Gardenstown

Gardenstown is a small village near Banff in Aberdeenshire, Northeast Scotland. It is known locally as 'Gamrie', from the name of the parish in which it stands. Gardenstown was founded in 1720 by Alexander Garden as a coastal fishing village. Nearby are the remains of the Church of St John the Evangelist which was built in 1513, and celebrates the defeat of the Danes at this site in 1004 in the 'Battle of the Bloody Pits'.[1] A permanent meteorological station is situated at Gardenstown.[2] The village's main economic base is fishing; within the village are a pub, a bakery, a butcher and an art gallery.

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Ancient history

Prehistoric peoples are known to have lived in the general vicinity of Gardenstown; notably Longman Hill[3] and Cairn Lee are prehistoric monuments attesting to such an era.

Recent history

In May 2007, a TV series titled The Baron was filmed in and around the village. The series featured three celebrities — Malcolm McLaren, Mike Reid and Suzanne Shaw — competing to be elected "Baron of Troup". During the filming, McLaren was thrown out of the village for unruly behaviour,[4] leaving Reid and Shaw to contest the final election, which was won by Reid. The series was due to be shown on the ITV network in August 2007; however due to Reid's death, transmission of the series was delayed until April 2008. Reid's widow, Shirley, retains the hereditary title Baroness of Troup.

Seawall controversy

In January and February 2008, the village again made headlines when Aberdeenshire Council refused funding to restore the road which runs along the seafront and is a key part of the village's sea defences. The refusal was based upon the status of the road as a private road, thus not the responsibility of the council. This has been seen as controversial since the road runs along the top of the seawall, and the council is responsible for the wall. Residents are planning to appeal the decision.

See also

Line notes

  1. ^ The Battle of "the Bloody Pits discovergardenstown.co.uk, accessed 14 October, 2008
  2. ^ Gardenstown weather station, 2008
  3. ^ C.M.Hogan, 2008
  4. ^ "The Scotsman: Anarchy in Gardenstown.". http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=704102007. 

References

External links

Settlements and places of interest in Banff and Buchan, Aberdeenshire
Primary settlements
Other settlements
Places of interest