Longforgan
Encyclopedia
Longforgan is a village and parish
in the Carse of Gowrie
, in Perth and Kinross
, Scotland. It lies 5 miles (8 km) west of Dundee
on the main A90 road
.
. The officials present were the same as those at of the sovereign's courts. The village was created a burgh of barony
in 1672. Castle Huntly
, established in the 14th century and developed in the 17th and 18th centuries, is located 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) south-west of the village. It is now an open prison
.
, police station
, Architechts Office
, primary school, coaching inn, church and general store. The 17th-century mercat cross
is protected as a category A listed building. Castle Road is another of the oldest streets in Longforgan, and as the name suggests, was the main road from the church down to Castle Huntly. Many of the houses are original whitewashed cottar houses used in the past by land workers on the estate. This 'bonny' road down to the Carse of Gowrie is now closed to through vehicle traffic.
The Eastbank area was developed in the 1960s, and Paterson was built in the 1970s, to accommodate the village's growing population, it is situated in the north of the village. Dorward Place was built in 1996 and is mostly sheltered housing
and flats. Westbank was originally farms but was transformed into houses in around 2000. Rosamunde Pilcher Drive is located in this estate, and is named after the bestselling author Rosamunde Pilcher
who lives in Longforgan. Built in the 2000s, Mary Findlay Drive is the largest modern housing estate
in Longforgan with around 60 houses and its own park. Worbey Place and McDonald Road are situated next to Helen McGregor Park in the east end of Longforgan. The park includes tennis courts, a football pitch, and a play area.
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in the Carse of Gowrie
Carse of Gowrie
The Carse of Gowrie consists of a stretch of low-lying country in the southern part of Gowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It stretches for about 20 miles along the north shore of the Firth of Tay between Perth and Dundee. The area offers high quality agricultural land and is well known as a major...
, 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. It lies 5 miles (8 km) west of Dundee
Dundee
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...
on the main A90 road
A90 road
The A90 road is a major north to south road in eastern Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.From Edinburgh, it travels west and over the Forth Road Bridge, before turning into the M90 motorway. At Perth, the M90 again becomes the A90, now running north east to Dundee...
.
History
A record survives of Sir Patrick Gray, as Baron of Longforgan, holding a baronial court here in 1385 on the Longforgan or Hund Hill; a moot hillMoot hill
A moot hill or mons placiti is a hill or mound historically used as an assembly or meeting place. In early medieval Britain, such hills were used for "moots", meetings of local people to settle local business. Among other things, proclamations might be read; decisions might be taken; court cases...
. The officials present were the same as those at of the sovereign's courts. The village was created a burgh of barony
Burgh of barony
A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....
in 1672. Castle Huntly
Castle Huntly
Castle Huntly sits approximately seven miles west of Dundee in the Carse of Gowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is situated close to the shore of the Firth of Tay and can be seen from the main road linking Dundee and Perth. The castle sits on top of a rocky outcrop surrounded by what is now...
, established in the 14th century and developed in the 17th and 18th centuries, is located 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) south-west of the village. It is now an open prison
Open prison
An open prison is an informal description applied to any penal establishment in which the prisoners are trusted to serve their sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security and so do not need to be locked up in prison cells...
.
Name
The name Longforgan may be derived from Scottish Gaelic lann, meaning "enclosure" or "church", or lòn, meaning "marsh", coupled with fothir grund, meaning a fertile field.Description
Main Street is one of the oldest parts of the village. It contains the oldest cottages in the village and the bowling clubBowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
, police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
, Architechts Office
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, primary school, coaching inn, church and general store. The 17th-century mercat cross
Mercat cross
A mercat cross is a market cross found in Scottish cities and towns where trade and commerce was a part of economic life. It was originally a place where merchants would gather, and later became the focal point of many town events such as executions, announcements and proclamations...
is protected as a category A listed building. Castle Road is another of the oldest streets in Longforgan, and as the name suggests, was the main road from the church down to Castle Huntly. Many of the houses are original whitewashed cottar houses used in the past by land workers on the estate. This 'bonny' road down to the Carse of Gowrie is now closed to through vehicle traffic.
The Eastbank area was developed in the 1960s, and Paterson was built in the 1970s, to accommodate the village's growing population, it is situated in the north of the village. Dorward Place was built in 1996 and is mostly sheltered housing
Sheltered housing
Sheltered housing is a British English term covering a wide range of rented housing for older and/or disabled or other vulnerable people. Most commonly it refers to grouped housing such as a block or "scheme" of flats or bungalows with a scheme manager or "officer"; traditionally the manager has...
and flats. Westbank was originally farms but was transformed into houses in around 2000. Rosamunde Pilcher Drive is located in this estate, and is named after the bestselling author Rosamunde Pilcher
Rosamunde Pilcher
Rosamunde Pilcher OBE is a British author of romance novels and mainstream women's fiction. Early in her career she was also published under the pen name Jane Fraser. Pilcher retired from writing in 2000.-Early years:...
who lives in Longforgan. Built in the 2000s, Mary Findlay Drive is the largest modern housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
in Longforgan with around 60 houses and its own park. Worbey Place and McDonald Road are situated next to Helen McGregor Park in the east end of Longforgan. The park includes tennis courts, a football pitch, and a play area.