Blairgowrie and Rattray
Encyclopedia
Blairgowrie and Rattray and Raitear (Rattray) is possibly from an English language cognate
of Gaelic ràth, meaning fortress + a Pictish
term cognate with Welsh
tref, meaning settlement) is a twin burgh
in Perth and Kinross
, Scotland
. Amongst locals, the town is colloquially known simply as "Blair". Blairgowrie is the larger of the two former burghs which were united by an Act of Parliament in 1228 and lies on the south-west side of the River Ericht
while Rattray is on the north-east side. Rattray claims to be the older and certainly Old Rattray, the area round Rattray Kirk, dates back to the 12th century. New Rattray, the area along the Boat Brae and Balmoral Road dates from 1777 when the River was spanned by the Brig o' Blair. The town lies on the north side of Strathmore
at the foot of the Grampian Mountains. The west boundary is formed by the Knockie, a round grassy hill which is a popular walk and Craighall Gorge on the Ericht. Blairgowrie & Rattray developed over the centuries at the crossroads of several important historic routes with links from the town to Perth
, Coupar Angus
, Alyth
and Braemar
. The roads to Coupar Angus and Braemar form part of General Wade's
military road from Perth to Fort George. The town's main feature and centrepiece is the Wellmeadow, a grassy triangle in the middle of town which hosts regular markets and outdoor entertainment. Other parks include Rattray's Davie Park, Blairgowrie's J J Coupar Sports Ground and Lochy Park.
The area around Blairgowrie has been occupied continuously since the Neolithic, as evidenced from the Cleaven Dyke, a cursus
monument 2 miles SSW of the town, as well as a Neolithic long mortuary enclosure 4 miles WSW at Inchtuthil. Several stone circles of this age can also be found in the area, notably the circle bisected by the road at Leys of Marlee, 1 mile to the west of Blairgowrie.
Numerous Neolithic and Bronze Age artifacts have been found in the immediate area, including a number of flint arrowheads, spearheads, knives and scrapers found at Carsie, half a mile to the south of Blairgowrie, and which are now displayed at Perth Museum, and bronze axes, and a bronze sword now in Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow.
The remains of a remarkable Roman legionary fort can be found 4 miles WSW of Blairgowrie at Inchtuthil
, dating from the decade 80-90. Unencumbered by subsequent development, this is considered to be one of the most important archaeological sites in Britain.
Pictish
remains are in abundance in this part of Scotland and one of the largest collections of Pictish sculptured stones is housed 5 miles to the East of the town at the Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum
. The size of the collection, all of which were found in Meigle
, suggests this was an ecclesiastical centre of some importance in the 8th to 10th centuries.
Blairgowrie was made a barony in favour of George Drummond of Blair in 1634 by a royal charter of Charles I, and became a free burgh in 1809.
The town expanded hugely in the 19th century thanks to the employment provided by the many textile mills which were built along the River Ericht, all now closed. By 1870 there were 12 mills along the river employing nearly 2000 men and women and the population had increaed from 400 in the 1700s to 4000. Some of the disused mill buildings can be seen from the riverside walk west from the bridge and from Haugh Road to the east . Keithbank Mill has been converted to apartments.
Soft fruit growing, mainly raspberries and strawberries developed in the 20th century and became a very important part of the town's economy with Smedleys opening a cannery in Haugh Road, Adamsons a jam factory in Croft Lane and huge quantities of table berries and pulp being despatched to markets and jam factories throughout Britain. Berry pickers were brought in by bus from Perth and Dundee, and large encampments were set up on farms for pickers from further afield, mainly from the Glasgow
area, who made this their annual holiday. They were joined by the travelling community who congregated here for the berry season. One of the best examples was the Tin City at Essendy, which housed workers in a complex of tin huts with its own chapel, post office, shop, kitchens, etc.
The coming of the railway revolutionised the textile and soft fruit trade, but the last train ran in the 1960s, and the extensive railway yards are now the site of the Tesco supermarket and Welton Road industrial estate.
Blairgowrie had a busy livestock market at the bottom of the Boat Brae but this closed in the 1960s and is now the site of the Ashgrove Court sheltered housing complex.
A short distance upstream from the bridge on the riverside path is Cargill's Leap, a historic site where Donald Cargill, a minister and covenanter, escaped Government troops by jumping over the rocky gorge of the River Ericht
.
Just outside the Rattray boundary on the A93 is Craighall Castle, the ancestral home of the chieftain of the Clan Rattray
. The castle occupies a dominating position on the edge of the gorge above the river but unfortunately is no longer occupied by a Rattray, having been sold in 2010.
Newton Castle, home to the current chieftain of the Clan Macpherson, Sir William Macpherson, and Ardblair Castle, home to the Blair Oliphant family, both have Jacobite history and according to legend are connected by a secret tunnel.
and Perth. The surrounding area is still the soft fruit centre of Scotland, and the local population increases greatly in summer when Eastern European students flock in to harvest the fruit, mainly raspberries
and strawberries. Like the Scottish pickers of old, they are housed in camps on the farms, but these now tend to be residential caravans or cabins rather than huts and tents.
Locally based companies include Proctors of Blairgowrie who manufacture and supply insulation, Davidson the Chemists who have a network of retail chemist shops throughout North East Scotland as well as an agricultural and veterinary business, Croles Coachworks, Blairs Laundry, Gordons Caterers, Stagecoach Strathtay buses, Tayside Contracts, PM Forest and Field Engineering, Graham Environmental, and CO-AN Supplies.
The main supermarket is Tesco
, supplemented by a Co-Operative store which incorporates the Post Office. The main shopping streets are High Street, Allan Street, and the Wellmeadow where there are chain stores and independent shops. Balmoral Garage are Ford agents, and Norman Laing are Peugeot
. There are several repair garages.
Tourism is probably now the biggest industry, and there are three hotels, the Angus, the Royal, and the Altamount. There are another nine inns and pubs.
The local weekly newspaper is the Blairgowrie Advertiser, known universally as "the Blairie", which is now produced and printed in Perth by Scottish Universal Newspapers. The old print works in Reform Street were taken over by Hamilton Scott who carried on for many years as a commercial printer, but they are now mothballed.
There are regular Saturday outdoor markets in the Wellmeadow with stalls offering local produce and occasional Continental Markets with traders from all over Europe.
The nearest railway station is Perth
and the nearest airport is Dundee
.
Blairgowrie and Rattray is home to the Scottish Junior Football East Region Premier League side Blairgowrie F.C.
as well as the Scottish Amateur Football Association
sides Rattray A.F.C and Balmoral United A.F.C. which play in the Perthshire Amateur League.
Golf
Blairgowrie Golf Club was founded in 1889 and has been expanded over the years with much of the design by James Braid. There are now two 18 hole courses, Rosemount and Lansdowne, and a 9-hole course. The substantial clubhouse is on Golf Course Road.
Skiing
The Glenshee Ski Centre
in Glenshee (Glenshee or Gleann Shith which translates from Gaelic as Glen of the Fairies), is some 18 miles to the north at the Cairnwell Pass on the A93
Braemar
road which is the highest public road in the UK.
Ski-ing started here in the 1930s and in 1957 the Dundee Ski Club built the first T-bar tow. In the 1960s the Glenshee Chairlift Company was formed to make the most of the new leisure facility at Cairnwell. During the "glory days " of the 1970s and 80s the car and coach parks would be full to capacity and lift queues would run into hours. The Glenshee Chairlift Co Ltd was forced into receivership in May 2004 by lack of snow over many winters but a management buyout by Glenshee Ltd and the return of good snow ensured that ski-ing and snowboarding continue at Scotland's biggest ski area which now has 21 lifts spread over 4 mountains and 3 valleys.
Rattray
The traditional ball game of Rattray no longer takes place, but the Rattray silver ball which was the trophy retained by the winners is still in existence. It is believed to have been donated by Sylvester Rattray of Nether Persie who became minister of Rattray in 1591 and continued there until his death in 1623.
The Rattray silver ball is now kept at Perth Museum and Art Gallery.
Highland Games
Blairgowrie Highland Games are held annually on the first Sunday of September in Bogles Field on Essendy Road. It is noted for its Hill Race and its mass tug o'war where as many contestants as possible from Blairgowrie and Rattray compete against each other.
The evening before is known as Braemar Night with entertainment in the Wellmeadow and fireworks along the river. This tradition started in the 1960s to encourage travellers returning from Braemar Highland Games (held on the Saturday) to stop in the town and quickly grew into a huge programme of entertainments, pipe bands, fireworks, funfairs etc. which drew tens of thousands not only returning south from Braemar but on special excursions from Perth and Dundee. The current event is somewhat scaled down but extremely popular with locals.
Recreation Centre
The council funded recreation centre in Beeches Road was rebranded Live Active Blairgowrie in 2009, but it is still referred to by locals as The Rec. Irrespective of its name this excellent facility provides training and sports facilities and a swimming pool and is ever popular.
unit offering a Minor Injury and Illness Emergency Unit, palliative care and step-down care. There are two GP surgeries, Ardblair in Ann St and Strathmore in Jessie St, and a large dental practice in the High St.
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
of Gaelic ràth, meaning fortress + a Pictish
Pictish language
Pictish is a term used for the extinct language or languages thought to have been spoken by the Picts, the people of northern and central Scotland in the Early Middle Ages...
term cognate with Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
tref, meaning settlement) is a twin burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
in Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross is one of 32 council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland council areas. Perth is the administrative centre...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Amongst locals, the town is colloquially known simply as "Blair". Blairgowrie is the larger of the two former burghs which were united by an Act of Parliament in 1228 and lies on the south-west side of the River Ericht
River Ericht
The River Ericht is a river in Perthshire, Scotland formed from the confluence of the rivers Blackwater and Ardle.It runs south for around 10 miles before discharging into the River Isla, and eventually the River Tay...
while Rattray is on the north-east side. Rattray claims to be the older and certainly Old Rattray, the area round Rattray Kirk, dates back to the 12th century. New Rattray, the area along the Boat Brae and Balmoral Road dates from 1777 when the River was spanned by the Brig o' Blair. The town lies on the north side of Strathmore
Strathmore
Strathmore, from the Scottish Gaelic for large valley , can refer to a number of people, places in Scotland, or places named by Scottish emigrants:-Buildings:...
at the foot of the Grampian Mountains. The west boundary is formed by the Knockie, a round grassy hill which is a popular walk and Craighall Gorge on the Ericht. Blairgowrie & Rattray developed over the centuries at the crossroads of several important historic routes with links from the town to Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, Coupar Angus
Coupar Angus
Coupar Angus is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, situated eight kilometres south of Blairgowrie.The name Coupar Angus serves to differentiate the town from Cupar, Fife...
, Alyth
Alyth
Alyth is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, situated under the Hill of Alyth five miles northeast of Blairgowrie. The village has a population of 2,301...
and Braemar
Braemar
Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee sitting at an altitude of ....
. The roads to Coupar Angus and Braemar form part of General Wade's
George Wade
Field Marshal George Wade served as a British military commander and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.-Early career:Wade, born in Kilavally, Westmeath in Ireland, was commissioned into the Earl of Bath's Regiment in 1690 and served in Flanders in 1692, during the Nine Years War, earning a...
military road from Perth to Fort George. The town's main feature and centrepiece is the Wellmeadow, a grassy triangle in the middle of town which hosts regular markets and outdoor entertainment. Other parks include Rattray's Davie Park, Blairgowrie's J J Coupar Sports Ground and Lochy Park.
Early history
Cursus
thumb|right|250px|[[Stonehenge Cursus]], Wiltshirethumb|right|250px|[[Dorset Cursus]] terminal on Thickthorn Down, DorsetCursus was a name given by early British archaeologists such as William Stukeley to the large parallel lengths of banks with external ditches which they thought were early Roman...
monument 2 miles SSW of the town, as well as a Neolithic long mortuary enclosure 4 miles WSW at Inchtuthil. Several stone circles of this age can also be found in the area, notably the circle bisected by the road at Leys of Marlee, 1 mile to the west of Blairgowrie.
Numerous Neolithic and Bronze Age artifacts have been found in the immediate area, including a number of flint arrowheads, spearheads, knives and scrapers found at Carsie, half a mile to the south of Blairgowrie, and which are now displayed at Perth Museum, and bronze axes, and a bronze sword now in Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow.
The remains of a remarkable Roman legionary fort can be found 4 miles WSW of Blairgowrie at Inchtuthil
Inchtuthil
Inchtuthil is the site of a Roman legionary fortress situated on a natural platform overlooking the north bank of the River Tay southwest of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.It was built in 82 or 83 AD as the advance headquarters for the forces of governor Gnaeus Julius...
, dating from the decade 80-90. Unencumbered by subsequent development, this is considered to be one of the most important archaeological sites in Britain.
Pictish
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
remains are in abundance in this part of Scotland and one of the largest collections of Pictish sculptured stones is housed 5 miles to the East of the town at the Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum
Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum
The Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum is a permanent exhibition of 27 carved Pictish stones in the centre of the village of Meigle in eastern Scotland. It lies on the A94 road running from Coupar Angus to Forfar. The museum occupies the former parish school, built 1844. The collection of stones...
. The size of the collection, all of which were found in Meigle
Meigle
Meigle is a village in Strathmore, Scotland. It lies in the council area of Perth and Kinross in the Coupar Angus and Meigle ward. The nearest town is Forfar in neighbouring Angus. Other smaller settlements nearby are Balkeerie, Kirkinch and Kinloch. Meigle is accessed from the north and south...
, suggests this was an ecclesiastical centre of some importance in the 8th to 10th centuries.
Modern History
From around 1600 to the turn of the 19th century, Blairgowrie had a fairly stable population, recorded at 425 inhabitants at in the first Statistical Account in 1792. in the second Statistical Account of 1853? notes a disproportionate increase due to an influx of families attracted by the expanding textiles industry Gaelic was declining but still partially spoken in the upper part of the parish at that time, with all speaking English.Blairgowrie was made a barony in favour of George Drummond of Blair in 1634 by a royal charter of Charles I, and became a free burgh in 1809.
The town expanded hugely in the 19th century thanks to the employment provided by the many textile mills which were built along the River Ericht, all now closed. By 1870 there were 12 mills along the river employing nearly 2000 men and women and the population had increaed from 400 in the 1700s to 4000. Some of the disused mill buildings can be seen from the riverside walk west from the bridge and from Haugh Road to the east . Keithbank Mill has been converted to apartments.
Soft fruit growing, mainly raspberries and strawberries developed in the 20th century and became a very important part of the town's economy with Smedleys opening a cannery in Haugh Road, Adamsons a jam factory in Croft Lane and huge quantities of table berries and pulp being despatched to markets and jam factories throughout Britain. Berry pickers were brought in by bus from Perth and Dundee, and large encampments were set up on farms for pickers from further afield, mainly from the Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
area, who made this their annual holiday. They were joined by the travelling community who congregated here for the berry season. One of the best examples was the Tin City at Essendy, which housed workers in a complex of tin huts with its own chapel, post office, shop, kitchens, etc.
The coming of the railway revolutionised the textile and soft fruit trade, but the last train ran in the 1960s, and the extensive railway yards are now the site of the Tesco supermarket and Welton Road industrial estate.
Blairgowrie had a busy livestock market at the bottom of the Boat Brae but this closed in the 1960s and is now the site of the Ashgrove Court sheltered housing complex.
A short distance upstream from the bridge on the riverside path is Cargill's Leap, a historic site where Donald Cargill, a minister and covenanter, escaped Government troops by jumping over the rocky gorge of the River Ericht
River Ericht
The River Ericht is a river in Perthshire, Scotland formed from the confluence of the rivers Blackwater and Ardle.It runs south for around 10 miles before discharging into the River Isla, and eventually the River Tay...
.
Just outside the Rattray boundary on the A93 is Craighall Castle, the ancestral home of the chieftain of the Clan Rattray
Clan Rattray
Clan Rattray is a Highland Scottish clan.-Origins of the clan:The name Rattray is derived from the barony of Rattray in Perthshire, Scotland. Legend has it that their land there was acquired from King Malcolm III of Scotland in the 11th century. Unfortunately there is no extant written record of...
. The castle occupies a dominating position on the edge of the gorge above the river but unfortunately is no longer occupied by a Rattray, having been sold in 2010.
Newton Castle, home to the current chieftain of the Clan Macpherson, Sir William Macpherson, and Ardblair Castle, home to the Blair Oliphant family, both have Jacobite history and according to legend are connected by a secret tunnel.
Economy
Much of the expanding population works in the nearby cities of DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
and Perth. The surrounding area is still the soft fruit centre of Scotland, and the local population increases greatly in summer when Eastern European students flock in to harvest the fruit, mainly raspberries
Raspberries
Raspberry may refer to:* Raspberry, various fruit-bearing plants in the genus Rubus, especially two commercially grown species, the red-fruited Rubus idaeus and the black-fruited Rubus occidentalis...
and strawberries. Like the Scottish pickers of old, they are housed in camps on the farms, but these now tend to be residential caravans or cabins rather than huts and tents.
Locally based companies include Proctors of Blairgowrie who manufacture and supply insulation, Davidson the Chemists who have a network of retail chemist shops throughout North East Scotland as well as an agricultural and veterinary business, Croles Coachworks, Blairs Laundry, Gordons Caterers, Stagecoach Strathtay buses, Tayside Contracts, PM Forest and Field Engineering, Graham Environmental, and CO-AN Supplies.
The main supermarket is Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, supplemented by a Co-Operative store which incorporates the Post Office. The main shopping streets are High Street, Allan Street, and the Wellmeadow where there are chain stores and independent shops. Balmoral Garage are Ford agents, and Norman Laing are Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
. There are several repair garages.
Tourism is probably now the biggest industry, and there are three hotels, the Angus, the Royal, and the Altamount. There are another nine inns and pubs.
The local weekly newspaper is the Blairgowrie Advertiser, known universally as "the Blairie", which is now produced and printed in Perth by Scottish Universal Newspapers. The old print works in Reform Street were taken over by Hamilton Scott who carried on for many years as a commercial printer, but they are now mothballed.
There are regular Saturday outdoor markets in the Wellmeadow with stalls offering local produce and occasional Continental Markets with traders from all over Europe.
Education
The new Blairgowrie Campus opened in Elm Drive in 2009 incorporating Newhill Primary and St Stephens RC Primary. Newhill primary holds about 360 children while St Stephens RC primary is a smaller unit holding about 70 pupils. Rattray Primary serves children on that side of the river. Blairgowrie High School in Beeches Road provides secondary education for all round the area.Public transport
Stagecoach Strathtay provide all the bus services to and from Blairgowrie with routes to Perth, Dundee, Alyth, Coupar Angus, Dunkeld, Aberfeldy, Kirkmichael and Glenshee as well as a circular town service. The bus station is opposite the Wellmeadow.The nearest railway station is Perth
Perth railway station, Scotland
Perth railway station is a railway station located in Perth, Scotland. The station, designed by Sir William Tite, won an architecture prize. It has seven platforms, five of which are "through" platforms....
and the nearest airport is Dundee
Dundee Airport
-Road:The airport lies on the main A85 Riverside Drive, which links the city centre to the Kingsway and the A90, with the airport barely a couple of kilometers from the city centre itself. Taxis are available from outside the airport.-Bus:...
.
Sport
FootballBlairgowrie and Rattray is home to the Scottish Junior Football East Region Premier League side Blairgowrie F.C.
Blairgowrie F.C.
Blairgowrie F.C. are a Scottish Junior football club based in Blairgowrie and Rattray, Perth and Kinross. Their home ground is Davie Park.Blairgowrie are amongst the most successful teams in Perthshire, having won ten Currie Cups, eight Perthshire Junior League Championships, and thirteen...
as well as the Scottish Amateur Football Association
Scottish Amateur Football Association
The Scottish Amateur Football Association is the organising body for amateur football across Scotland. An affiliate of the Scottish Football Association, the SAFA has in turn 50 regional associations affiliated to it and some 67 different league competitions organised by these associations...
sides Rattray A.F.C and Balmoral United A.F.C. which play in the Perthshire Amateur League.
Golf
Blairgowrie Golf Club was founded in 1889 and has been expanded over the years with much of the design by James Braid. There are now two 18 hole courses, Rosemount and Lansdowne, and a 9-hole course. The substantial clubhouse is on Golf Course Road.
Skiing
The Glenshee Ski Centre
Glenshee Ski Centre
Glenshee Ski Centre is the largest ski resort in Scotland and is sometimes referred to as the Scottish three valleys. It is located in Aberdeenshire and to the north of Spittal of Glenshee, on the A93 road between Blairgowrie and Braemar in the southern Highlands of Scotland...
in Glenshee (Glenshee or Gleann Shith which translates from Gaelic as Glen of the Fairies), is some 18 miles to the north at the Cairnwell Pass on the A93
A93 road
The A93 is a major road in Scotland and the highest public road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from Perth through Blairgowrie and Rattray, then through the Grampian Mountains by way of Glenshee, the Cairnwell Pass and Glen Clunie to Braemar in Aberdeenshire...
Braemar
Braemar
Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee sitting at an altitude of ....
road which is the highest public road in the UK.
Ski-ing started here in the 1930s and in 1957 the Dundee Ski Club built the first T-bar tow. In the 1960s the Glenshee Chairlift Company was formed to make the most of the new leisure facility at Cairnwell. During the "glory days " of the 1970s and 80s the car and coach parks would be full to capacity and lift queues would run into hours. The Glenshee Chairlift Co Ltd was forced into receivership in May 2004 by lack of snow over many winters but a management buyout by Glenshee Ltd and the return of good snow ensured that ski-ing and snowboarding continue at Scotland's biggest ski area which now has 21 lifts spread over 4 mountains and 3 valleys.
Rattray
The traditional ball game of Rattray no longer takes place, but the Rattray silver ball which was the trophy retained by the winners is still in existence. It is believed to have been donated by Sylvester Rattray of Nether Persie who became minister of Rattray in 1591 and continued there until his death in 1623.
The Rattray silver ball is now kept at Perth Museum and Art Gallery.
Highland Games
Blairgowrie Highland Games are held annually on the first Sunday of September in Bogles Field on Essendy Road. It is noted for its Hill Race and its mass tug o'war where as many contestants as possible from Blairgowrie and Rattray compete against each other.
The evening before is known as Braemar Night with entertainment in the Wellmeadow and fireworks along the river. This tradition started in the 1960s to encourage travellers returning from Braemar Highland Games (held on the Saturday) to stop in the town and quickly grew into a huge programme of entertainments, pipe bands, fireworks, funfairs etc. which drew tens of thousands not only returning south from Braemar but on special excursions from Perth and Dundee. The current event is somewhat scaled down but extremely popular with locals.
Recreation Centre
The council funded recreation centre in Beeches Road was rebranded Live Active Blairgowrie in 2009, but it is still referred to by locals as The Rec. Irrespective of its name this excellent facility provides training and sports facilities and a swimming pool and is ever popular.
Medical Facilities
Blairgowrie Community Hospital sits on Perth Road and is a GP-ledGeneral practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
unit offering a Minor Injury and Illness Emergency Unit, palliative care and step-down care. There are two GP surgeries, Ardblair in Ann St and Strathmore in Jessie St, and a large dental practice in the High St.