, built from local red
Sandstone .]]
The in the
Council Area of
Angus in
Scotland , and has a population of approximately 23,000 people (
2001 census). It lies on the
North Sea coast, around 12 miles north-east of
Dundee and 51 miles south of
Aberdeen .
The town is internationally famous as the home of the
Declaration Of Arbroath , the statement of
Scottish Independence signed by the nobility in the
14th Century . The town's
Ancient Ruined Abbey is central to the story of the declaration and remains a key Scottish tourist attraction today.
A traditional fishing town, it has also achieved fame for its local delicacy the ''
Arbroath Smokie '', a kind of smoked haddock.
The modern name ''Arbroath'' became prevalent in the mid-nineteenth century as a colloquialism of the original name ''Aberbrothock''. This
Pictish title is a reference to the Brothock
Burn upon which the town is built.
Arbroath Abbey was founded by King
William The Lion in
1178 for monks of the
Tironesian order from
Kelso Abbey . It received consecration in
1197 with a dedication to Saint
Thomas Becket . It was the King's only personal foundation, and he was buried within its precincts in
1214 .
On
6 April 1320 the parliament met at Arbroath Abbey and addressed to the
Pope the
Declaration Of Arbroath , drafted by the Abbot of the time
Bernard De Linton . This document detailed the services which their "lord and sovereign"
Robert The Bruce had rendered to Scotland, and affirmed in eloquent terms the independence of the Scots.
The original harbour was constructed and maintained by the
Abbot s within the terms of an agreement between the
Burgesses and
John Gedy , the abbot in
1394 . This gave way to a more commodious port in
1725 , which in turn was enlarged and improved in
1839 .
In
1807 Arbroath became the base of operations for the building of the
Bell Rock Lighthouse . The shore station for the lighthouse - the Bell Rock Signal Tower - was completed in
1813 and acted as a lifeline for the keepers offshore. Today this building houses the
Signal Tower Museum , a visitor centre detailing the history of the lighthouse.
The local specialty, genuine Arbroath Smokies are made from haddock using traditional methods dating back to the late
1800s .
The fish are first salted overnight to preserve them, before being left tied in pairs to ''drouth'' (
Scots for dry). Next, the dried fish are hung in a special barrel containing a hardwood fire and covered with a lid. After around an hour of smoking, the fish are golden brown and ready to eat.
The preparation of Smokies remains a
Cottage Industry in Arbroath, centred exclusively at the harbour area, known in Scots as ''the fit o the toun'' (the lower end of the town).
In 2004 the Arbroath Smokie was awarded
Protected Geographical Indication , acknowledging its unique status. It is exported worldwide.
This event has been held in
August every year since
1997 to celebrate Arbroath's close ties to the North Sea. Events include:
- rescue displays by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
- performances by Scottish Pipe Band s, local brass bands and other artists
- a Raft race around the inner harbour
- a Yacht race which takes the participants past the cliffs north of Arbroath
- the Gourmet Galley, where chefs prepare locally caught seafood dishes
In 2004 the
Red Arrows performed an
Aerobatic display over the seafront.
This was also observed by spectators at the
Victoria Park .
Victoria Park was opened in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
Four concrete pillars were constructed in the 1930's at the same time as the outdoor bathing pool at the west links.
The pillars are placed on either side of the road at the entrance to the park. Two are 18 feet and two are 16 feet tall.
At the end of Victoria Park is the site of St Ninian's Well.The well was a small hollow scooped out from the cliff face, with a reputation for curing various diseases.
Since
1947 , a
Pageant commemorating the signing of the Declaration has been held within the roofless remains of the abbey. This is run by the local
Arbroath Abbey Pageant Society , and dramatically re-enacts the story of the signing.
The author
Sir Walter Scott is famous for the ''Waverley'' series of novels, including ''Rob Roy'' and ''Ivanhoe''. Scott is known to have visited Arbroath three times, and his personal favourite in the series, ''The
Antiquary '' (1816) features affectionately fictionalised versions of both Arbroath ("Fairport") and Auchmithie ("Musselcrag").
Arbroath holds the world record for the largest winning margin in a score in a first-class football match, 36-0 in a Scottish Cup match against Bon Accord (from Aberdeen) in 1885.
For some reason, the fans seem to let everyone, more than 120 years later, know about it! The AFC supporters' club is called the 36-0 club in memory of this event.
Seven further goals were disallowed for offside - apparently, the score would have been
greater if there had been goal nets to stop the ball blowing into the North Sea.
The team are nicknamed 'The Red Lichties' due to the red light that used to guide fishing boats
back from the North Sea to the harbour.
Auchmithie, three miles north-east of Arbroath, is a tiny village whose residents originally earned a precarious living by fishing for lobster and crab.
Auchmithie is almost certainly where the Smokie originated. At the beginning of the
19th Century the fisherfolk there (with surnames such as Swankie, Spink and Cargill) migrated into Arbroath, where the Smokie tradition continues today under the same names.
The rugged cliffs around Auchmithie create in the promontory of Red Head a number of curiously shaped caves and archways which attract large numbers of visitors.
This originally rural parish, 1 mile north of Arbroath town centre, takes its name from the
Latin form (Vigeanus) of Féchín, a
7th Century Irish saint, who founded the monastery of
Fore , in Co.
Westmeath . There is no evidence Féchín himself ever came to
Scotland , so the church may have been founded by his followers, perhaps in the early
8th Century . It is the likely site of a
Pictish monastery, as attested by both the dedication and the large collection of carved stones recovered from the walls of the parish church during its restoration in the
19th Century . One of the stones, the
Drosten Stone , has one of the few inscriptions surviving from Pictland, implying literacy, and other stones feature representations of ecclesiastics holding books, and Biblical or Patristic scenes.
Since the 1960s the carved stones, along with some medieval fragments, have been displayed in a converted cottage in the village (
Historic Scotland ). Key available from
Arbroath Abbey (no entrance charge).
Six miles west by south are the
Slate quarries of Carmyllie, the terminus of a branch line (opened in
1900 ) from Arbroath, which functioned as the first
Light Railway in Scotland. The quarries and the light railway have been closed since the
1950s and the railway bed now serves as a nature trail from Elliot to Carmyllie.
The local museum is built into the regency 'Signal Tower', built in 1813 as the shore station and family living quarters for the famous
Bell Rock Lighthouse .
From the beach and harbour side of Arbroath, at night you can clearly see the hugely impressive sweep of the famous historical
Bell Rock Lighthouse , which sits 12 miles out to sea. This impressive engineering feat was built by family of the author
Robert Louis Stevenson author of Kidnapped and Treasure Island.
- David Dunbar Buick , founder of the Buick Motor Company , and inventor of the Enamel ed Bathtub and the Overhead Valve engine.
- James Chalmers , inventor of the adhesive Postage Stamp and promoter of the Uniform Postal Rate
- Dominik Diamond , TV presenter
- Sir Harry Lauder , lived in Arbroath until the age of 14
- Durward Lely , a principal in the original Savoy Opera s
- James Lyle Mackay , later first Earl Of Inchcape , 1852-1932, was born and educated in Arbroath. Chairman of the P&O Line and the British India Company .
- Alexander Shanks , inventor of the lawnmower, lived in Arbroath
- Andy Stewart , musician and entertainer. Born in Glasgow, he moved to Arbroath as a boy, and is considered by Arbroathians as one of their own. He later moved back and died there in 1994.
