Brig o' Turk () is a small rural village historically in

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

and today within the council area of

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

, Scotland. It is situated in the

Trossachs The Trossachs (; ) generally refers to an area of wooded glens, braes, and lochs lying to the east of Ben Lomond in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The name is taken from that of a small woodland glen that lies at the centre of the are ...

, a range of hills on the A821 road.

Features

Brig o' Turk has a rare 1930s wooden tea room, which featured in the 1959 remake of ''The 39 Steps''. Brig o' Turk also features a village hall which hosts many craft fairs, dances and other events, a small primary school (Trossachs Primary of 1875) serving the village and the surrounding areas, a small post office (located in someone's house) and a pub-restaurant, called The Byre Inn, which is made to look like the cow barn attached to the large neighbouring house, Dundarroch. The

Bicycle Tree A bicycle tree or ''cycle tree'' or ''bike tree'' is a bicycle parking system that resembles a tree in shape. There are a few types that have been developed. Some are manual, some use mechanical means to move the bike, assisting the bike by r ...

, located half a mile north of the village, is a local landmark and tourist attraction.

Trossachs Parish Church

The

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

, called the

Parish Church, is located to the west of the village overlooking Loch Achray. It was built in 1849 in the early Gothic style, to cater for tourists visiting the area. It contains a

memorial plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...

to Major-General David Limond C.B. (1831–1895), a veteran of the

Siege of Lucknow The siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defence of the British The Residency, Lucknow, Residency within the city of Lucknow from rebel sepoys (Indian soldiers in the British East India Company's Army) during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After ...

in the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the form ...

. The church, together with the graveyard and boundary wall, is a Category C(S)

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

Etymology

The village is named after the Brig o' Turk, which spans the River Turk a short distance west of the village. The current bridge was built in 1796, although bridges have crossed the river since 1451.

Jacobite insurgency

In 1708, Brig o' Turk was the venue for a gathering of prominent Jacobite

laird Laird () is a Scottish word for minor lord (or landlord) and is a designation that applies to an owner of a large, long-established Scotland, Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a Baronage of ...

s in support of the expected invasion by James Stuart, the "Old Pretender". In the event, the commander of the French fleet of 30 ships carrying James's 6,000-strong force withdrew rather than risk an action with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

; however, the gathering later was used as evidence of treason against the participants.

Ruskin

In the mid nineteenth century the village was the location of a famous Victorian love triangle involving

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

, his wife

Effie Gray Euphemia Chalmers Millais, Lady Millais (''née'' Gray; 7 May 1828 – 23 December 1897) was a Scottish artists' model and writer who was married to Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. She had previously married the art critic John R ...

, and protégé

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 s ...

Community

There are a number of community groups based in the area such as the Trossachs Welfare association, Trossachs Community Council and Trossachs Community Trust.

References

External links

*
Brig o' Turk on "Destination Loch Lomond"

Brig o' Turk on "Trossachs" website
{{Stirling Towns & Villages Populated places in Stirling (council area) Trossachs