Nairn
Encyclopedia
Nairn is a town and former burgh
in the Highland
council area of Scotland
. It is an ancient fishing port and market town
around 16 miles (26 km) east of Inverness
. It was the county town
of the wider county of Nairn
also known as Nairnshire.
The town is now best known as a seaside resort
, with two golf
courses, a community centre/mid-scale arts venue ( Nairn Community & Arts Centre), a small theatre (called The Little Theatre) and one small museum
, providing information on the local area and incorporating the collection of the former Fishertown museum.
visited the town in 1589 and is said to have later remarked that the High Street was so long that the people at either end spoke different languages to one another – English and Gaelic. The landward farmers generally spoke English and the fishing families at the harbour end, Gaelic. Nairn, formerly split into Scottish Gaelic- and Scots
-speaking communities, was a town of two halves in other ways. The narrow-streeted fishertown surrounds a harbour built by Thomas Telford
while Victorian villas stand in the 'West End'. It is believed that the Duke of Cumberland stayed in Nairn the night before the battle of Culloden
.
In 1645, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the battle of Auldearn
was fought near the town, between Royalists
and Covenanters.
It was not until the 1860s that Nairn became a respectable and popular holiday town. Dr. John Grigor (a statue of whom is located at Viewfield) was gifted a house in this coastal town and spent his retirement there. He valued its warm climate and advised his wealthy clients to holiday there. Following the opening of the Nairn railway station
in 1855, new houses and hotels were built in the elegant West End. The station is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line
. Originally this was the last stop on the line from London due to the inhospitable terrain on what is now the main Dava branch line to Inverness.
is one of the greatest traditional links courses in the world and was established in 1887. Its designers include Archie Simpson, Old Tom Morris and James Braid. It has hosted many tournaments culminating in the 1999 Walker Cup
and is visited by golfers from all over the world. It is currently ranked number 24th in the definitive list of the Top 100 courses in Britain & Ireland 2010/2011 and will be the venue for the 2012 Curtis Cup
. The second is Nairn Dunbar Golf Club.
Nairn is also the home of Scottish Under-21 champion Kelsey MacDonald – currently a top Scottish female amateur.
The local football team is Nairn County F.C.
, who play in the Highland Football League
. They recently picked up their first trophy in 31 years when they won the North of Scotland Cup 3-1 against local rivals Forres Mechanics F.C.
at Grant Street Park, Inverness. The town has another football team, Nairn St Ninian, who are a junior outfit.
, who lives in Nairn, created a film festival entitled "Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams" which was created out of an old bingo hall in the town. It generated worldwide press about the festival and Nairn.
Nairn is also the host for the annual Nairn Book & Arts festival which takes place every year in June at the Nairn Community & Arts Centre.
Nairn stages one of the biggest Highland games in the North. The first event was held in 1867, and it is now one of the few where entry remains free. The games are a major event in the local social calendar.
and Scotland, Nairn experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. It is one of the driest location's in Scotland due to the rain shadowing effect of the surrounding mountains.
from Inverness
to Aberdeen
currently passes through Nairn town itself. Fergus Ewing
, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
, has been canvassing for a Nairn by-pass to be developed.
At present Scottish Executive
investment in the transport infrastructure has focused on the Inverness to Nairn stretch of road, especially to improve links to Inverness Airport
.
However, there are no current plans to build a Nairn by-pass until after 2011. A consultation is currently planned to 2007, which is expected to determine both the feasibility of a Nairn by-pass, as well as a potential time-scale for development.
In the meantime, land to the east and south of the town is being considered for the further development of 1400 houses, with additional plans submitted by Lord Cawdor to double the size of the town over the next 10–15 years through private investment.
of Nairn was a parliamentary burgh, combined with the burghs of Inverness
, Fortrose
and Forres
, in the Inverness Burghs
constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
from 1708 to 1918. The constituency was abolished in 1918 and the Forres and Nairn components were merged into the then new constituency of Moray and Nairn
.
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 the Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area of 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 an ancient fishing port and market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
around 16 miles (26 km) east of Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
. It was the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of the wider county of Nairn
Nairn (boundaries)
Nairn was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Nairn as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area became one of the eight districts of the two-tier Highland region...
also known as Nairnshire.
The town is now best known as a seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
, with two 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....
courses, a community centre/mid-scale arts venue ( Nairn Community & Arts Centre), a small theatre (called The Little Theatre) and one small museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, providing information on the local area and incorporating the collection of the former Fishertown museum.
History
King James VI of ScotlandJames I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
visited the town in 1589 and is said to have later remarked that the High Street was so long that the people at either end spoke different languages to one another – English and Gaelic. The landward farmers generally spoke English and the fishing families at the harbour end, Gaelic. Nairn, formerly split into Scottish Gaelic- and Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
-speaking communities, was a town of two halves in other ways. The narrow-streeted fishertown surrounds a harbour built by Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
while Victorian villas stand in the 'West End'. It is believed that the Duke of Cumberland stayed in Nairn the night before the battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
.
In 1645, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the battle of Auldearn
Battle of Auldearn
The Battle of Auldearn was an engagement of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It took place on 9 May 1645, in and around the village of Auldearn in Nairn. It resulted in a victory for the royalists led by the Earl of Montrose and Alasdair MacColla over a Covenanter army under the command of Sir John...
was fought near the town, between Royalists
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
and Covenanters.
Nairn railway station
Nairn railway station is a railway station serving the town of Nairn in Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line.- Services :...
in 1855, new houses and hotels were built in the elegant West End. The station is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line
Aberdeen to Inverness Line
The Aberdeen to Inverness Line is a railway line in Scotland linking Aberdeen and Inverness.-Current services:Passenger services are operated by First ScotRail. There is some limited freight traffic, with Elgin retaining a goods yard, whilst Keith, Huntly and Inverurie retain smaller, less...
. Originally this was the last stop on the line from London due to the inhospitable terrain on what is now the main Dava branch line to Inverness.
Sport
Nairn is known as a world class golfing destination, with two 18 hole Championship golf courses. One of these, The Nairn Golf ClubNairn Golf Club
Nairn Golf Club is a golf course in Nairn, Scotland.Nairn is noted for hosting the 1999 Walker Cup and the 2004 Jacques Léglise Trophy. Nairn will host the 2012 Curtis Cup....
is one of the greatest traditional links courses in the world and was established in 1887. Its designers include Archie Simpson, Old Tom Morris and James Braid. It has hosted many tournaments culminating in the 1999 Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
and is visited by golfers from all over the world. It is currently ranked number 24th in the definitive list of the Top 100 courses in Britain & Ireland 2010/2011 and will be the venue for the 2012 Curtis Cup
Curtis Cup
The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match . It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland"...
. The second is Nairn Dunbar Golf Club.
Nairn is also the home of Scottish Under-21 champion Kelsey MacDonald – currently a top Scottish female amateur.
The local football team is Nairn County F.C.
Nairn County F.C.
Nairn County F.C. are a senior football club who currently play in the Highland Football League.They were founded in 1914 and play at Station Park, Nairn.As a senior team they can play in the Scottish Cup....
, who play in the Highland Football League
Highland Football League
The Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...
. They recently picked up their first trophy in 31 years when they won the North of Scotland Cup 3-1 against local rivals Forres Mechanics F.C.
Forres Mechanics F.C.
Forres Mechanics Football Club are a senior Scottish football club currently playing in the Highland Football League. They were founded in 1884 and play at Mosset Park in Forres. Their nickname is the Can-Cans. The club is eligible to play in the Scottish Cup.The club were one of the founder...
at Grant Street Park, Inverness. The town has another football team, Nairn St Ninian, who are a junior outfit.
Culture
The town also hosts the Nairn International Jazz Festival each August, usually attracting some well-known and world class musicians. In 2010 Oscar-winning actress Tilda SwintonTilda Swinton
Katherine Mathilda "Tilda" Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She has appeared in a number of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, The Beach, We Need to Talk About Kevin and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her...
, who lives in Nairn, created a film festival entitled "Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams" which was created out of an old bingo hall in the town. It generated worldwide press about the festival and Nairn.
Nairn is also the host for the annual Nairn Book & Arts festival which takes place every year in June at the Nairn Community & Arts Centre.
Nairn stages one of the biggest Highland games in the North. The first event was held in 1867, and it is now one of the few where entry remains free. The games are a major event in the local social calendar.
Climate
As with the rest of the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
and Scotland, Nairn experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. It is one of the driest location's in Scotland due to the rain shadowing effect of the surrounding mountains.
Notable people
- William Whitelaw, the British deputy Prime Minister 1979–88, was born in Nairn and has a street named after his family.
- James Augustus GrantJames Augustus GrantJames Augustus Grant, CB, CSI, FRS, FRGS was a Scottish explorer of eastern equatorial Africa.Grant was born at Nairn in the Scottish Highlands, where his father was the parish minister, and educated at the grammar school and Marischal College, Aberdeen. In 1846 he joined the Indian army...
who discovered the source of the Nile together with Speke was born at Househill, attended Nairn Academy and died at Nairn in 1892. There is a plaque to his memory in St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
. - Charlie ChaplinCharlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
used to holiday every year in Nairn and stayed at the Newton Hotel. - David St John ThomasDavid St John ThomasDavid St John Thomas is an English publisher and writer. He is the father of music maestro David St Thomas.- Early life and career :...
British author and publisher resides here. - BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actress Tilda SwintonTilda SwintonKatherine Mathilda "Tilda" Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She has appeared in a number of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, The Beach, We Need to Talk About Kevin and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her...
and her children have resided in Nairn since 2007.
Current developments
The A96A96 road
The A96 is a major road in the North of Scotland.It runs generally west/north-west from Aberdeen, bypassing Kintore, Inverurie, Huntly and Forres, and running through Keith, Fochabers, Elgin and Nairn...
from Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
to 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 ....
currently passes through Nairn town itself. Fergus Ewing
Fergus Ewing
Fergus Ewing is the Scottish Government's Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Inverness and Nairn.- Background :...
, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, has been canvassing for a Nairn by-pass to be developed.
At present Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
investment in the transport infrastructure has focused on the Inverness to Nairn stretch of road, especially to improve links to Inverness Airport
Inverness Airport
Inverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited...
.
However, there are no current plans to build a Nairn by-pass until after 2011. A consultation is currently planned to 2007, which is expected to determine both the feasibility of a Nairn by-pass, as well as a potential time-scale for development.
In the meantime, land to the east and south of the town is being considered for the further development of 1400 houses, with additional plans submitted by Lord Cawdor to double the size of the town over the next 10–15 years through private investment.
Parliamentary burgh
The burghBurgh
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...
of Nairn was a parliamentary burgh, combined with the burghs of Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, Fortrose
Fortrose
Fortrose is a burgh in the Scottish Highlands, located on the Moray Firth, approximately ten kilometres north east of Inverness. The town is known for its ruined 13th century cathedral, and as the home of the Brahan Seer. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of the bishopric of Ross...
and Forres
Forres
Forres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
, in the Inverness Burghs
Inverness Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Inverness Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918...
constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
from 1708 to 1918. The constituency was abolished in 1918 and the Forres and Nairn components were merged into the then new constituency of Moray and Nairn
Moray and Nairn (UK Parliament constituency)
Moray and Nairn was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983.It was formed by the amalgamation of the county constituency Elginshire and Nairnshire with the parliamentary burghs of Elgin, previously part of Elgin Burghs, and Nairn and...
.