervie
Inverbervie is a small town on the north-east coast of Scotland, south of Stonehaven, in the Aberdeenshire council area.The Inverbervie name derives from Inbhir Beirbhe, meaning Mouth of the River Bervie in Scottish Gaelic.-History:...
and Laurencekirk
Laurencekirk
Laurencekirk is a small town in the ancient county of Kincardineshire, modern county of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, just off the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen main road. It is the largest settlement in the Howe o' the Mearns area and houses the local secondary school; Mearns Academy, which was awarded the...
up to date with local and charity events, as well as playing music. Staffed completely by volunteers, it is run as a not-for-profit organisation, broadcasting under a community radio licence, with a remit to provide locally-focused news, events and programming. Jointly funded by local adverts and local and national grants, Mearns FM has one of the largest listening areas of any community radio station owing to the Mearns' distributed population.
External links
- Archived oral history interview on the Stonehaven Fireball tradition
- James Murdoch
- Undiscovered Scotland Dunnottar Castle
- Stonehaven Guide for Travel, Tourism, Business and the Community
- Stonehaven Amateur Swimming Club(SASC)
- Stonehaven & District Motor Club
- Stonehaven Open Air Pool
- Stonehaven Guide
- Stonehaven On Video
- Stonehaven Pipe Band
- Stonehaven Fireball Festival
- Stonehaven Folk Festival
- Stonehaven Feein' Market
- Stonehaven Harbour Webcam
- Mackie Academy Former Pupils Rugby Football Club
- Stonehaven Online Directory
- Stonehaven Community Council
- Stonehaven & District Radio Car Club
- Lord Reith of Stonehaven
- Lewis Grassic Gibbon
- Mackie Academy
- Kilwhang