Alford, Aberdeenshire
Human settlement in Scotland
Alford
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Location within
Aberdeenshire
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Population | 2,610 (mid-2020 est.) [4] |
OS grid reference | NJ5716 |
• Edinburgh | 90 mi (145 km) |
• London | 409 mi (658 km) |
Council area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Alford |
Postcode district | AB33 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
57°14′N 2°43′W / 57.23°N 02.71°W / 57.23; -02.71 |
Alford
(pronounced
/
ˈ
ɑː
f
ər
d
/
(
listen
)
Scots
:
Aaford
or
Awfort
,
Scottish Gaelic
:
Athfort
) is a large village in
Aberdeenshire
, north-east
Scotland
, lying just south of the
River Don
. It lies within the Howe of Alford (also called the Vale of Alford) which occupies the middle reaches of the River Don.
The place-name is thought to come from the Scots auld ford ; its original position being on the banks of the Don. [ citation needed ] The "L" sound in the word has, over time, been dropped, and is silent. Alternatively, the name could be a tautology; a combination of ath and ford , both meaning 'ford' in Gaelic and Scots respectively. [ citation needed ] Alford gave its name to a battle of the Battle of Alford (1645). It is also the home of the Aberdeen Angus cattle breed, which is celebrated by a life-sized model of a bull on the edge of the village, which the Queen Mother inaugurated in 2001. [5] It is believed that the original breeding ground of the cattle was Buffal, located between Tough (Tulloch) and Craigievar nearby Alford. Another claim to fame for the town is Alford Oatmeal , ground at Montgarrie, just outside the town. Alford also sports the Alford Community Campus, with a library and pool.
The Alford Valley Railway , Grampian Transport Museum , Alford Heritage Museum and Craigievar Castle are popular visitor attractions , with a range of other archaeological sites, stone circles, and castles (including Balfluig Castle, Castle Fraser and Drum Castle ) being within easy reach by road. One stone circle, originally believed to be prehistoric, turned out to be a 20-year-old replica. [6] Situated in Alford, Haughton Country Park is a large and popular green space with a caravan park and woodland walks.
Sport
Alford Golf Club opened on 15 May 1981. Initially a nine hole course, it reopened as an eighteen hole course in May 1992. [7] [8] [9]
Public transport
Alford railway station was the former terminus of the closed Alford Valley Railway branch line.
There is a bus service connecting with Aberdeen , approximately 26 miles (42 km) away. There is much new housebuilding going on in Alford as of 2006 [ update ] to cater for a workforce who mainly commute in Aberdeen to work in the oil industry. [ citation needed ] Bus services are operated by Stagecoach , with dial-a-bus services being operated by Aberdeenshire Council . Bus services connecting Alford to Aberdeen go by two different routes:
Notable residents
- Alford is the birthplace of the renowned poet, Charles Murray
- Stewart Milne , chairman of both the Stewart Milne Group and Aberdeen Football Club was born nearby and attended school in Alford
- John Forbes , minister exiled by James VI
- Lord Forbes , of Forbes Castle
- William McCombie , pioneer Aberdeen Angus breeder
- Laura Main , actress in Call the Midwife
- Emeli Sandé , award winning singer/songwriter.
- Dougie Gray , Rangers F.C. fullback
- William Minto , critic and novelist
References
- ↑ "Rannsaich an Stòr-dàta Briathrachais Gàidhlig" (in Scottish Gaelic). .smo.uhi.ac.uk. 10 November 2010 . Retrieved 13 August 2012 .
- ↑ Scots Language Centre: Scottish Place Names in Scots
- ↑ The Online Scots Dictionary [ permanent dead link ] .
- ↑ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland" . National Records of Scotland . 31 March 2022 . Retrieved 31 March 2022 .
- ↑ Davies, Caroline (11 October 2001). "Queen Mother helps to unveil statue of a bull" . The Daily Telegraph . ISSN 0307-1235 . Retrieved 24 January 2019 .
-
↑
Metcalfe, Tom; January 21, Live Science Contributor |; ET, 2019 02:33pm (21 January 2019).
"
'Ancient' Stone Circle Actually Built in 1990s by Scottish Farmer"
.
Live Science
. Retrieved
24 January
2019
.
{{ cite web }}
:| first2=
has generic name ( help ) - ↑ Third, Paul (5 May 2022). "Alford Golf Club's 40th anniversary: Steward who has been there since day one reflects on club's journey" . Press and Journal . Retrieved 9 June 2022 .
- ↑ Beattie, Kieran. "Pensioner hit in head by golf ball as he walked down Aberdeenshire street" . Press and Journal . Retrieved 9 June 2022 .
- ↑ Wyllie, James. "Alford Golf Club manager 'succumbed to temptation' by embezzling £12,000" . Press and Journal . Retrieved 9 June 2022 .
External links
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in Banff and Buchan | ||
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in Buchan | ||
in Formartine | ||
in Garioch | ||
in Kincardine and Mearns | ||
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