Strichen is a village in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area inclu ...

, Scotland. It sits on the A981, connecting it to

New Deer New Deer ( gd, Achadh Reite) is a settlement in Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland, which lies in the valley of Deer. It is located at the junction of several roads crossing through the Howe of Buchan. It was founded after monks from Deer Abbey, O ...

to the southwest and

Fraserburgh Fraserburgh (; sco, The Broch or ; gd, A' Bhruaich) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2011 Census at 13,100. It lies at the far northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, about north of Aberdeen, and north of ...

to the north-northeast, and the B9093, connecting it to New Pitsligo about due west. The village got its name from Lord Strachen. It is situated on the River Ugie at the foothills of

Mormond Hill Mormond Hill (Scottish Gaelic A' Mhormhonadh, meaning the great hill or moor; known as ''Mormounth'' in Old Scots) is a large hill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, not far from Fraserburgh. Its peak is .quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical f ...

on Mormond Hill, some northeast of Strichen.

History

There is considerable evidence of local habitation by early man in and around Strichen. Strichen Stone Circle can be found near Strichen House in publicly accessible land. Further south lies the

Catto Long Barrow Cairn Catto is a Neolithic long cairn near the village of Longside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland established the site as a scheduled monument in 1973. Description Cairn Catto is located southeast of Longside, in Aberde ...

and a number of

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...

. There are several listed buildings within the village. The most significant is the category A listed

Strichen Town House Strichen Town House is a municipal structure in High Street, Strichen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The building, which was the meeting place of Strichen Parish Council, is a Category A listed building. History The town house was commissioned in th ...

constructed to a design by the Aberdeen architect John Smith in 1816. It is described by

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment ...

as an "excellent example of an early 19th century castellated Town House". Strichen House, designed in 1821 in a commission for

Thomas Fraser, 12th Lord Lovat Thomas Alexander Fraser, 12th Lord Lovat and 1st Baron Lovat, KT (17 June 1802 – 28 June 1875) was a Scottish nobleman. He was the 21st Chief ''MacShimidh'' of the Clan Fraser of Lovat, succeeding the notorious Jacobite Simon Fraser, 11th Lo ...

, is also by John Smith. Strichen School was designed by Aberdeen architect Robert Gordon Wilson in 1873. The village was formerly served by

Strichen railway station Strichen railway station was a railway station in Strichen, Aberdeenshire. History The station was opened on 24 April 1865 by the Formartine and Buchan Railway The Formartine and Buchan Railway was a railway company operating in the nor ...

on the Formartine and Buchan Railway.

Notable residents

Twice

Provost of Aberdeen The Lord Provost of Aberdeen is the convener of the Aberdeen City local authority in Scotland. They are elected by the city council and serve not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. They are equivalent in m ...

, William Cruden (1726-1807) was born and raised in Strichen. The former

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland ( sco, heid meinister o Scotland; gd, prìomh mhinistear na h-Alba ) is the head of the Scottish Government and keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. The first minister chair ...

Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician and economist who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure on the Scottish nationalist movement, he has served as leader ...

, lives in a converted mill in the village with his wife Moira. Author and screenwriter

Lorna Moon Lorna Moon (born Nora Helen Wilson Low; 16 June 1886 – 1 May 1930) was a Scottish author and screenwriter from the early days of Hollywood. She is best known as the author of the bestselling novel ''Dark Star'' (1929) and as one of the earlie ...

was born in Strichen in 1886. Her 1925 collection of short stories ''Doorways in Drumorty'' was written when she lived in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

and is based upon her memories of Strichen. Her 1929 novel ''Dark Star'' also features scenes of Strichen and Aberdeenshire. Serial killer

Dennis Nilsen Dennis Andrew Nilsen (23 November 1945 – 12 May 2018) was a Scottish serial killer and necrophile who murdered at least twelve young men and boys between 1978 and 1983 in London. Convicted at the Old Bailey of six counts of murder and two of ...

was brought up for part of his childhood in Strichen. The bacteriologist Robert Cruickshank

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 ...

was born here.

References

External links

Photo of Strichen HousePeterhead Area Business Directory
{{authority control Villages in Aberdeenshire