Auchterarder

History

The name "Auchterarder" derives from the Scottish Gaelic roots uachdar, àrd, and dobhar; it means ‘upland of high water.’

Auchterarder Castle stood to the north of the town in the area now known as Castleton. It is said to have been a hunting seat for King Malcolm Canmore in the 11th century and was visited by King Edward I in 1296. It was made ruinous in the 18th century and only fragments remained at the end of the 19th century.

In the Middle Ages, Auchterarder was known in Europe as 'the town of 100 drawbridges', a colourful description of the narrow bridges leading from the road level across wide gutters to the doorsteps of houses. The name appears in a charter of 1227 in a grant of land transaction to the Convent of Inchaffray. The Jacobite Earl of Mar's army torched the town on 25 January 1716.

In 1834, a controversy over the selection of a parish minister, following the recent passing of the Veto Act, allowed the parishioners of Auchterarder to reject the chosen minister, Rev. Robert Young. Whilst this might have ended with the selection of an alternative, Young took the issue to the High Court. The court's decision concluded a link between state and church, directly contradicting the church's own view, and causing the first in a chain of events which would ultimately lead to the 1843 schism in the Church of Scotland. The remains of this church – the tower – have recently been renovated, and there is a plaque explaining what the church used to look like. As a result of the troubles of 1834, Auchterarder became one of the first towns in Scotland to build its own independent Free Church, indeed appearing to pre-empt the Disruption by commissioning the architect David Cousin to design their church in advance, such that it was completed in 1843 as soon as the Free Church formally came into existence.

Aytoun Hall, which is the main community events venue in the town, was completed in 1872.

The Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c. 55) bestowed burgh status upon the town and a provost, two bailies, an honorary treasurer, Dean of Guild and six councillors were appointed to manage its affairs.

In 1983 the A9 road was diverted to the south, bypassing Auchterarder and Aberuthven, to improve the connection between Stirling and Perth.

The 31st G8 summit was held in the town in July 2005 at the five-star Gleneagles hotel.

In 2024, Queens Crescent in Auchterarder had the most expensive house prices in Scotland.

Auchterarder House

In 1784 the Duke of Perth, in his capacity as Baron of Auchterarder, sold a large swathe of his estate to the Hon. Basil Cochrane who in turn sold it to Lt Col James Hunter, who in 1831 commissioned William Burn to design a large house in the Jacobean style, standing around 2km north of the town. Around 1870 the house was sold to James Reid, a Glasgow businessman connected to locomotive building, who commissioned John James Burnet to internally refurbish the house in 1887. Reid's son, Hugh Reid, inherited the property in 1894, at that time Hugh being head of the North British Locomotive Company. Around 1905 Hugh added a tower and rebuilt the entrance. He was knighted in 1922 for services to the British locomotive industry.

Old Parish Church

The original church, now ruined, lies 1km north of the town, midway to Auchterarder House. on the B8062. It was built in 1200 and dedicated to St Kessog and was under the control of the Abbey of Inchaffray. St Kessog's Well stands nearby the church. A second chapel, dedicated to St Mary, stood in the town itself and was later rededicated as the parish church.

Transport

Gleneagles railway station, which is located around 2 mi to the south-west of Auchterarder, has been the railway station for the town since 1886.

Auchterarder contains a charger operated by Perth and Kinross Council located in Crown Inn Wynd for electric vehicle charging.

The town boasts a Community Bus Service which is low cost to normal users and free to young people and the elderly. The service links the three main residential areas of Auchterarder, namely the South, Townhead and the High Street as well as the two new developments near Hunter Street. The service connects to the local health centre and hospital.

Climate

Auchterarder has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb). The nearest weather station to Auchterarder is located at Strathallan, around 2+1/4 mi northwest.

| Jan record high C = 13.9 | Feb record high C = 14.5 | Mar record high C = 20.8 | Apr record high C = 24.1 | May record high C = 27.8 | Jun record high C = 31.0 | Jul record high C = 30.7 | Aug record high C = 29.4 | Sep record high C = 26.3 | Oct record high C = 23.2 | Nov record high C = 17.0 | Dec record high C = 14.4 | year record high C = 31.0 | Jan record low C = -18.8 | Feb record low C = -15.2 | Mar record low C = -13.3 | Apr record low C = -6.2 | May record low C = -3.4 | Jun record low C = -2.8 | Jul record low C = -0.2 | Aug record low C = 0.7 | Sep record low C = -2.3 | Oct record low C = -7.5 | Nov record low C = -11.7 | Dec record low C = -19.5 | year record low C = -19.5

Notable people

• Andrew Fairlie (1963–2019), two-Michelin-starred chef, worked at Gleneagles
• Eve Graham (born 1943), singer with The New Seekers, was born in Auchterarder
• Sandy Gunn (1919–1944), Spitfire photo reconnaissance pilot shot down and taken prisoner in Norway during the Second World War, and executed after the "Great Escape"
• Reverend Robert Haldane (1764–1842), religious writer and theologian, preached here 1797 to 1806
• Stephen Hendry (born 1969), seven-time world snooker champion, lived in Auchterarder
• James Kennaway (1928–1968), novelist and screen-writer, was born in Auchterarder
• Reverend Dr G. A. Frank Knight (1869–1937), minister of the Free Church 1892–1900
• Rev Robert Nisbet (1814–1874), religious author, went to Auchterarder School
• Professor John Monteath Robertson (1900–1989), crystallographer

References

References

1. {{Scottish settlement population citation
2. Field, John. (1980). "Place-names of Great Britain and Ireland". David & Charles.
3. "Auchterarder Castle | Canmore".
4. Young, Alex F.. (2003). "Old Auchterarder, Blackford and Braco". Stenlake Publishing.
5. "Auchterarder in Mar's Year". Annals of Auchterarder and Memorials of Srathearn.
6. "The Presbytery of Auchterarder v. The Earl of Kinnoull and the Rev. Robert Young".
7. "Home {{!}} Dictionary Scottish Architects {{!}} Part of Historic Environment Scotland".
8. {{Historic Environment Scotland
9. "A9 Falkirk to Thurso". Scottish Roads Archive.
10. [http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/summit/2005gleneagles/delegations.html 2005 Gleneagles G-8, delegations]; [http://www.deljpn.ec.europa.eu/union/showpage_en_union.external.g8.php "EU and the G8"] {{webarchive. link. (26 February 2007)
11. Smail, Alexander. (2024-12-23). "Scotland's 'most expensive' streets as scenic town tops list - see the top 10".
12. Greek Secrets Revealed by Ian McHaffie ISBN 978-0-9525026-8-5
13. Fasti Ecclesiastae Scoticana vol.4: Auchterarder
14. {{Butt-Stations, p. 71
15. (21 December 2021). "Perth & Kinross Council EV Charging Points". ChargePlace Scotland.
16. "Auchterarder Town Bus Service". Auchterarder Community Bus Service.
17. "Strathallan (Perth and Kinross) UK climate averages". Met Office.
18. "Monthly Temperature Extremes". Roost Weather.
19. (25 January 2019). "Obituary: Andrew Fairlie, much-loved chef and restaurateur who earned two Michelin stars". The Scotsman.
20. (2011-03-12). "New Seekers star Eve Graham looks back 40 years after their greatest hit". Daily Record.
21. Allen Andrews. (1976). "Exemplary Justice". Harrap.
22. {{DNB
23. "Stephen Hendry's profile". [[World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association]].
24. (17 May 2023). "Perthshire - Latest news updates, pictures, video, reaction - Daily Record".
25. (July 2006). "Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783 – 2002". The Royal Society of Edinburgh.
26. (9 May 2021). "Famous People from Scotland".