Insch
Encyclopedia
Insch is a village in Garioch
, Aberdeenshire
, Scotland
. It is located approximately 28 miles (45.1 km) from the city of Aberdeen
.
, or, as in this context, a piece of terra firma in a marsh. Alternatively, inch or innis can refer to a meadow or low-lying pasture which more closely corresponds with the site of the village. Innis also indicates the presence of water - a river, loch or estuary, perhaps - often seen as Inch in place names, as in Perth's famous North and South Inches on the west bank of the River Tay
. Inchnadamph
at the eastern end of Loch Assynt is another example. Innis can also be translated as haven or sanctuary - an island where you can be safe from your enemies as much as a resting place on the cattle drove.
This latter meaning is reflected lyrically in Yeats' Innisfree ('heathered haven').
The full Gaelic name of Insch was Innis Mo Bheathain, commemorating St Bean.
merchants.
and has regular bus services to Huntly and Inverurie
.
. There is also a leisure centre with a variety of activities as well as a café next to which there is an 18 hole golf
course. Within the village there is a nursery and a primary school.
There are Church of Scotland
and Scottish Episcopal
churches.
There are two hotels: Carriages (by the railway station, previously named Station Hotel) and another, the Commercial Hotel, towards the centre of the village. A growing number of houses are offering Bed and Breakfast facilities in response to demand from migrant workers.
Golf was absent in Insch until a committee was formed in 1977 to provide the village with such a facility. A nine-hole course was built by voluntary labour along Valentine Burn and was reopened for play in 1982. The club expanded further in 1987, when an innovative clubhouse facility – complete with changing rooms, office, bar, café and dance floor – was provided from the remnants of temporary accommodation for a local school.
The course was extended by the addition of 12 new holes on the slopes of Dunnideer. The design intent of the new course was to match that of the old course, in providing a Parkland course for all golfing abilities, designed around the undulating terrain, with innovative use of water and trees, that would mature over time. The course extension started in 1995 and was completed a year later. It was officially opened on 28 June, 1997 and has now fully matured to met the vision of the original course designers.
With rising membership and rapidly ageing clubhouse, the club members approved a new business plan which included the design and construction of a modern clubhouse – to the design outlined below – at the Golf Club EGM held in March 2003.
The vision of the Golf Club Committee was to provide a modern clubhouse facility that would meet the needs of the modern golfer, funded by a modest increase in annual membership fees and designed to retain the friendly club atmosphere and stunning views over the old course and Dunnideer.
This vision became reality in April 2004, when the new clubhouse opened its doors for the first time.
The clubhouse was officially opened in June 2004 by Paul Lawrie, a local Scottish golf hero and past British Open Champion.
has connections to Insch; his mother's family lived, and ran a business in the village for many years.
David Cameron
's grandparents are buried nearby.
Garioch
Garioch is the name of one of six committee areas in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has a population of 46,254 .Centred on Inverurie, a traditional rural market town whose foundation dates back to the 9th century with the establishment of Christianity at Polnar, "The Kirk of Rocharl" - now St...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, 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...
. It is located approximately 28 miles (45.1 km) from the city of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
.
Etymology
The name of the village may have come from the Scottish Gaelic innis, meaning an islandIsland
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
, or, as in this context, a piece of terra firma in a marsh. Alternatively, inch or innis can refer to a meadow or low-lying pasture which more closely corresponds with the site of the village. Innis also indicates the presence of water - a river, loch or estuary, perhaps - often seen as Inch in place names, as in Perth's famous North and South Inches on the west bank of the River Tay
River Tay
The River Tay is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in the United Kingdom. The Tay originates in western Scotland on the slopes of Ben Lui , then flows easterly across the Highlands, through Loch Dochhart, Loch Lubhair and Loch Tay, then continues east through Strathtay , in...
. Inchnadamph
Inchnadamph
Inchnadamph is a hamlet in Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland. The name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic name Innis nan Damh meaning 'meadow of the stags'...
at the eastern end of Loch Assynt is another example. Innis can also be translated as haven or sanctuary - an island where you can be safe from your enemies as much as a resting place on the cattle drove.
This latter meaning is reflected lyrically in Yeats' Innisfree ('heathered haven').
The full Gaelic name of Insch was Innis Mo Bheathain, commemorating St Bean.
History
In the Middle Ages, the village was home to a colony of FlemishFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
merchants.
Transport
The village is served by Insch railway stationInsch railway station
Insch railway station is a railway station serving the town of Insch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line....
and has regular bus services to Huntly and Inverurie
Inverurie
Inverurie is a Royal Burgh and town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north west of Aberdeen on the A96 road and is served by Inverurie railway station on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line...
.
Facilities
There is a small selection of general and specialist shops, and a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. There is also a leisure centre with a variety of activities as well as a café next to which there is an 18 hole golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course. Within the village there is a nursery and a primary school.
There are Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
and Scottish Episcopal
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
churches.
There are two hotels: Carriages (by the railway station, previously named Station Hotel) and another, the Commercial Hotel, towards the centre of the village. A growing number of houses are offering Bed and Breakfast facilities in response to demand from migrant workers.
Insch Golf Club
The local golf club has just celebrated its centenary. The game of golf in Insch was first recorded before World War I, with the course being laid around Dunnideer Hill. It was then moved to its present location around 1923 where it existed until 1940, when the ground was seconded by the War Department for use as a grenade range.Golf was absent in Insch until a committee was formed in 1977 to provide the village with such a facility. A nine-hole course was built by voluntary labour along Valentine Burn and was reopened for play in 1982. The club expanded further in 1987, when an innovative clubhouse facility – complete with changing rooms, office, bar, café and dance floor – was provided from the remnants of temporary accommodation for a local school.
The course was extended by the addition of 12 new holes on the slopes of Dunnideer. The design intent of the new course was to match that of the old course, in providing a Parkland course for all golfing abilities, designed around the undulating terrain, with innovative use of water and trees, that would mature over time. The course extension started in 1995 and was completed a year later. It was officially opened on 28 June, 1997 and has now fully matured to met the vision of the original course designers.
With rising membership and rapidly ageing clubhouse, the club members approved a new business plan which included the design and construction of a modern clubhouse – to the design outlined below – at the Golf Club EGM held in March 2003.
The vision of the Golf Club Committee was to provide a modern clubhouse facility that would meet the needs of the modern golfer, funded by a modest increase in annual membership fees and designed to retain the friendly club atmosphere and stunning views over the old course and Dunnideer.
This vision became reality in April 2004, when the new clubhouse opened its doors for the first time.
The clubhouse was officially opened in June 2004 by Paul Lawrie, a local Scottish golf hero and past British Open Champion.
Famous residents
Gordon BrownGordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
has connections to Insch; his mother's family lived, and ran a business in the village for many years.
David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
's grandparents are buried nearby.