Dunkeld
Dunkeld
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![]() Little Dunkeld (nearside of the river) and Dunkeld viewed from the south | |
Location within Perth and Kinross | |
Population | 1,330 (2020)[1] |
OS grid reference | NO027425 |
• Edinburgh | 45 mi (72 km) |
• London | 376 mi (605 km) |
Community council |
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Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | DUNKELD |
Postcode district | PH8 |
Dialling code | 01350 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Dunkeld (
Dunkeld is the location of
Over the centuries there have been several bridges linking Dunkeld with neighbouring Birnam,[9] and the current bridge, designed by Thomas Telford and financed by the 4th Duke of Atholl, was completed in 1809.[10]
History
Early history
The name Dùn Chailleann means Fort of the Caledonii or of the Caledonians. The 'fort' is presumably the
Dunkeld (Duncalden and variants in early documents) is said to have been 'founded' or 'built' by
The 'Apostles' Stone', an elaborate but badly worn cross-slab preserved in the cathedral museum, may date to this time.[13] A well-preserved bronze 'Celtic' hand bell, formerly kept in the church of the parish of Little Dunkeld on the south bank of the River Tay opposite Dunkeld, may also survive from the early monastery: a replica is kept in the cathedral museum.[16]
The dedication of the later medieval cathedral was to St
Middle Ages
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Scotia_Depicta_-_Dunkeld_-Plate-.jpg/220px-Scotia_Depicta_-_Dunkeld_-Plate-.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Dunkeld_Cathedral.jpg/220px-Dunkeld_Cathedral.jpg)
The see of Dunkeld was revived by Alexander I (1107–24). Between 1183 and 1189 the newly formed diocese of Argyll was separated from that of Dunkeld, which originally extended to the west coast of Scotland.[18] By 1300 the Bishops of Dunkeld administered a diocese comprising sixty parish churches, a number of them oddly scattered within the sees of St Andrews and Dunblane.[19]
The much-restored cathedral choir, still in use as the parish church, is unaisled and dates to the 13th and 14th centuries.[13] The aisled nave was erected from the early 15th century. The western tower, south porch and chapter house (which houses the cathedral museum) were added between 1450 and 1475.[20] The cathedral was stripped of its rich furnishings after the mid-16th century Reformation and its iconoclasm. The nave and porch have been roofless since the early 17th century. They and the tower in the 21st century are in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.[14]
Below the ceiling vault of the tower ground floor are remnants of pre-Reformation murals showing biblical scenes (c. 1490), one of very few such survivals in Scotland. The clearest to survive is a representation of the
The cathedral museum is housed in the former chapter house and sacristy, on the north side of the choir. After the Reformation this chamber was used as a burial aisle by the Earls, Marquises and Dukes of Atholl, and contains a number of elaborate monuments of the 17th-early 19th centuries.[21]
Battle of Dunkeld (1689)
Most of the original town was destroyed during the
Later history
Dr
Dunkeld was partly in the parish of Caputh until 1891.[22]
The High Street drill hall in Dunkeld was completed in 1900.[25]
The alignment of the town was radically altered in 1809 by the building of a new stone bridge — Dunkeld Bridge — over the River Tay by Thomas Telford at the east end of the town, and the laying out of a new street (Bridge Street–Atholl Street) at right angles to the old alignment.[26]
Townscape
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Dunkeld-mainstreet.jpg/220px-Dunkeld-mainstreet.jpg)
The rebuilt town of Dunkeld is one of the most complete 18th-century country towns in Scotland. Many of the harled (rough-cast) vernacular buildings have been restored by the
At the west end of The Cross is
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Jacobite_broadside_-_Dunkeld._London_Magazine%2C_Jan._1777.jpg/220px-Jacobite_broadside_-_Dunkeld._London_Magazine%2C_Jan._1777.jpg)
The left arm of the 'Y' leads along
Surrounding countryside
Dunkeld is situated in an area of Scotland marketed as Big Tree Country.[31] The area is heavily wooded, and has some notable trees, including the Birnam Oak, believed to be the only remaining tree from the Birnam Wood named by Shakespeare in his play Macbeth:[4]
MACBETH: I will not be afraid of death and bane, till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane.
— Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, scene 3.[32]
Other significant trees in the area include
Much of the countryside surrounding the town is designated as a national scenic area (NSA),[34] one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection by restricting certain forms of development.[35] The River Tay (Dunkeld) NSA covers 5,708 hectares (14,100 acres).[36] Parts of the area also form part of the Tay Forest Park, a network of forests managed by Forestry and Land Scotland that are spread across the Highland parts of Perthshire.[31] About 2 miles (3 kilometres) northeast of the town is the Loch of the Lowes nature reserve, managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.[37]
There are many walks in the area.[38] The 1,324 feet (404 m) summit of Birnam Hill (on Murthly Estate) lies 1 mile (2 km) south of the railway station and is easily ascended from there, or from a car park to the east.[39] Newtyle (996 feet (304 m)) and Craigiebarns (900 feet (270 m)) are in the immediate vicinity, while Craig Vinean (1,247 feet (380 m)) is on the opposite side of the river, along with Birnam Hill.[22]
Ossian's Hall of Mirrors is a folly located in the pleasure grounds known as The Hermitage, located close to Dunkeld. The site is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, and has walks in the wooded scenery surrounding the River Braan.[8]
Tourism and culture
Its location on the middle section of the River Tay make it a hub for salmon and trout angling. A few miles downstream at Caputh, Georgina Ballantine landed the largest salmon ever recorded in Britain.[40]
Dunkeld & Birnam Golf Club is located to the north of Dunkeld and overlooks Loch of the Lowes.[41]
Across the Telford Bridge, the Birnam Highland games take place annually in Little Dunkeld.[42]
Transport
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Dunkeld_and_Birnam_Railway_Station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1587361.jpg/220px-Dunkeld_and_Birnam_Railway_Station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1587361.jpg)
The
See also
References
- ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ "Scotslanguage.com - Names in Scots - Places in Scotland". www.scotslanguage.com. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (AÀA) – Gaelic Place-names of Scotland". www.ainmean-aite.scot. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ a b c "The special qualities of the National Scenic Areas" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 2010. pp. 127–135. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-319-23121-0
- ISBN 0224012398.
- ^ a b "Dunkeld". National Trust for Scotland. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ a b "The Hermitage". National Trust for Scotland. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ "Telford's Bridge at Dunkeld". Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "History of Dunkeld and Birnam". Dunkeld and Birnam Tourist Association. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "King's Seat (27172)". Canmore. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Constantine Mac Fergus". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
- ^ a b c "Dunkeld Cathedral - History". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Dunkeld Cathedral". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Five places to view religious relics". Herald Scotland. 23 February 2002. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ "The Little Dunkeld Bell" (PDF). Dunkeld Cathedral. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ See Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), South-East Perth, Edinburgh: 1994, 89-90, for a summary of the early history of Dunkeld, and descriptions of the 'Apostles' Stone' and other early sculpture.
- ^ RCAHMS Argyll, Volume 2: Lorn, Edinburgh 1974, 160.
- ^ McNeill, P G B & MacQueen, H L (eds) Atlas of Scottish History to 1707, Edinburgh 1996, 353.
- ^ RCAHMS 1994 (op cit), 124.
- ^ a b c "Dunkeld Cathedral - Statement of Significance". Historic Environment Scotland. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Graphic and Accurate Description of Every Place in Scotland, Frances Hindes Groome (1901), p. 435
- ^ Inglis, John Alexander. (1911). The Monros of Auchinbowie and Cognate Families. pp. 40 – 44. Edinburgh, Privately printed by T and A Constable. Printers to His Majesty.
- ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- ^ "Dunkeld, High Street, Scottish Horse Museum". Canmore. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ "Dunkeld Conservation Area Appraisal" (PDF). Perth and Kinross Council. 1 June 2011. p. 4. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ Denslow, William R. (1957). 10,000 Famous Freemasons. Columbia, Missouri, USA: Missouri Lodge of Research.
- ^ Dictionary of Scottish Architects
- ^ "Dunkeld Art Exhibition". Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Dunkeld, Bishop's Palace (27168)". Canmore. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Tay Forest Park: Tall Trees & Big Views" (PDF). Forestry and Land Scotland. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Macbeth, Act 5, scene 3". Shakespeare Online. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Niel Gow" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "River Tay (Dunkeld) National Scenic Area". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "River Tay (Dunkeld)". Protected Planter. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Loch of the Lowes". Scottish Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Dunkeld & Birnam Walking & Cycling". Dunkeld & Birnam Tourism Association. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Birnam Hill, Birnam". Walkhighlands. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "Georgina Ballantine | Canal & River Trust". canalrivertrust.org.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "The Course". dunkeldgolf. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Birnam Highland Games". birnamhighlandgames.com. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Thomas Telford's Bridge". Dunkeld & Birnam Tourism Association. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Timetable:Edinburgh/Inverness" (PDF). Scottish CityLink Coaches Ltd. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "Timetable: Edinburgh & Glasgow - Inverness (20 May 2018 – 8 Dec 2018)" (PDF). ScotRail. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ "Timetable: London - Inverness (20 May 2018 – 8 Dec 2018)". Caledonian Sleeper. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/40px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png)
- Dunkeld and Birnam Tourist Association
- Dunkeld & Birnam at VisitScotland Perthshire
- Engraving of a view of Dunkeld by James Fittler in the digitised copy of Scotia Depicta, or the antiquities, castles, public buildings, noblemen and gentlemen's seats, cities, towns and picturesque scenery of Scotland, 1804 at National Library of Scotland
- Engraving of Dunkeld in 1693 by John Slezer at National Library of Scotland
- Dunkeld House Tree Trail - Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust
- Explore the Dunkeld Path Network - Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust