| St Cyrus | |
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St Cyrus
St Cyrus shown within Aberdeenshire |
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| OS grid reference | NO7171 |
|---|---|
| Council area | Aberdeenshire |
| Lieutenancy area | Kincardineshire |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Montrose |
| Postcode district | DD10 |
| Dialling code | 01674 |
| Police | Grampian |
| Fire | Grampian |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine |
| Scottish Parliament | West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
St Cyrus (formerly Ecclesgreig, also known as Saint Cyrus) (Scottish Gaelic: Eaglais Chiric) is a village located in the extreme south of Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
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St Cyrus NNR (National Nature Reserve) lies between the village and the North Sea. The cliffs and dunes provide a nationally important habitat for flowering plants and insects.[1] Traditional salmon fishing with nets is still conducted from St Cyrus beach. Two ice houses that used to provide ice for packing salmon before transporting to market can still be seen. One is to the north end of the beach on the donkey track just below the Woodston Fishing Station, the other is further south next to Kirkside [this is now a private dwelling], not far from the Nature Reserve Visitor's Centre.
There are known prehistorical archaeological sites in the general coastal area of St Cyrus. Examples of these features include Gourdon Hill[2] to the north and the Stone of Morphie,[3] both situated slightly to the west of the A92 road alignment.
The remains of the Kaim of Mathers is located on rock pinnacles on the northern most part of the beach. Built by the Berkeley (or Barclay) family, it was used as a refuge by David de Berkely from the vengeance of the king when, around 1420, he was part of a group who murdered the local sheriff, John Melville of Glenbervie.[4][5]
St Cyrus was on the Montrose to Inverbervie branch line of the North British Railway. This line was closed as part of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s. Evidence for the line can still be seen in the viaduct over the North Esk river to the south of St Cyrus and the remains of some railway embankments and road bridges to the north.
A Home Chain Low radar station was once situated on the cliffs immediately to the south of the village. A blockhouse can still be seen at its location.
| Laurencekirk | Johnshaven | |||
| Marykirk | North Sea | |||
| St Cyrus | ||||
| Montrose | North Sea |
St Cyrus has a primary school with a Nursery Class and P1 to P7 classes.
St Cyrus has its own telephone exchange (code ESSTC). The exchange is fully enabled for BT ADSL, both fixed speed and ADSL Max flavours.
St Cyrus also has a convenience store (Nisa Local) located on the main road, which also serves as the Post Office. Opposite the store there is a public phone box. The village has two coffee shops along the main road.
There is also a petrol station and garage at the south end of the village.
There is a public convenience on the junction of the A92 and Ecclesgreig Road at the north of the village.
St Cyrus has a public hall located not far from the store on the A92. It is used for meetings of the local community council[6] and a range of other activities. There is a sports pavilion at the local park, with an all-weather pitch and bowling green.
The Mearns Leader is the local newspaper, which is supplemented by a local community radio station, Mearns FM, that broadcasts from nearby Stonehaven.[7] The station is not-for-profit, and is volunteer run under a Community Radio Licence.[8]
St Cyrus is on the A92 road that runs from Fife to Stonehaven where it joins the A90 and continues to Aberdeen and beyond.
St Cyrus is on National Cycle Route 1 - Shetland to Dover.
The nearest railway stations are at Montrose (5 miles), Laurencekirk (7 miles) and Stonehaven (18 miles).
Buses (Nos 107, 113, 117 & X7) run between Montrose, St Cyrus and other coastal settlements up to Stonehaven and onward to Aberdeen.[9]
The nearest airport is at Aberdeen approximately 40 miles to the north.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 1085[10] |
| 1991 | 851[11] |
| 1931 | 1173[12] |
| 1921 | 1306[13] |
| 1911 | 1222[14] |
| 1901 | 1228[15] |
| 1891 | 1327[16] |
| 1881 | 1487[17] |
| 1871 | 1585[18] |
| 1851 | 1579[19] |
| 1841 | 1164[20] |
| 1821 | 1641[21] |
| 1801 | 1622[22] |
| 1755 | 1271[23] |
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