Torphins ( ; gd, Tòrr Fionn) is a village in

Royal Deeside The River Dee ( gd, Uisge Dhè) is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It rises in the Cairngorms and flows through southern Aberdeenshire to reach the North Sea at Aberdeen. The area it passes through is known as Deeside, or Royal Deeside in ...

, Aberdeenshire, Scotland which lies about west of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. It is situated on the A980, about north-west of

Banchory Banchory (, sco, Banchry, gd, Beannchar) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is about west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee. Prehistory and archaeology In 2009, a farmer discovered a short cist bu ...

, and was once served by the

Great North of Scotland Railway The Great North of Scotland Railway (GNSR) was one of the two smallest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping, operating in the north-east of the country. Formed in 1845, it carried its first passengers the fro ...

. With a population of around 1,400, it is one of the larger villages in Deeside.

Toponymy

The name ''Torphins'' may come from the Gaelic ''Torr Fionn'', meaning fair/white hill, or as a corruption of ''Tor Feithachan'', meaning hill of the bogs. Another less likely namesake is

Thorfinn Sigurdsson Thorfinn Sigurdsson (1009?– 1065), also known as Thorfinn the Mighty (Old Norse: ''Þorfinnr inn riki''), was an 11th-century Jarl of Orkney. He was the youngest of five sons of Jarl Sigurd Hlodvirsson and the only one resulting from Sigu ...

, Earl of Orkney, who might have passed through the area due to his partnership with Macbeth. It appeared on maps in 1750 under the name ''Turfins''.

Amenities

The village has many facilities including a primary school (with about 250 pupils attending each year), a large park with play area, a car dealer, a hairdressers, two tennis courts, a bowling green and a doctor's surgery. There are also a variety of shops in Torphins including a charity shop, a

Scotmid The Scottish Midland Co-operative Society (trading as Scotmid), is an independent retail consumers' co-operative based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Originally founded as St. Cuthbert's Co-operative Society in 1859, it merged with Dalziel Co-operat ...

store, a beauty salon, a Chinese and Thai takeaway and a chemist. There is a

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

church, which is part of the ''Mid Deeside United Churches'' alongside those in

Kincardine O'Neil Kincardine O'Neil ( gd, Cinn Chàrdainn, sco, Kinker) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated between the towns of Banchory and Aboyne approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of Aberdeen on the north bank of the River Dee. ...

and

Lumphanan Lumphanan ( ; gd, Lann Fhìonain) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland located from Aberdeen and from Banchory. History Lumphanan is documented to be the site of the Battle of Lumphanan of 1057 AD, where Malcolm III of Scotland defeated ...

. Torphins also has its own Town Hall - the Learney Hall. It also has a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

Indian restaurant Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, her ...

, the Learney Arms Indian, which was originally part of a hotel. The hotel and pub was closed in 2015 with plans to turn the building into a residential dwelling, despite local objection. The pub was later reopened in 2016 but the hotel remained closed. The pub closed again briefly before being converted into an Indian restaurant and bar. The hotel no longer exists being converted into a private dwelling house and renamed The Gatsby. Torphins was home to a

War Memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

Maternity Hospital. As a result, many notable people from Deeside have been born in Torphins. The building, however, has recently become a GP clinic, and no longer offers maternity facilities.

Walkers Shortbread Walker's Shortbread is a Scottish manufacturer of shortbread, biscuits, cookies and crackers. The company's well-known shortbread is baked in the Moray village of Aberlour, following a recipe developed by Joseph Walker in 1898. Walkers Shortbre ...

was founded in the village by Joseph Walker in 1898. There is a 9-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

located about a mile outside of Torphins.

Public transport

The Stagecoach Bluebird 201 and 202 buses provide service to Aberdeen. There are other infrequent connections on the 413, and the Royal Mail PB74

postbus A postbus is a public bus service that is operated as part of local mail delivery as a means of providing public transport in rural areas with lower levels of patronage, where a normal bus service would be uneconomic or inefficient. Postbus ser ...

. Torphins railway station on the

Deeside Railway The Deeside Railway was a passenger and goods railway between Aberdeen and Ballater in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Opening in 1853 to Banchory, an extension reached Aboyne in 1859. A separate company, the Aboyne & Braemar Railway, built an exten ...

served the village from 1859 to 1966.

Sport

Torphins also has a tennis club, a lawn bowls club and a seasonal curling rink.

References

External links

Torphins Community CouncilTorphins Primary School
{{authority control Villages in Aberdeenshire