Banchry

Banchry Scots Gaelic: Beannchar
Banchory High Street
Banchory Location within Aberdeenshire
Population	7,560  (Aberdeenshire Council)
OS grid reference	NO698958
Cooncil area	Aiberdeenshire
Lieutenancy area	Kincardineshire
Kintra	Scotland
Sovereign state	Unitit Kinrick
Post toun	BANCHORY
Postcode destrict	AB31
Diallin code	01330
Police	Scots
Fire	Scots
Ambulance	Scots
EU Pairlament	Scotland
UK Pairlament	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
Scots Pairlament	Aberdeenshire West

Banchry (Inglis: Banchory, Scots Gaelic: Beannchar) is a toun in Aiberdeenshire, Scotland. It is aboot 18 mile wast o Aiberdeen, near faur the Feugh River an the River Dee meet. The population o Banchry is 7,560 (2016).

Owerview

The name is thocht tae come fae an airly Christian settlement foondit bi St Ternan. It is claimed that Ternan wis a follaer o St Ninian. Tradition has it that he establisht his settlement on the baunks o the River Dee on fit wid later become the kirkyaird o the medieval pairish o Banchry-Ternan. The pairish an toun kept the name until the 1970s.

Relics associatit wi St Ternan wur haint bi hereditary keepers at Banchry until the Scots Reformation. Twa airly cross-slabs survive in or nearaboots the auld kirkyaird on the steid o the airly kirk. Een is biggit intae the corner o the 'mort hoose' in the kirkyaird, an shaws twa crosses natcht in a worn pink granite leck.

The original Gaelic name is near the same as Bangor in Northren Ireland an o alike meanin. Baith touns were steids o monestaries an aw.

Banchry is the mucklest toun in the area an has a Hie Street. There ur a nummer o hotels an restaurants includin the Stag Hotel, Scott Skinners Bar and Restaurant, the Burnett Arms an the Douglas Arms. The shops include newsagents, sports shops, chemists an chairity shops. Syne 2001 there has been swith expansion. A lairge forestit area, 'the Hill o Banchry', awnt bi the Burnett faimily, tae the nor'east o the toun has been replaced wi a hoosin estate an an influx o new residents. A new primary schuil in the Hill o Banchry wis appent in 2006 tae cater fur the increased population.

The Kinneskie Road drill haw wis completit sometime aroond 1908.

Laund uissage

As a smaw landwart toun, surroondit bi forestry an fermin launds, Banchry has seen considerable expansion in recent years. Due tae increases in population, mony facilities sic as the Belfield's Doctor's Surgery, Fountain Dental Surgery, the Morrisons Supermarket and Banchry Academy hae been extendit an gotten upgradit facilities. In 2010, Tesco biggit an eco-store tae the east o the toun.

Banchry Academy is a state secondary schuil, wi a capacity o 900. A retirement hame, Dalvenie Gardens, wis biggit on laund neist tae the Academy in the 1990s. There wis strang opposition tae the appenin fae locals, but the Scottis Office stappit in, owerridin the opposition an appruivin the plans.^{[citation needit]} The retirement hame appent in 2001.

Tourism an cultur

Banchry is kent as the Gatewey o Ryal Deeside. It is surroondit bi rural kintraside an hills. There ar twa castles nearaboots, Crathes an Drum, baith rin bi the National Trust for Scotland. The Brig o Feugh owersees the Feugh Watters faur salmon leapin happens an there ar mony gowf coorses nearaboots.

Scolty Hill lies sooth o Banchry, faur a tour moniment tae General William Burnett lies.

Scotland's ainly rum distillery, Dark Matters Distillers, is locatit ootby Banchry.

Notable fowk

• Sir John Macqueen Cowan, botanist
• James Scott Skinner fiddler an composer
• Caroline Phillips Scottish suffragette an jurnalist, fa awnt Banchory Station Hotel 1912 tae 1940s
• Pete Cashmore foonder o tech blog Mashable
• Ben Kilner Snawbuirder, Winter Olympian
• Norman Douglas Scottish novelist an travel writer
• Andrew Considine Fitbawer fur Aberdeen FC