Visit Auchterhouse Places

Welcome to Visit Auchterhouse Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Auchterhouse

  

Auchterhouse Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Auchterhouse

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Auchterhouse history

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The earliest human settlement discovered around Auchterhouse dates from 3500 to 1000 BC, in the form of stone and bronze tools used by the first farmers to clear woodland. Wheat and barley were grown, and cattle and sheep kept, while a decorated sandstone spindle whorl found at Bonnyton, north of the village, and now kept at the McManus Galleries in Dundee, indicates that wool was spun into thread. A possible henge in Dronley Wood has been revealed by aerial photography, and a stone circle at Templelands was destroyed during railway construction in the 19th century. A stone cairn on West Mains Hill, excavated in 1897, was found to conceal a double burial cist, typical of the period around 2000 BC. The cist contained burnt bones and a bronze dagger blade with ox-horn hilt, which are now in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Other cists were reportedly discovered in the 19th century, and a circular burial mound survives south of Dronley House. Cup marks on stones were found around Auchterhouse Park. An Iron Age hillfort on Auchterhouse Hill occupies a naturally defensible position, and is protected to the east and south east by a set of five ramparts and ditches. Souterrains, thought to have provided storage space for foodstuffs, were discovered in the 18th century near Auchterhouse Mansion and in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, and aerial photography has since revealed further sites at East Adamston, Bonnyton, Burnhead of Auchterhouse and Quarry House. Long cists, slab-lined graves in which fully extended bodies were placed, are commonly associated with the period between 1000 BC and 500 AD, and have been recorded at Auchterhouse Park, Leoch and Templeton. A parish church, dedicated to Saint Mary, had been founded by 1238, and Sir John Ramsay played host to both Sir William Wallace and King Edward I of England at Wallace Tower, now part of Auchterhouse Mansion, in 1303. The village came under the jurisdiction of James Stewart, the Earl of Buchan in 1469. He also held the title Lord Auchterhouse, and was the uncle of King James III. The adoption of new agricultural techniques in the 18th and 19th centuries led to increased prosperity in rural areas. Between 1820 and 1850 farm production in Scotland increased by 58 per cent. This new wealth was reflected in Auchterhouse with the construction of new farm buildings at Dronley, East Adamston, Eastfield, Kirkton of Auchterhouse, Leoch and Templeton. Balbeuchley was one of the earliest improved steadings in the area, built in 1802, while Balbeuchley House was built for Patrick Miller, proprietor of the Auchterhouse Estate from 1820 to 1876. The farmhouse at Pitpointie, dated 1883, was built on the site of an earlier steading for George Willsher, a Dundee wine and spirit dealer. Originally built in 1707, the water-powered corn mill at Dronley was rebuilt during this period, and stone quarries were developed at Leoch and Parkside, but perhaps the greatest change to the village came with the opening of the Dundee and Newtyle Railway, one of Scotland’s first passenger lines, in 1831. Sandstone for the line was quarried at Pitpointie. On 2 May 1899 a meeting was held at the Town Hall in Dundee to establish a sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis (then known as consumption). Plans were drawn up for the creation of a 30-bed hospital, and a site at Auchterhouse Park was gifted by David Ogilvy, the Earl of Airlie. Construction started in 1901, and Dundee Sanatorium was formally opened by his widow Mabell Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie on 26 September 1902, at a cost of £20,764. The Dundee Advertiser commented: The establishment of institutions of this kind has been very much encouraged by the unanimous approbation of the medical profession all over the country. That this disease is no longer regarded by the medical profession as either hereditary or as incurable – hence the establishment of these sanatoria all over the kingdom – is a circumstance that is calculated to bring an element of hope to those sufferers, and be a source of satisfaction to their relatives and friends. The Institution so auspiciously opened today enters upon its course of usefulness and will shelter and bring healing to very many of our afflicted sisters and brothers. The first patients were admitted on 11 March 1903, and the following year the institution was renamed the Sidlaw Sanatorium. During the first year of operation, 87 patients were admitted. One patient died, but 67 were discharged. The average stay was just under four months. By 1907 the sanatorium was making a yearly loss of between £500 and £700, and the annual report complained that although the institution was endowed to help the working classes of Dundee, it was not possible to do this due to the need to accept paying patients to contribute to the costs. By 1909 the financial position was so serious that the directors agreed to close the sanatorium the following year, but Sir James Caird, the Dundee jute baron, agreed to provide £1,000 per year if the institution was taken over by Dundee Royal Infirmary, and the transfer was completed in October 1910. The sanatorium eventually closed in 1969 but continued as an NHS convalescent and respite care home until 4 November 1980 (according to the national archives).

Auchterhouse geography / climate

Auchterhouse stands below the southern slopes of the Sidlaw Hills. The land rises from south to north, reaching 1,398 feet (426 m) at the highest point in the community. In the north the land consists of moorlands over underlying sandstone.

You can visit Auchterhouse places with Walkfo Auchterhouse to hear history at Auchterhouse’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Auchterhouse has 7 places to visit in our interactive Auchterhouse map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Auchterhouse, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Auchterhouse places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Auchterhouse & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 7 audio facts unique to Auchterhouse places in an interactive Auchterhouse map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Auchterhouse Places Map
7 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Auchterhouse historic spots	Auchterhouse tourist destinations	Auchterhouse plaques	Auchterhouse geographic features
Walkfo Auchterhouse tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Auchterhouse

  

Best Auchterhouse places to visit

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Auchterhouse has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Auchterhouse’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Auchterhouse’s information audio spots:

Visit Auchterhouse plaques