Birnam is a village in
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...
, Scotland. It is located north of Perth on the
A9 road This is a list of roads designated A9.
* A009 road (Argentina), a road in the northeast of Santa Fe Province
* ''A9 highway (Australia)'' may refer to :
** A9 (Sydney), a road linking Windsor and Campbelltown
** A9 highway (South Australia), a l ...
, the main tourist route through Perthshire, in an area of Scotland marketed as ''Big Tree Country''.
The village originated from the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
with the coming of the railway in 1856, although the place and name is well known because
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
mentioned Birnam Wood in ''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'':
Prior to the construction of the railway, the only substantial building on the site of the present village was the church of Little Dunkeld parish, which still stands in its ancient position within a graveyard within the village.
Dunkeld
Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...
, to whose monastery
Kenneth MacAlpin
Kenneth MacAlpin ( mga, Cináed mac Ailpin, label=Medieval Gaelic, gd, Coinneach mac Ailpein, label=Modern Scottish Gaelic; 810 – 13 February 858) or Kenneth I was King of Dál Riada (841–850), King of the Picts (843–858), and the King ...
, the first King of Scotland, moved the bones of
St. Columba
Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...
around the middle of the ninth century, and which is notable for
its cathedral, lies on the opposite bank of the river.
Transport
![Dunkeld and Birnam Railway Station - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Dunkeld_and_Birnam_Railway_Station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1587361.jpg)
In 1977, Birnam, along with neighbouring Dunkeld and Little Dunkeld, was bypassed by
A9.
The village is now approximately one hour from
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, and two hours from
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
, by car. There are regular bus and coach services to Birnam and Dunkeld along the A9, with long-distance coaches operated by
Scottish Citylink
Scottish Citylink is a long-distance express coach operator in Scotland and Ireland (where it operates as Irish Citylink) and England (where it operates as Stansted Citylink). The company was formed as a subsidiary of Scottish Transport Group i ...
. There is access by rail at
Dunkeld & Birnam railway station
, symbol_location = gb
, symbol = rail
, image = Dunkeld & Birnam station geograph-3870417-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
, borough = Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross
, country = Scotland
, coordinate ...
on the
Highland Main Line
The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the Scottish Highlands linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edi ...
route between
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
and
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
. Most services on the route extend to either
Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley railway station (also known simply as Waverley; gd, Waverley Dhùn Èideann) is the principal railway station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. It is the north ...
or
Glasgow Queen Street
, symbol_location = gb
, symbol = rail
, image = Queen Street railway station (geograph 6687389).jpg
, caption = Main entrance in 2020
, borough = Glasgow
, country = Scotland
, coordinates =
, grid_name = Grid reference
, grid_positi ...
; on Sundays only a southbound train operated by the
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broa ...
operator extends to
London King's Cross
King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the busiest stations in the United King ...
via Edinburgh, although there is no corresponding northbound service from London. A daily (except Saturday) London service is offered by the overnight
Caledonian Sleeper
''Caledonian Sleeper'' is the collective name for overnight sleeper train services between London and Scotland, in the United Kingdom. It is one of only two currently operating sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom, the other b ...
trains to and from
London Euston
Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railw ...
.
Notable people
John Everett Millais
Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest ...
, who painted many local landscapes, and
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 186622 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', which was he ...
, with her family, often visited Birnam. Potter drafted her first book, ''
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter that follows mischievous and disobedient young Peter Rabbit as he gets into, and is chased around, the garden of Mr. McGregor. He escapes and returns ho ...
'', at Eastwood House whilst writing a story and picture letter to child friend Noel Moore on 4 September 1893.
There is an exhibition and garden dedicated to Potter and her characters in Birnam.
Dr
George Smyttan
Dr George Smyttan FRSE (1789–1863) was a 19th-century Scottish physician who helped to run the Medical Missionary Society in India.
Life
He was born in Dunkeld on 17 June 1789. He was educated at Dunkeld Grammar School.
He studied Medici ...
FRSE
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
HEIC (1789-1863) was born and raised in Dunkeld, and retained links to Birnam all his life.
Attractions
There is an ancient tree, the
Birnam Oak, standing a few hundred metres from the centre of Birnam on Murthly Estate. Traditionally, it was known as "The Hangman's Tree". The Birnam Oak is believed to be the only remaining tree from the Birnam Wood of ''Macbeth''.
In addition to The
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 186622 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', which was he ...
Exhibition and Garden, Birnam also has a community-run arts and performance centre and library, Birnam Arts and Conference Centre.
The Birnam
Highland Games is the location of the World
Haggis
Haggis ( gd, taigeis) is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach though now an a ...
Eating Championships.
Gallery
File:Birnam wood macbeth.jpg, Birnam Wood in 1800
File:Main_Street,_Birnam,_Scotland.jpg, Main Street, Birnam
File:The_Birnam_Hotel,_Birnam,_Scotland.jpg, The Birnam Hotel
File:Birnam Institute ca 2003.jpg, The Birnam Arts and Conference Centre
File:Birnam Oak.JPG, The Birnam Oak
References
External links
Dunkeld and Birnam Tourist AssociationDunkeld & Birnam at VisitScotland Perthshire
{{Perth & Kinross Towns & Villages
Villages in Perth and Kinross