Perth (; ) is a centrally located Scottish city, on the banks of the

River Tay The River Tay (, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing' David Ross, ''Scottish Place-names'', p. 209. Birlinn Ltd., Edinburgh, 2001.) is the longest river in Sc ...

. It is the

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...

council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Ac ...

and is the historic

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils 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 ...

. It had a population of about in . There has been a settlement at Perth since

prehistoric times Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

. It is a natural mound raised slightly above the flood plain of the Tay. The area surrounding the modern city is known to have been occupied ever since the arrival of

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

hunter-gatherer A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived Lifestyle, lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, esp ...

s. Nearby

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

standing stones and circles date from about 4,000 BC, a period that followed the introduction of farming into the area. Close to Perth is

Scone Abbey Scone Abbey (originally Scone Priory) was a house of Augustinian canons located in Scone, Perthshire ( Gowrie), Scotland. Dates given for the establishment of Scone Priory have ranged from 1114 A.D. to 1122 A.D. However, historians have long b ...

, which formerly housed the

Stone of Scone The Stone of Scone (; , meaning Stone of Destiny, also called clach-na-cinneamhuinn; ) is an oblong block of red sandstone that was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs until the 13th century, and thereafter in the coronation of Englis ...

(also known as the Stone of Destiny), on which the

King of Scots The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British cons ...

were traditionally crowned. This enhanced the early importance of the city, and Perth became known as a "capital" of Scotland due to the frequent residence there of the royal court.

Royal burgh A royal burgh ( ) was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs. Most royal burghs were either created by ...

status was given to the city by King

William the Lion William the Lion (), sometimes styled William I (; ) and also known by the nickname ; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Alba from 1165 to 1214. His almost 49 ...

in the early 12th century. The city became one of the richest burghs in the country, engaging in trade with France, the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

, and the

Baltic countries The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

, and importing goods such as Spanish silk and French wine. The

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process whereby Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke away from the Catholic Church, and established the Protestant Church of Scotland. It forms part of the wider European 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Fr ...

had a strong impact on the city: the Houses of the Greyfriars and Blackfriars, two of Perth's four monastic institutions at the time of the Reformation,''Official Guide to Perth and Its Neighbourhood by the Tramway Car Routes'' – Perth Town Council (1907), p. 18 were ransacked after a sermon given by

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

St John's Kirk St John's Kirk is a church in the Scottish city of Perth, Perth and Kinross. Of Church of Scotland denomination, it is located in St John's Place, just southeast of the city centre. It stands on the former site of a church dating to 1126. Today ...

in 1559. The 1701

Act of Settlement The Act of Settlement ( 12 & 13 Will. 3. c. 2) is an act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Cathol ...

brought about Jacobite uprisings. The city was occupied by Jacobite supporters on three occasions: in 1689, 1715 and 1745. The founding of Perth Academy in 1760 helped to bring major industries to the city, including the production of

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

, leather,

bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...

and

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

. Perth was fortuitously placed to become a key transport centre with the coming of the railways, and its first station was built in 1848. Perth has been known as "The Fair City" since the publication of the novel '' Fair Maid of Perth'' by Scottish writer

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

in 1828. During the later medieval period the city was also called St John's Toun or Saint Johnstoun by its inhabitants—a reference to its principal church, which was dedicated to St

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

. This name is preserved in the name of the city's football club, St Johnstone F.C. The city often refers to itself using the promotional nickname "Gateway to the Highlands", a reference to its location. Today, Perth serves as a retail centre for the surrounding area, and in 2018 the city was named "Scotland's Food Town of 2018" by the Scottish Food Awards. Following the decline of the local whisky industry, the city diversified its economy, building on its long-established presence in the insurance industry to increase its standing in the banking industry.

Etymology

The name ''Perth'' derives from a

Pictish Pictish is an extinct Brittonic Celtic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from late antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited number of geog ...

word for 'wood' or 'copse', related to the Welsh , meaning 'hedge' or 'thicket'. During much of the later medieval period, it was known colloquially by its Scots-speaking inhabitants as ''St John's Toun'' or ''Saint Johnstoun'' because the church at the centre of the parish was dedicated to St

. Perth was referred to as ''St John's ton'' up until the mid-1600s with the name ''Perthia'' being reserved for the wider area. At this time, ''Perthia'' became ''Perth Shyre'' and ''St John's ton'' became known as ''Perth''. Perth's Pictish name, and some archaeological evidence, indicate that there must have been a settlement here from earlier times, probably at a point where a river crossing or crossings coincided with a slightly raised natural mound on the west bank of the Tay (which at Perth flows north–south), thus giving some protection for settlement from the frequent flooding. Finds in and around Perth show that it was occupied by the

s who arrived in the area more than 8,000 years ago. Nearby

standing stones and circles followed the introduction of farming from about 4,000 BC, and a remarkably well preserved

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

log boat dated to around 1,000 BC was found in the mudflats of the River Tay at Carpow to the east of Perth.

History

Early history

Perth developed from an initial plan of two parallel streets:

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

and South Street, linked by several vennels leading north and south. The names of these vennels have historic origins, and many—such as Cow Vennel and Fleshers' Vennel—recall the trades associated with their foundation. South Street was originally terminated at its eastern end by Gowrie House (site of today's Perth Sheriff Court). Upon its demolition in the early 19th century, direct access was granted to the river.Gillon, Jack (2020). ''Perth History Tour''. The presence of

Scone A scone ( or ) is a traditional British and Irish baked good, popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is usually made of either wheat flour or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often ...

two miles (3 km) northeast, the main royal centre of the

Kingdom of Alba The Kingdom of Alba (; ) was the Kingdom of Scotland between the deaths of Donald II in 900 and of Alexander III in 1286. The latter's death led indirectly to an invasion of Scotland by Edward I of England in 1296 and the First War of Scotti ...

from at least the reign of

Kenneth I Kenneth MacAlpin (; ; 810 – 13 February 858) or Kenneth I was King of Dál Riada (841–850), and King of the Picts (848–858), of likely Gaelic origin. According to the traditional account, he inherited the throne of Dál Riada from his fa ...

(843–858), and later the site of the major Augustinian abbey of the same name founded by

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

(1107–1124), enhanced Perth's early importance. Perth was considered the effective capital of Scotland, due to the frequent residence of the royal court.

status was awarded to the city by King William the Lion in the early 12th century. During the 12th and 13th centuries, Perth was one of the richest trading burghs in the kingdom (along with such places as

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

, Aberdeen and

Roxburgh Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at lea ...

), a residence of numerous craftsmen, organised into guilds (the Hammermen and Glovers, for example). Perth also carried out an extensive trade with France,

The Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Benelux" countries: ...

and the

Baltic Countries The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

with luxury goods being brought back in return, such as Spanish silk and French pottery and wine.Graham-Campbell (1994), p. 8. The royal castle (on or near the site of the present multi-storey car park adjacent to the new council offices), was destroyed by a flood of the Tay in 1209, one of many that have afflicted Perth over the centuries.Graham-Campbell (1994), p. 6. It was never rebuilt, and Perth was protected at this time only by partial walls and an inventive water system, Perth Lade, sourced from the River Almond, which divided and flowed to the north on one side and the west and south on the other, eventually joining the Tay. King

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

brought his armies to Perth in 1296, and with only a

ditch A ditch is a small to moderate trench created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ...

for defence and little fortification, the city fell quickly.Graham-Campbell (1994), p. 14. Stronger fortifications were quickly built by the English, and plans to wall the city took shape in 1304. They remained standing until

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...

's recapture of Perth in 1312.Graham-Campbell (1994), pp16–17 As part of a plan to make Perth a permanent English base within Scotland,

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

forced six monasteries in

and

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

to pay for the construction of stone defensive walls, towers and fortified gates around the city in 1336. These defences were the strongest of any city in Scotland in the Middle Ages. The last remnant of the wall can be seen in Albert Close, near to the main entrance to the Royal George Hotel.''Official Guide to Perth and Its Neighbourhood by the Tramway Car Routes'' – Perth Town Council (1907), p. 6

15th–19th centuries

King

James I of Scotland James I (late July 1394 – 21 February 1437) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III of Scotland, Robert III and ...

was assassinated in Perth in 1437, by followers of Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, at Blackfriars church. In May 1559,

instigated the

at grass-roots level with a sermon against 'idolatry' in the burgh kirk of St John the Baptist. An inflamed mob quickly destroyed the altars in the kirk, and attacked the Houses of the Greyfriars and Blackfriars, and the

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...

Priory. Scone Abbey was sacked shortly afterwards. The regent of infant

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

, her mother Marie de Guise, was successful in quelling the rioting but

presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

in Perth remained strong. Perth played a part in the Covenanting struggle and Perth was sacked for two days by Royalist troops after the

Battle of Tippermuir The Battle of Tippermuir (also known as the Battle of Tibbermuir) (1 September 1644) was the first battle James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose, fought for King Charles I in the Scottish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. During t ...

in 1644. In 1651, Charles II was crowned at nearby Scone Abbey, the traditional site of the investiture of Kings of Scots. That same year,

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

came to Perth following his victory in the Battle of Dunbar and established a fortified citadel on the South Inch, one of five occupation forts built to control Scotland. The restoration of Charles II was not without incident, and with the

in 1701, came the Jacobite uprisings. The city was occupied by Jacobite soldiers in 1689, 1715 and 1745. In 1760, Perth Academy was founded, and major industry came to the city, now with a population of 15,000.

Linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

, leather,

ed products and

were its major exports. Given its location, Perth was perfectly placed to become a key transport centre with the coming of the railways. The first railway station in Perth was built in 1848. Horse-drawn carriages became popular in the 1890s; they were quickly replaced by electric trams of Perth Corporation Tramways.

20th and 21st centuries

Despite being a

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

city and undergoing major social and industrial developments during the First World War, Perth remained relatively unchanged. In 1829, with the settlement of the Swan River Colony, in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, Sir George Murray wanted it to be named

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

after the place where he was born. The ship '' Parmelia'' sailed to Australia to found the new settlement.Civic History of Perth from Medieval Times
– Perth Civic Trust The old Municipal Buildings were completed in 1881, although the Perth and Kinross District Council moved to the former head office of

General Accident General Accident plc was a large insurance business based in Perth, Scotland. It merged with Commercial Union in 1998 to form CGU plc. History The Norie-Miller years The Employers' Liability Act 1880 ( 43 & 44 Vict. c. 42) opened a new are ...

at No. 2 High Street in 1984. Today, Perth serves as a retail centre for the surrounding area. This includes a main shopping centre— St John's Centre—along with a pedestrianised high street and many independent and specialist shops. The city also has "an embarrassing abundance of

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

s".''Perth: The Archaeology and Development of a Scottish burgh''
– David P. Bowler, Tayside and Fife Archaeological Committee (2004), p. 46 Main employers in the city now include

Aviva Aviva plc is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, England. It has about 19 million customers across its core markets of the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada. In the United Kingdom, Aviva is the largest general ...

Royal Bank of Scotland The Royal Bank of Scotland Public Limited Company () is a major retail banking, retail and commercial bank in Scotland. It is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of NatWest Group, together with NatWest and Ulster Bank. The Royal Bank of Sco ...

and Scottish and Southern Energy.

Governance

Representation

Perth forms part of the

county constituency In the United Kingdom (UK), each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one member to the House of Commons. Within the United Kingdom there are five bodies with members elected by electoral districts called " constituen ...

of Perth and Kinross-shire, electing one Member of Parliament (MP) to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system. Pete Wishart of the

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...

(SNP) is the MP for Perth and Kinross-shire. For the purposes of the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

, Perth forms part of the constituencies of Perthshire North and Perthshire South and Kinross-shire. These two constituencies were created in 2011 as two of the nine constituencies within the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region. Each constituency elects one

Member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; ; ) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The additional member system produces a form of proportional representation, where ...

(MSP) by the first past the post system of election, and the region elects seven additional members to produce a form of proportional representation. Perthshire North is currently represented by

John Swinney John Ramsay Swinney (born 13 April 1964) is a Scottish politician who has served as First Minister of Scotland, first minister of Scotland since 2024. Swinney has served as Leader of the Scottish National Party, leader of the Scottish National ...

( SNP) and Perthshire South and Kinross-shire is currently represented by Jim Fairlie ( SNP).

Judicial system

Perth's

Sheriff Court A sheriff court () is the principal local civil and criminal court in Scotland, with exclusive jurisdiction over all civil cases with a monetary value up to , and with the jurisdiction to hear any criminal case except treason, murder, and ra ...

, on Tay Street, is a Category A

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 ...

. The building was designed by London architect Sir Robert Smirke, built in 1819 and stands on the site of Gowrie House, the place where a plot to kill King James VI was hatched in 1600. Perth is also home to a large prison, HM Prison Perth.

City status

The classic definition of Perth has been as a city. In the late 1990s, the

UK Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

and the devolved Scottish Executive re-examined the definition of a city and produced a list of approved cities, from which Perth was omitted. It was therefore considered to be a "former city", like

Brechin Brechin (; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin was described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Scottish Reformation, Reformation Roman Catholic diocese (which contin ...

and Elgin. Yet road signs around the borders used the term "The City of Perth", and directional signs within indicated "City Centre". In June 2007,

Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond ( ; 31 December 1954 – 12 October 2024) was a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure in the Scottish nationalist movement, he was Leader of the Sc ...

, then the

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...

, backed a campaign to confer city status on Perth, saying it should be granted "at the next commemorative opportunity". The local authority,

, stated that the 800th anniversary of the city in 2009 should create "a foundation for Perth to bid for formal city status". Perth was one of the 26 bidders for city status to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. On 14 March 2012, Perth's city status was successfully reinstated, along with

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

and

St Asaph St Asaph (; "church on the Elwy") is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and community (Wales), community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had a population ...

. It became Scotland's seventh city. The Queen visited Perth on 6 July 2012, for what was the culmination of the Scottish leg of her Diamond Jubilee tour. Her previous visit to the city had been to open the Perth Concert Hall, in 2005.

Heraldry

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of Perth is a

gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

shield depicting an

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

Paschal lamb, reguardant and or haloed, holding under its right foreleg a flagpole topped with a cross, to which is attached a banner azure a

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

argent, all within a

tressure In heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, r ...

flory-counter-flory. The shield is supported by a

double-headed eagle The double-headed eagle is an Iconology, iconographic symbol originating in the Bronze Age. The earliest predecessors of the symbol can be found in Mycenaean Greece and in the Ancient Near East, especially in Mesopotamian and Hittite Empire#icon ...

and the motto is ''Pro Lege Rege et Grege'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: For the Law, King and People). The coat of arms dates back to at least the 14th century, and is first recorded, as described, on a seal of 1378. Red and silver are the colours of

, the town's patron saint, and the lamb is his symbol. The double-headed eagle, originally a Roman symbol, may refer to a former Roman settlement called " Bertha" near where Perth now stands. The double-headed eagle was adopted as the supporter of the arms of

when that

was created in 1975.

Demography

Population

In 1891, the population of Perth was 30,768. In 1901, it was 32,872, an increase of 2,104 in ten years.''Official Guide to Perth and Its Neighbourhood by the Tramway Car Routes'' – Perth Town Council (1907), p. 24 According to the 2022 Census for Scotland, ONS data for Perth and Kinross increased to 151,120. According to the 2001 UK Census, Perth had a total population of 43,450. A more recent population estimate of the city has been recorded as 44,820 in 2008. The demographic make-up of the population is much in line with the rest of Scotland. The age group from 30 to 44 forms the largest portion of the population (22%). The median age of males and females living in Perth was 37 and 40 years respectively, compared to 37 and 39 years for those in the whole of Scotland.

Trends

The place of birth of the city's residents was 95.42% United Kingdom (including 87.80% from Scotland), 0.52% Republic of Ireland, 1.18% from other European Union countries, and 1.88% from elsewhere in the world. The economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 57.10% in full-time employment, 12.90% in part-time employment, 6.08% self-employed, 3.29% unemployed, 2.37% students with jobs, 2.84% students without jobs, 14.75% retired, 4.93% looking after home or family, 5.94% permanently sick or disabled, and 4.07% economically inactive for other reasons. Compared with the average demography of Scotland, Perth has low proportions of people born outside the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, but has both higher proportions born within the European Union and those over 75 years old.

Religion

Christianity is the most common religion in the city. In Census 2011, over half of the population of the council area of

stated that they belonged to one of the Christian denominations. The most popular denomination is 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 ...

, which is organised through the Presbytery of Perth. It has nine churches throughout the city. The largest of these is St John's Kirk, in St John's Place. The second most popular Christian denomination is the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, which has three churches in the city organised through the Diocese of Dunkeld. There is also St Mary's Monastery, at Kinnoull on the eastern edge of the city, which is home to a

Redemptorist The Redemptorists, officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scal ...

congregation. The

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church (; ) is a Christian denomination in Scotland. Scotland's third largest church, the Scottish Episcopal Church has 303 local congregations. It is also an Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, ecclesiastical provi ...

is organised through the Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane and has two churches in the city ( St Ninian's Cathedral and Church of St. John the Baptist). There are several other Christian churches in the city; these include the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (FPC Church; , ) was formed in 1893. The Church identifies itself as the spiritual descendant of the Scottish Reformation. The Church web-site states that it is "the constitutional heir of the historic Chu ...

, the Elim Pentecostal Church, the

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

and several smaller

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

churches. There is also a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

community in the city, as well as a

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded durin ...

. The Perth

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic community meet at a mosque on Glasgow Road. The number of adherents to these religions is in decline. In the 2011 census, almost 40% of respondents indicated that they did not adhere to any religion. ;Perth's extant places of worship *

, St John's Place (Church of Scotland) * St Matthew's Church, Tay Street (Church of Scotland) * Kinnoull Parish Church, Dundee Road (Church of Scotland) * St Leonard's-in-the-Fields Church, Marshall Place (Church of Scotland) * Perth North Church, Mill Street (209 High Street) (Church of Scotland) * St Ninian's Cathedral, Atholl Street (Episcopal) * St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, Melville Street (Roman Catholic) * St John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Princes Street (Scottish Episcopal) * Congregational Church of Perth, Kinnoull Street (Congregational) *Knox Church, Tulloch Terrace (Free Church of Scotland) * Perth Free Presbyterian Church, Pomarium Street (Church of Scotland) * Perth Methodist Church, Scott Street (Methodist) *Trinity Church of the Nazarene, York Place (Wesleyan) * St Mary's Monastery, Hatton Road (Roman Catholic) *Perth Mosque, Glasgow Road (Islam) ;Extant former church buildings * St Leonard's Parish Church, King Street * Perth Middle Church, Tay Street * St Andrew's Church, Atholl Street * St Paul's Church, Old High Street (shell)

Geography and climate

Situated at the southern extremity of a spacious and fertile plain, Perth itself is flat (as are the areas immediately to the north, east and west), but it is nestled between the following hills (includes distance from Perth and summit height): ;To the east * Kinnoull Hill – , ;To the south-southeast * Moncreiffe Hill – , ;To the south-southwest * Friarton Hill – , * St Magdalene's Hill – , * Hilton Hill – , * Mailer Hill – , As with most of the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

, Perth has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cfb'') with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest

Met Office The Met Office, until November 2000 officially the Meteorological Office, is the United Kingdom's national weather and climate service. It is an executive agency and trading fund of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and ...

weather station is at Strathallan, around from the centre of Perth.Temperatures extremes since 1960 have ranged from in January 1963 to in July 2022. However, a temperature of was recorded on 14 November 1919. As well as this, the temperature reached on 28 June 2018. The coldest temperature recorded in recent years is in December 2010. However, nearby Strathallan reported in February 2021. In an average year, the warmest day rises to around , and about four days exceed .

Economy

The strength of Perth's economy lies in its diversity, with a balance of large companies, the public sector, a broad range of small and medium-sized enterprises and many self-employed business people. The development in

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

, insurance, manufacturing,

leisure Leisure (, ) has often been defined as a quality of experience or as free time. Free time is time spent away from business, Employment, work, job hunting, Housekeeping, domestic chores, and education, as well as necessary activities such as ...

, health and transport is stimulating employment. The largest employer in the city is Perth and Kinross Council which employ 6,000 people. Other main employers include NHS Tayside, SSE plc, and Perth College UHI (part of the

University of the Highlands and Islands The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) () is an integrated, tertiary institution encompassing both further and higher education. It is composed of 10 colleges and research institutions spread around Inverness, the Highlands and Isl ...

). The leading international transportation company

Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group is a transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses and express coaches in the United Kingdom. Stagecoach was originally founded in 1976 as ''Gloagtrotter'', a recreational vehicle and minibus hire business. Dur ...

also has its global headquarters in the city.Perth and Kinross Council, ''The Fair City of Perth – An application for City Status'', p.19. Perth was formerly headquarters of insurance firm

; however, since General Accident merged with

Norwich Union Norwich Union was the name of insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. On 29 April 2008, Aviva a ...

to form

, the office has been primarily used as a

call centre A call centre ( Commonwealth spelling) or call center ( American spelling; see spelling differences) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephone ...

. Perth's city centre is situated to the west of the banks of the River Tay. The pedestrianised portion of the High Street, which runs from the junction of St John Street to Scott Street, is the main focus of the shopping area. The centre has a variety of major and independent retailers. The major retailers are largely based on the High Street, St John Street and in the St John's Centre. Independent retailers can be found on George Street, St John Street, Princes Street, Methven Street, the Old High Street and Canal Street. A £3 million pound project for the High Street and

King Edward Street King Edward Street is a street running between the High Street to the north and Oriel Square to the south in central Oxford, England. On the east side of the street is the "Island" site of Oriel College, one of the colleges of Oxford Uni ...

provided new seating, lighting and the laying of natural stone in 2010. A retail park, constructed in 1988, exists to the north-west of the city centre on St Catherine's Road, and provides eight purpose-built units. McEwens department store was in business on St John's Street for almost 150 years. It closed in March 2016. Before the credit crisis, Perth's economy was growing at 2.6% per year, considerably above the Scottish average of 2.1%. Since the credit crisis, growth has slowed considerably, though still remained above the Scottish average. The Perth economy is ranked in the Top 10 enterprising demographics in Scotland, with an average of 42.6 registered enterprises per 10,000 residents putting it well above the Scottish average of 30.1.

Culture

Perth Museum and Art Gallery, at the eastern end of George Street, is recognised as one of the oldest provincial museums in Scotland. Another museum, known as the Fergusson Gallery, has, since 1992, been located in the Category A listed former Perth Water Works building on Tay Street. This contains the major collection of the works of the artist John Duncan Fergusson. Perth Theatre opened in 1900. It underwent a £10 million redevelopment to house new studio space, a youth theatre, construction workshop and a series of front of house performance areas and new main entrance from Mill Street in addition to the main focus of the conservation and restoration of the historic Victorian auditorium. Perth Concert Hall, which opened in 2005, was built on the site of the former Horsecross Market. Perth City Hall has been used as a venue for several high-profile concerts over the years, including

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...

, as well as Conservative Party conferences. The hall is currently being converted into a new heritage and arts attraction. The new-wave band

Fiction Factory Fiction Factory were a Scottish New wave music, new wave band from Perth, Scotland, Perth. Formed in 1982, they are best known for their single "(Feels Like) Heaven", which peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Eddie Jo ...

formed in Perth, and had some success with their hit " (Feels Like) Heaven" in 1984. The song, which reached number six in the charts, was their biggest hit. The Perth Festival of the Arts is an annual collection of art, theatre, opera and classical music events in the city. The annual event lasts for a couple of weeks and is usually held in May. In recent years, the festival has broadened its appeal by adding comedy, rock and popular music acts to the bill. Perth also has a number of twin cities around the world. These are:

Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; Hessian: ''Aschebersch'', ) is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg, despite being its administrative seat, is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg. Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...

in Germany,

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda (river), Brda, the strategic location of Byd ...

in Poland,

Haikou Haikou; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanized as Hoihow is the capital city, capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. ...

, Hainan in China,

in Australia,

in Canada,

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

in Russia and

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cogn ...

in France. Perth has hosted the National Mòd in 1896, 1900, 1924, 1929, 1947, 1954, 1963, 1980 and 2004.List of Mod's places
for each year on

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (; ) is a public higher education college situated in the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, Scotland with an associate campus at Bowmore on the island of Islay. Sabhal Mòr is an independent Academic Part ...

website

Landmarks and tourism

The Category A listed

, on St John's Place, is architecturally and historically one of the most significant buildings in Perth.Graham-Campbell (1994), pp. 38–39. The settlement of the original church dates back to the mid-12th century.Walker and Ritchie ''Fife, Perthshire and Angus'' p. 122. During the middle of the 12th century, the church was allowed to fall into disrepair, when most of the revenues were used by David I to fund

Dunfermline Abbey Dunfermline Abbey is a Church of Scotland parish church in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. The church occupies the site of the ancient chancel and transepts of a large medieval Benedictine abbey, which was confiscated and sacked in 1560 during the S ...

. The majority of the present church was constructed between 1440 and 1500. Though much altered, its tower and lead-clad spire continue to dominate the Perth skyline. The Church has lost its medieval south porch and

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

, and the north

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

was shortened during the course of the 19th century during street-widening. A rare treasure, a unique survival in Scotland, is a 15th-century brass candelabrum or chandelier, imported from the

. The survival of this object is all the more remarkable as it includes a statuette of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. It is thought to have been hung in the Skinner's aisle. An inventory of 1544 lists another hanging brass chandelier as an ornament of the altar of Our Lady. Another Category A listed building is the former

King James VI Hospital King James VI Hospital is an historic building in Perth, Scotland. Located on Hospital Street, it is a Category A listed building, built in 1750.Perth Charterhouse, which was burned in 1559 during the Reformation. The spire of Category B listed St Paul's Church, which was completed in 1807 is a major focus point around St Paul's Square at the junction of Old High Street and North Methven Street. The development of the church led to an expansion of the city to the west. Pullar House on Mill Street was once used by J. Pullar and Sons dyeworks, the largest industry in Perth at one time, and has since been converted into office use for Perth and Kinross Council in 2000. The Category B listed Fair Maid's House, in North Port, is the oldest surviving secular building in Perth.Fothergill, Hendry and Hartley, ''Walks Around Historic Perth'', p.19. Built on the foundations of previous buildings, parts of the structure date back from 1475. The building was used as the home of Catherine Glover in the novel ''

The Fair Maid of Perth ''The Fair Maid of Perth'' (or ''St. Valentine's Day'') is an 1828 novel by Sir Walter Scott, one of the Waverley novels. Inspired by the strange, but historically true, story of the Battle of the North Inch, it is set in Perth, Scotland, Perth ...

'', which was written by

in 1828.

Another bard,

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

, is memorialised with a small statue in a niche above the Robert Burns Lounge Bar, at 5 County Place.''Official Guide to Perth and Its Neighbourhood by the Tramway Car Routes'' – Perth Town Council (1907), p. 11 It is the work of a local sculptor William Anderson, the son of noted painter David Anderson, who was active in the mid-19th century. The statue was installed in 1854 on what was then the sculptor's house. It was later moved to North Methven Street until 1886, then to the 1 Albert Place home of photographer John Henderson, but was returned after Anderson's death. The nearby City Mills, built to serve Perth Lade from the River Almond, was once the site of industry until the early 19th century. Only the Upper and Lower City Mills survive to this day. The Category A listed Lower City Mills, which date from 1805, were used for barley and oatmeal, while the Category A listed Upper Mills, of 1792, consisted of two wheat mills connected to a granary.

Conservation

After Perth reclaimed its city status in 2012, Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust began the process of conserving the city's historic buildings and structures via the Perth City Heritage Fund (PCHF), which is funded by the

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

.Perth City Heritage Fund
– Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust Its aim is to encourage owners of historic buildings within the bounds of Perth Central and Kinnoull Conservation Areas by assisting their repair and renovation work with grants. Funds have, thus far, been received in three phases: 2012–2015, 2015–2018, and (the most recent) 2018–2021. Funding for the latter part of 2021 and 2022 is expected. Phases 1 and 2 provided just over £1 million of grant assistance for almost fifty projects.

Media

The sole newspaper based in the city is the '' Perthshire Advertiser'', owned by

Trinity Mirror Reach plc (known as Trinity Mirror between 1999 and 2018) is a British newspaper, magazine and digital publisher. It is one of the UK's biggest newspaper groups, publishing 240 regional papers in addition to the national ''Daily Mirror'', '' ...

. The newspaper's offices are based in Watergate, but the newspaper itself is printed in Blantyre. It outlasted both the ''Perthshire Courier'' (established in 1809) and the ''Perthshire Constitutional and Journal'' (1832). Television signals are received from the

Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...

TV transmitter and the local relay TV transmitter situated south east of the city. One of Britain's most successful radio stations, Hospital Radio Perth, broadcasts to Perth Royal Infirmary and Murray Royal Hospital. The Hospital Broadcasting Association have awarded Hospital Radio Perth the title of "British Station of the Year" in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2007. The city is also served by nation-wide stations,

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish national radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 N ...

, Greatest Hits Radio Tayside and Fife and Original 106 (formerly Wave FM).

Sport and recreation

St Johnstone is the city's professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club. The team play in the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...

at their home ground,

McDiarmid Park McDiarmid Park is a stadium in Perth, Scotland, Perth, Scotland, used mainly for association football. It has been the home ground of Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone F.C., St Johnstone since its opening in 1989. The stadium has an All-seat ...

, in the Tulloch area of the city. They won the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, There are also two East of Scotland League clubs based in Perth – Jeanfield Swifts and Kinnoull. The senior rugby team, Perthshire RFC, play their games on the

North Inch North Inch is a large public park in Perth, Scotland, Perth, Scotland. About in size, it is one of two "Inches" in Perth, the other being the smaller, 31-hectare South Inch, located half a mile across the city. The inches were granted to the ci ...

in Scottish National League Division Three. Between 1995 and 1998, professional side

Caledonia Reds Caledonia Reds were a Scottish rugby union team. They participated in two seasons of the Heineken Cup. They evolved from one of the traditional four amateur districts of Scotland, North and Midlands, in 1996. Their home games were shared betwe ...

played some of their home matches at McDiarmid Park before they merged with

Glasgow Warriors The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and beca ...

. On the western edge of the North Inch is Bell's Sports Centre. Prior to the building of the Greenwich Dome, it was the largest domed building in Britain."The History of Bells Sports Centre"
– Small City, Big Personality Perth Leisure Pool, to the west of the railway station on the Glasgow Road, is the city's swimming centre. The modern leisure pool complex was built in the mid-1980s to replace the traditional public swimming baths (established 1887), which used to sit just off the Dunkeld Road. Adjacent to Perth Leisure Pool is the Dewar's Centre, which includes an eight-lane ice rink. It has long been a main centre of

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide #Curling stone, stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take t ...

in Scotland, and many top teams compete in this arena and many major events are held here each year. Curling is available from September to April annually. There is an indoor

bowling Bowling is a Throwing sports#Target sports, target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a bowling ball, ball toward Bowling pin, pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). Most references to ''bowling'' are ...

hall, hosting major competitions. Historically, Perth had a successful

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team, Perth Panthers, who played at the old ice rink on Dunkeld Road. The rink at Dewars is the wrong shape for ice hockey, so when the team reformed in 2000 for two seasons, they played their home games at Dundee Ice Arena. The Dewar's distillery that stood on the site until 1988 was one of the country's "big three" blenders. Its location was chosen due to its proximity to the General Railway Station, whose tracks behind the western side of the building. The distillery was one of the city's largest employers. In 2024, plans were announced to close Perth Leisure Pool, Bell's Sports Centre and Dewar's Centre and replace them with a single new sports centre. This new facility would not include an ice rink. Perth hosts Scotland's largest volleyball event every May – the Scottish Open Volleyball Tournament. There is a highly competitive indoor competition held inside Bell's Sports Centre alongside both a competitive and fun outdoor event played on the North Inch. Teams competing traditionally camp alongside the outdoor courts with the campsite being administered by local

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

s. The Scottish Volleyball Association's annual general meeting is also held at the same time as the tournament.

Parks and gardens

Perth is also home to two main parks, namely the North Inch and South Inch (the word "Inch" being an anglicisation of the Gaelic ''innis'' meaning island or meadow). The Inches were given to the city in 1377 by King Robert III. The North Inch is directly north of the city centre, bordered to the south by Charlotte Street and Atholl Street and to the southwest by Rose Terrace, named for Rose Anderson, the wife of Thomas Hay Marshall, whose house was on the Atholl Street corner.''Perth: The Postcard Collection'', Jack Gillon (2020) A recreational path circumnavigates the entire park. The River Tay bounds it to the east. A little farther to the north is the Inch's eponymous golf course. Situated south of the North Inch, directly across the city centre, is the South Inch. The Inches are linked by Tay Street, which runs along the western banks of the Tay. The South Inch is bordered to the north by Marshall Place and Kings Place; to the east by Shore Road; to the south by South Inch View and South Inch Terrace; and to the west by the rear of the houses on St Leonards Bank. The Edinburgh Road passes through its eastern third. The South Inch offers various activities, including bowling, an adventure playground, a skate park, and, in the summer, a bouncy castle. The Perth Show takes place annually on the section of the Inch between the Edinburgh Road and Shore Road. Another park in the city, Norie-Miller Walk, is located across the Tay.

Gardens

* Branklyn Garden * Cherrybank Gardens (closed) * Rodney Gardens

Education

There are many primary schools in Perth, while secondary education includes Perth Academy, Perth Grammar School, Perth High School, St John's Academy and Bertha Park High School. Further and higher education, including a range of degrees, is available through Perth College UHI, one of the largest partners in the

. It ran a network of learning centres across the area, in Blairgowrie,

Crieff Crieff (; , meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth, Scotland, Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 road, A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy, Scotland, Aberfeldy. The A822 road, A822 joins ...

Kinross Kinross (, ) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth, Scotland, Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the Counties of Scotland, historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinro ...

and Pathways in Perth, although these closed in 2019. In 2000, an interdisciplinary ''Centre for Mountain Studies'' was established at the college. It also owns AST (Air Service Training) which delivers a range of aircraft engineering courses.

Transport

Road

Perth remains a key transport hub for journeys by road and rail throughout Scotland. The

M90 motorway The M90 is a controlled-access highway, motorway in Scotland. It runs from Junction 1A of the M9 motorway (Scotland), M9 motorway, south of the Queensferry Crossing, to Perth, Scotland, Perth. It is the northernmost motorway in the United Kin ...

, the northernmost motorway in Great Britain, runs south from the city to

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

; the A9 road connects it to

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 ...

and

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

in the south west and

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

in the north. Other major roads serving the city include the A85 to

and Crianlarich (and ultimately

Oban Oban ( ; meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William, Highland, Fort William. During the tourist seaso ...

), the A93 to Blairgowrie and

Braemar Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee, sitting at an elevation of . The Gaelic ''Bràigh Mhàrr'' p ...

, the A94 to Coupar Angus and

Forfar Forfar (; , ) is the county town of Angus, Scotland, and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million-pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town had a population of 16,280. The town ...

and the A90 to

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

and Aberdeen.Graham-Campbell (1994), p. 139. The city itself was bypassed to the south and east by the M90 in the 1970s and to the west by the A9 in 1986. The M90, A9 and A93 all meet at Broxden Junction, one of the busiest and most important

road junction A junction is where two or more roads meet. History Roads are a means of transport, historically linking locations such as towns, forts and geographic features such as river fords. Where roads met outside of an existing settlement, these junct ...

s in Scotland. Uniquely, all seven of Scotland's cities are signposted from here:

and

via the A9 southbound, Dundee and Aberdeen via the A90, Edinburgh via the M90,

via the A9 northbound, and Perth itself via the A93 through the city centre. The final part of the M90 included the construction of the Friarton Bridge in 1978 to facilitate travel to Dundee and Aberdeen to the east of the city, finally removing inter-city traffic from the centre. The bridge is the most northerly piece of the motorway network in the United Kingdom. There are four bridges that cross the River Tay in Perth. The northernmost structure is Smeaton's Bridge (also known as Perth Bridge and, locally, the Old Bridge), completed in 1771 and widened in 1869, which carries the automotive and pedestrian traffic of West Bridge Street (the A85). A former tollbooth building, on the southern side of the bridge at the

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

end of the bridge, is a category C

dating from around 1800. It was J. S. Lees Fish & Poultry Shop later in its life. Friarton Bridge

Next, some downstream, is Queen's Bridge, which also carries vehicular and pedestrian traffic, this time of South Street and Tay Street. Queen's Bridge was completed in 1960, replacing the old Victoria Bridge (1902–1960), and was opened by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

in October of that year. The third bridge in the centre of Perth is the Tay Viaduct, a single-track railway bridge carrying trains to and from the railway station, to the north-west. It was completed in 1863. A pedestrian walkway lies on its northern side. Finally, the southernmost crossing of the Tay inside Perth's boundary is the aforementioned Friarton Bridge. The construction of a fifth bridge farther upstream (north) from the existing bridges was being considered in 2012.

Rail

Perth railway station Perth railway station is the largest station on the Transperth network, serving the Perth central business district, central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It serves as an interchange between the Airport line, Perth, Airport, Ar ...

has regular services to

and Edinburgh Waverley via the Forth Bridge, east to Dundee and Aberdeen, south to

and Glasgow Queen Street, and north to

; however, as a result of the Beeching Axe, the main line to Aberdeen through Strathmore via Coupar Angus and Forfar was closed to passenger traffic in 1967; Aberdeen services have since taken the less direct route via Dundee. Similarly, the direct main line to Edinburgh via

Glenfarg Glenfarg (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Fairg) is a village in the Ochil Hills in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Until 14 June 1964, the village had a railway station, Glenfarg railway station, on the Railways of Kinross#The Glenfarg Line, main line betw ...

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

and the Forth Bridge was abandoned in 1970 in favour of the longer, more circuitous route via Stirling. This closure was not recommended by Beeching, but allowed the M90 motorway to be built on top of the former the railway alignment in the Glenfarg area. In 1975, most Edinburgh trains were re-routed via Ladybank and the Forth Bridge, with some improvement in journey time. There are two direct trains per day to London: the ''

Highland Chieftain * Sundays, Southbound only The ''Highland Chieftain'' is a named British passenger train operated by London North Eastern Railway. It operates daily in each direction between London King's Cross and Inverness via the East Coast and Highl ...

'', operated by

London North Eastern Railway London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company which operates most services on the East Coast Main Line. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the Londo ...

to King's Cross (from Inverness), and the ''

Caledonian Sleeper ''Caledonian Sleeper'' is the collective name for overnight Sleeping car, 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 ...

'', which runs overnight to Euston. A railway station also existed on Princes Street, which was built in the late 18th century to connect the Edinburgh Road to the new bridge. Perth Princes Street railway station opened on 24 May 1847 on the Dundee and Perth Railway. It closed to regular passenger traffic on 28 February 1966. The line passes behind Marshall Place and is carried over cross streets by several bridges. Muirton railway station's existence, on the Scottish Midland Junction Railway, was relatively brief, from 1936 to 1959.

Bus

Local buses are run by Stagecoach East Scotland. Inter-city bus travel is made from Leonard Street bus station and connects to most major destinations in Scotland. The budget Megabus service is centred on Broxden Junction, outside the city centre, and runs direct buses to Scotland's largest cities plus

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and London in England. In addition, there is a

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...

service from the services at Broxden to the city centre.

Air

Perth has a small airport. Although it is named

Perth Airport Perth Airport is an international airport, international, domestic airport, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, Western Australia. It is the List of the busiest airports in Australia, fourth busiest airport in Australia meas ...

, it is located at New Scone, north-east of the city. There are no commercial flights out of this airport, but it is used by private aircraft and for pilot training. The nearest major commercial airports are

Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is an international airport located in the Ingliston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located west of the city centre, just off the M8 motorway (Scotland), M8 and M9 motorway (Scotland), M9 motorways. It is owned and oper ...

Glasgow Airport Glasgow Airport, also known as Glasgow International Airport () and formerly Abbotsinch Airport, is an international airport located in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, west of Glasgow city centre. In 2019 it handled 8.84 million passe ...

and Aberdeen Airport. Dundee Airport, which lies around 20 miles (32 km) away, is also an option, the latter is served by

Loganair Loganair is a Scottish regional airline headquartered at Glasgow Airport in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The airline primarily operates domestic flights within the United Kingdom. It is the largest regional airline in Scotland by passenger ...

Notable people

;1200s * William of Perth (12th century), Scottish saint who was martyred in England, was born and lived in Perth ;1500s * John Row (c. 1526–1580),

Papal nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is a ...

turned reformer. One of the "six Johns" of the early Scottish reformation ;1600s * William Wilson (1690–1741), minister, one of the founders of the Secession Church ;1700s * Sir George Murray (1772–1846), MP for Perthshire 1824–1832 and 1834–1835,

Secretary of State for War and the Colonies The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet-level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India). The Secretary was supported by an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. Hist ...

1828–1830 and

Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...

1834–1835 and 1841–1846. Murray House, Hong Kong and the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

, Australia were named after him and the city of

, Western Australia, after his birthplace * Robert Crown, (1753–1841) navy officer, later Admiral of the Imperial Russian navy ;1800s * David Octavius Hill, (1802–1870) FRSA, painter and photographic pioneer * Dr James Duncan (1810–1866) surgeon, manufacturing chemist, Director of Duncan Flockhart & Co * Archibald Sandeman (1823–1893), scholar * James Craig, (1824–1861) recipient of the Victoria Cross * Effie Gray, (1828–1897) artists' model, wife of Pre-Raphaelite painter

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 ...

* Aylmer Cameron, (1833–1909) recipient of the Victoria Cross * William Vousden (1848–1902), recipient of the Victoria Cross *Sir Francis Norie-Miller (1859–1947), Insurance Director and Politician * Alexander Souter (1873–1949), biblical scholar *

John Buchan John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. As a ...

(1875–1940),

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

, ''

The Thirty-Nine Steps ''The Thirty-Nine Steps'' is a 1915 adventure novel by the Scottish literature, Scottish author John Buchan, first published by William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh. It was Serial (literature), serialized in ''Argosy (magazine)#The All-Story, ...

'' * William Soutar (1898–1943), poet and diarist, who wrote in both English and Braid Scots *

Francis Buchanan White Francis Buchanan White (20 March 1842 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish entomologist and botanist. Born in Perth, Scotland, White was the eldest son of Francis I. White and attended a school attached to St Ninian's Cathedral. He was also ed ...

(1842–1894), entomologist and botanist ;1900s * Janet Smith (1902–1924), murder victim * W. H. Findlay, photographer; took over 25,000 images of Perth over fifty years * Neil Cameron, Baron Cameron of Balhousie (1920–1985), Marshal of the Royal Air Force * Desmond Carrington (1926–2017), BBC Radio 2 DJ * Sir George Mathewson (b. 1940), educated at Perth Academy * Richard Simpson (b. 1942) was educated at Perth Academy * Ann Gloag (b. 1942) and Brian Souter (b. 1954), co-founders Stagecoach Group * Fred MacAulay (b. 1956), comedian * John Morgan (1959–2000), etiquette expert and contributor to Debrett's and ''The Times'' newspaper *

Gillian McKeith Gillian McKeith (born 28 September 1959) is a Scottish television personality and writer. She is known for her promotion of various pseudoscientific ideas about health and nutrition. She is the former host of Channel 4's '' You Are What You E ...

(b. 1959), nutritionist and television personality * Andrew Fairlie (chef), (1963–2019), Scottish Chef known for Restaurant Andrew Fairlie * Sylvia Patterson (b. 1965), music journalist and author *

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...

(b. 1971), actor * Christopher Bowes, musician and founding member of folk metal band Alestorm and power metal band Gloryhammer * Corrie McKeague, Royal Air Force Regiment gunner who disappeared from

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...

town centre on a night out in September 2016 ;Sport * Joseph Anderson, cricketer *

Frank Christie Frank Christie (17 December 1927 – 12 September 1996) was a Scottish football player and manager. Playing career Christie started his career at amateur side, St Johnstone Young Men's Club, Perth, Scotland. He was signed by Liverpool on 17 ...

, Liverpool football player and East Fife football player and manager * Bobby Moncur, Scotland and Newcastle United captain * David Wotherspoon, football player for St Johnstone * Elena Baltacha, tennis player * Sergei Baltacha Jr., football player, brother of Elena Baltacha, attended Perth High School * Matt Fagerson, professional rugby union player, number 8 * Zander Fagerson, professional rugby union player, prop, brother of the above * Alan Fraser, cricketer, brother of the below * William Lovat Fraser, cricketer and rugby union player, brother of the above * Peter Gardiner, cricketer and footballer * Chloe Grant, racing driver * Stevie May, professional football player * Scott Donaldson, professional snooker player *

Eilidh Doyle Eilidh Doyle (pronounced AY-lee ; née Child; born 20 February 1987) is a retired British track and field athlete. Originally running as Eilidh Child, she specialised in the 400 metres hurdles outdoors, and the 400 metres flat indoors, as well a ...

, Olympic athlete * Lisa Evans, professional football player * Mike Kerrigan, first-class cricketer * Eve Muirhead, curler, Olympic gold medallist * Mili Smith, curler, Olympic gold medallist

Freedom of the City

The following people, military units, organisations, and groups have received the Freedom of the City of Perth. ;Individuals *

: 29 September 1933 * Sir Francis Norie-Miller: 29 September 1933 *

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...

: 10 August 1935 * Duchess of York: 10 August 1935 * Sir William Mackenzie: 18 March 1938 * Arthur Kinmond Bell: 18 March 1938 * FM Lord Wavell: 19 July 1947 *

Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

: 19 July 1947 * Sir Anthony Eden: 12 May 1956 * Sir Stanley Norie-Miller: 14 September 1961 * MRAF Sir Neil Cameron: 26 August 1978 * David Kinnear Thomson: 30 October 1982 *

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

: 6 July 2012 * Brig Sir Melville Jameson: 18 June 2019 * Eve Muirhead: 6 August 2023 * Vicky Wright: 6 August 2023 * Jen Dodds: 6 August 2023 * Hailey Duff: 6 August 2023 * Mili Smith: 6 August 2023 * Lucinda Russell: 6 August 2023 * Peter Scudamore: 6 August 2023 ;Military units *The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment): 19 July 1947 *The

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. Membership Service in th ...

(Scotland): 8 May 2004 * 51st Highland Volunteers The

Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only current Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry Regiment#British Army, regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (form ...

: 8 May 2010 6 August 2023 ;Organisations and groups * St Johnstone Football Club: 23 June 2021 *GB Olympic Gold Medal Curling Team, Winter Olympics 2022

References

External links

Perth City official website
– ''Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland'', Francis Hindes Groome (1901)
''Perth: The Postcard Collection''
– Jack Gillon (2020)
''Perth, the Ancient Capital of Scotland: The Story of Perth from the Invasion of Agricola to the Passing of the Reform Bill in 2 volumes'' by Samuel Cowan J.P. (1904)''Perth: The Archaeology and Development of a Scottish Burgh''
– David P. Bowler, Tayside and Fife Archaeological Committee, Perth, 2004 {{Authority control

Large burghs Cities in Scotland Port cities and towns of the North Sea Port cities and towns in Scotland Ports and harbours of Scotland Royal burghs County towns in Scotland Towns in Perth and Kinross