Banchory (, sco, Banchry, gd, Beannchar) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is 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 ...

, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee.

Prehistory and archaeology

In 2009, a farmer discovered a short

cist A cist ( or ; also kist ; from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle Ea ...

burial to the east of the town. Archaeologists were called into excavate it and they found that it was a burial from the

Beaker culture The Bell Beaker culture, also known as the Bell Beaker complex or Bell Beaker phenomenon, is an archaeological culture named after the inverted-bell beaker drinking vessel used at the very beginning of the European Bronze Age. Arising from a ...

. Radiocarbon dating put the burial at sometime between 2330 and 2040 BC. Stable isotope analysis of the human remains indicated that he or she grew up on basalt geology, like that of the region, or on chalk, meaning they were either local or could have come from another place, like Yorkshire. Residue analysis of the Beaker pot found in the burial established that it had held either butter or milk.

History

The name is thought to be derived from an early Christian settlement founded by St Ternan. It is claimed that Ternan was a follower of

St Ninian Ninian is a Christian saint, first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedication ...

. Tradition has it that he established his settlement on the banks of the River Dee on what was later to become the kirkyard of the medieval parish of Banchory-Ternan. The village and parish retained the name until the 1970s. The original Gaelic form is almost identical to that of Bangor, of similar meaning, and also the site of a monastery, in Northern Ireland. Relics associated with St. Ternan were preserved by hereditary keepers at Banchory until the

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process by which Scotland broke with the Papacy and developed a predominantly Calvinist national Kirk (church), which was strongly Presbyterian in its outlook. It was part of the wider European Protestant Refor ...

. Two early Christian cross-slabs survive in or near the old churchyard on the site of the early church. One is built into a corner of the 'mort house' in the churchyard, and shows two crosses incised in a worn pink granite slab. The other is a ringed cross in relief built into the wall facing the main road outside the churchyard.

Overview

Banchory is the largest town in the area and has a High Street. There are a number of hotels and restaurants including the Stag Hotel, Scott Skinners Bar and Restaurant, the Burnett Arms, and the Douglas Arms. The shops include newsagents, hairdressers and chemists. Since the 1970s, the town has grown steadily. Since 2001 there has been rapid expansion. A large forested area 'the Hill of Banchory', owned by the Burnett family (owners of

Crathes Castle Crathes Castle (pronounced ) is a 16th-century castle near Banchory in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland. It is in the historic county of Kincardineshire. This harled castle was built by the Burnetts of Leys and was held in that family for ...

), to the north east of the town has been replaced by a large housing estate and an influx of new residents. The Hill of Banchory primary school was opened in 2006 to cater for the increased population.

Banchory Town Hall Banchory Town Hall is a municipal structure in the High Street, Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The structure is primarily used as a community events venue. History The foundation stone for the town hall, which was financed by public subscr ...

was completed in 1873 and the Kinneskie Road drill hall was completed in around 1908.

Land use

Banchory Academy (From understanding comes strength) , established = , type = Secondary school , head_label = Rector , head = Judith Wight , address = Schoolhill , city ...

is a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

secondary school, with a school roll capacity of 900. The Banchory Sports Village opened in 2019 within the Hill of Banchory development area, with a 25m 6-lane swimming pool, gym and sports hall.

Tourism and culture

Banchory railway station 1751818 82dc05c1

Banchory is known as the Gateway to

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 ...

. Banchory River Festival is held every June: the main event is held on the Saturday in the Bellfield Park, Banchory. The Banchory show is held every July: there is an Agricultural Show, Dog Show, Craft Fair, Highland Dancing Competition and the Scolty Hill Race, as well as traditional fairground stalls and games. Scotland's only

Rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

distillery, Dark Matter Distillers, is located on the outskirts of Banchory.

Transportation

In 2017, the Banchory town service 205 was withdrawn. An internal bus was re-introduced in 2020. The town is on the

Deeside Way The Deeside Way is a rail trail that follows, in part, the bed of the former Deeside Railway in Aberdeenshire. Forming part of the National Cycle Network (National Route 195) the trail leads from Aberdeen to Ballater. The route The pathway r ...

, a shared pedestrian and cycle path which runs along the trackbed of the former

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 ...

Notable people

*Sir

John Macqueen Cowan John Macqueen Cowan FRSE CBE (1891–1960) was a prominent Scottish botanist in the mid 20th century. He is especially remembered for the recording and classification of trees on the Indian sub-continent. He was also an expert on Spermatophytes. ...

, botanist *

James Scott Skinner James Scott Skinner (5 August 1843 – 17 March 1927) was a Scottish dancing master, violinist, fiddler and composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential fiddlers in Scottish traditional music, and was known as "the Strathspey Kin ...

fiddler and composer * Caroline Phillips Scottish suffragette and journalist, who owned Banchory Station Hotel 1912 to 1940s *

Pete Cashmore Pete Cashmore (born 18 September 1985) is the founder and former CEO of the popular media and entertainment company, publication and digital platform Mashable, which started as a Technorati Top 10 blog worldwide. He grew up in Banchory, Aberdeen ...

founder of technology blog Mashable *

Ben Kilner Ben Kilner (born 21 August 1988) is a professional snowboarder from Banchory, Scotland. He was a member of the British 2010 Winter Olympics and 2014 Winter Olympics Team and represented Britain in the Men's Halfpipe A half-pipe is a structur ...

Snowboarder, Winter Olympian *

Norman Douglas George Norman Douglas (8 December 1868 – 7 February 1952) was a British writer, now best known for his 1917 novel '' South Wind''. His travel books, such as ''Old Calabria'' (1915), were also appreciated for the quality of their writing. ...

Scottish novelist and travel writer *

Andrew Considine Andrew MacLaren Considine (born 1 April 1987) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Scottish Premiership club St Johnstone. He played over 550 times for Aberdeen across 18 years, ranking among the players with most ...

Footballer for Aberdeen FC

References

External links

Visit Banchory – Gateway to Royal Deeside

Banchory Community WebsiteBanchory information guide for visitorsBanchory Community Football Club
{{authority control Towns in Aberdeenshire