Dunkeld & Birnam History & Culture

Friends of Dunkeld Cathedral

The Society of Friends of Dunkeld Cathedral was founded to stimulate interest in the Cathedral as a part of the history of Scotland. The objectives of the Society of Friends include "the preservation of the fittings and furnishing of the Choir and stimulation of interest in the Cathedral".

The people who care about the history, the place and the community in the 21st Century. We live in different times from when our great establishments benefited from the protection and support of individuals or families. Now, however, the warmth of support is more likely to come from groups of like-minded people with shared interests, whether these be history (secular or religious), education, architecture or landscape. All these elements are here in Dunkeld and the objectives of the Society of Friends include "the preservation of the fittings and furnishing of the Choir and stimulation of interest in the Cathedral".

Birnam Arts Centre

A fantastic multi-purpose venue, there's always something going on! - Live music, theatre & comedy from world class performers. The Foyer Cafeserves delicious cakes, coffees and ice creams as well as a varied lunch menu made using fresh local produce. Purchase a unique gift for a loved one at Potter's Junction Gift Shop and entertain the kids in the Beatrix Potter Exhibition whilst learning about the famous author's links to the area.

The centre is also widely used by Dunkeld & Birnam's many community groups, regularly hosts conferences of up to 150 delegates, serves as an ideal wedding venue for couples seeking a unique wedding experience.

Look out for arts and crafts workshops over the holiday period for kids and adults alike.

The Community Archive

To commemerate the part played by the Scottish Horse at the Battle of Galipoli there is transcript of relevant records available to purchase for £2, there is a publication page on the Dunkeld Cathedral web site.

The Community Archive, situated in a building at the Cross, Dunkeld, welcomes locals and visitors to browse the collection, view displays and talk to the volunteers about our community in years gone by. The records of The Scottish Horse Regiment are also kept in the archive and we welcome visitors who wish to research family members who were in the Regiment, please get intouch to make an appointment. The Scottish Horse Museum closed in 1999, some artifacts are kept at the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry Museum in Cupar Fife. If you have a Scottish Horse enquiry go to the Dunkeld Cathedral web site and follow the links to the Archive enquiry form

The archive is run by volunteers and we do make a small charge for research. We also have booklets covering the local graveyards which will help with family history research, if you go to the Dunkeld Cathedral web site and follow the links there are forms for you to fill in making it easier to make enquires.

We are still looking for memorabilia from the First World War to put on display any items with a conection to the area are welcome. A new project is looking into the shops in Dunkeld and Birnam, we are trying to build a record of the different incarnations of the shops, for example The Sweet Shop, 28 Atholl Street, was a fishmonger in the 1920's and is now an antique shop, do you have any memories or photgraphs?

> Photographs of school, work and leisure
> Scrapbooks of local events

> Minutes of local organisations

> Records of the local regiment, The Scottish Horse, including photographs.
> Information on shops and business
> Maps and plans of the area

We welcome donation of items about Birnam, Dunkeld, Amulree, Butterstone, Dalguise, Dowally, Caputh and Murthly.

We are open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays 10-12 all year.

Links to other sites of interest:

The Black Watch Museum

Blair Castle

Dunkeld Cathedral Information on the Cathedral and Museum and Archive

Perth Museum

Telford's Bridge

Bridging the Tay at Dunkeld

The medieval bridge begun by Alexander Myln in 1510 had collapsed by the early 17th century and for two hundred years crossings were made by two ferries - the Inver Ferry upstream of the Cathedral and the East Ferry downstream of Little Dunkeld Church.

Recognising the poor state of the roads and lack of bridges in Scotland, the government instructed Telford to carry out a survey for improving communications. In 1802 he reported that a bridge could be built at Dunkeld on a straight reach of the river a little way above the East Ferry at a cost of £15,000 (nearly £1m in today’s prices). The 4th Duke of Atholl agreed to give up his interest in the ferries and meet half the cost on the understanding his investment could be recovered by tolls.

Construction of the bridge began in the spring of 1803, at first supervised by Patrick Brown and then John Simpson under Telford’s direction. The sandstone for the arches was quarried at Gellyburn on the Murthly Estate, some 10km to the south east of Dunkeld and the stone for the rubblework was sourced in local quarries to the west of Birnam. The foundations of the bridge are not piled but are laid on rafts of larch cut from the neighbouring Polney Wood.

On the 24th June 1805, a ceremony was held to inaugurate the construction the stone bridge. Sir George Stewart, laird of the Murthly Estate laid the foundation stone in the Duke of Atholl’s absence and, after the workmen had all received and downed a dram, construction began. Over 250 workmen (masons, carpenters, smiths, quarrymen and labourers) were employed during the construction of the bridge.

Despite adverse weather conditions with high water levels often flooding foundations, the bridge was opened to the public in October 1808 and finally approved by Telford as complete in November 1809.

Murthly & Strathbraan Estates

Murthly & Strathbraan Estates is a traditional working estate near Birnam, with a variety of activities available. Please see these under the headings below.

Fishing

Salmon fishing is available on the River Tay (678 salmon and 31 sea trout in 2013) and trout fishing is availble on lochs and rivers. With some of the best fly-fishing water on the River Tay and its deep pools, few seasons pass without a 30lb fish being caught, and our fishers return year after year to enjoy the impressive banks of mature Douglas Fir, beech, oak and sycamore, and the views to the Dunkeld hills and along Strathmore.

Salmon fishing is let by the day (see our website) and trout fishing is available through Dunkeld & Birnam Angling Association.

Shooting and stalking

Pheasant and partridge shooting, plus stalking for roe, fallow and red deer take place in a widely-varied landscape ranging from heather moorland to rich woodland near the River Tay. Straddling the Highland Line, the Estate is irresistible to many in its variety of terrain and challenges that it presents to the sporting shot. Please see our website for further details.

Castle, chapel and garden tours

Tours of Murthly Castle, together with the Chapel of St. Anthony the Eremite and the walled garden, last about 90 minutes and are available by booking in advance only. See our website for further details.

Weddings

Murthly also provides a first-class venue for religious, secular and civil weddings. The chapel in particular is stunning, as is the general setting of the castle grounds.

Walking and cycling

There are several long-established footpaths on the Estate that have now been incorporated into the national path network. Maps are available in various shops and establishments in Dunkeld and Birnam.