St Cyrus

For the saint, see Cyrus and John.

St Cyrus
Scottish Gaelic: Eaglais Chiric
Scots: Saunt Ceerus
St Cyrus church
St Cyrus St Cyrus shown within Aberdeenshire
OS grid reference	NO7171
Council area	Aberdeenshire
Lieutenancy area	Kincardineshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Montrose
Postcode district	DD10
Dialling code	01674
Police	Scottish
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
Scottish Parliament	Angus North and Mearns
List of places UK Scotland

Coordinates: 56°46′30″N 2°24′57″W / 56.775°N 2.4158°W / 56.775; -2.4158

St Cyrus or Saint Cyrus (Scots: Saunt Ceerus),^[1] formerly Ecclesgreig (from Scottish Gaelic: Eaglais Chiric) is a village in the far south of Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

General information

St Cyrus National Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve situated between the village and the North Sea. The cliffs and dunes provide a nationally important habitat for flowering plants and insects.^[2] Traditional salmon fishing with nets is still conducted from St Cyrus beach. Two ice houses that used to provide ice for packing salmon before transporting to market can still be seen. One is to the north end of the beach on the donkey track just below the Woodston Fishing Station, the other is further south next to Kirkside [this is now a private dwelling], not far from the Nature Reserve Visitor's Centre.

Area prehistory

There are known prehistorical archaeological sites in the general coastal area of St Cyrus. Examples of these features include Gourdon Hill^[3] to the north and the Stone of Morphie,^[4] both situated slightly to the west of the A92 road alignment.

History

Watch House at Kirkside Cemetery

The remains of the Kaim of Mathers is located on rock pinnacles on the northernmost part of the beach. Built by the Berkeley (or Barclay) family, it was used as a refuge by David de Berkely from the vengeance of the king when, around 1420, he was part of a group who murdered the local sheriff, John Melville of Glenbervie.^[5]^[6]

St Cyrus was on the Montrose to Inverbervie branch line of the North British Railway. This line was closed as part of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s. Evidence for the line can still be seen in the viaduct over the North Esk river to the south of St Cyrus and the remains of some railway embankments and road bridges to the north.

A Home Chain Low radar station was once situated on the cliffs immediately to the south of the village. A blockhouse can still be seen at its location.

Notable residents

Geography

Destinations from St Cyrus

St Cyrus

Montrose

North Sea

Services

St Cyrus has a primary school with a Nursery Class and P1 to P7 classes.

An active Scout Group, with a Beaver Colony (ages 6–8), a Cub Pack (ages 8–10½) and a Scout Troop (ages 10½-14). Beavers and Cubs meet on a Monday night and Scouts meet on a Sunday afternoon at the Scout Hall, off of Beach Road.

St Cyrus has its own telephone exchange (code ESSTC). The exchange is fully enabled for BT ADSL, both fixed speed and ADSL Max flavours.

St Cyrus has a convenience store located on the main road, which also serves as the Post Office. Opposite the store there is a public phone box. There is a public convenience on the junction of the A92 and Ecclesgreig Road at the north of the village. There is a garage at the south end of the village which, until 2013, had a petrol station.

St Cyrus has a public hall located not far from the store on the A92. It is used for meetings of the local community council^[7] and a range of other activities. There is a sports pavilion at the local park, with an all-weather pitch and bowling green.

The Mearns Leader is the local newspaper, which is supplemented by a local community radio station, Mearns FM, that broadcasts from nearby Stonehaven.^[8] The station is not-for-profit, and is volunteer run under a Community Radio Licence.^[9]

A defibrillator is located on Ecclesgreig Road.

Transport

St Cyrus is on the A92 road that runs from Fife to Stonehaven where it joins the A90 and continues to Aberdeen and beyond.

St Cyrus is on National Cycle Route 1 - Shetland to Dover.

The nearest railway stations are at Montrose, 5 miles (8.0 km) away, Laurencekirk, 7 miles (11 km) away and Stonehaven, 18 miles (29 km) away.

Buses (Nos 107, 113, 117 & X7) run between Montrose, St Cyrus and other coastal settlements up to Stonehaven and onward to Aberdeen.^[10]

The nearest airport is at Aberdeen approximately 40 miles (64 km) to the north.

Demography

St Cyrus Population 1801 to 2006

Year	Population
2011	1100^[11]
2006	1085^[12]
1991	851^[13]
1931	1173^[14]
1921	1306^[15]
1911	1222^[16]
1901	1228^[17]
1891	1327^[18]
1881	1487^[19]
1871	1585^[20]
1851	1579^[21]
1841	1164^[22]
1821	1641^[23]
1801	1622^[24]
1755	1271^[25]

Gallery

St Cyrus Church
The visitor centre at the Saint Cyrus National Nature Reserve
St Cyrus ancient kirkyard
St Cyrus Beach

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Cyrus.

Settlements and places of interest in Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire

Primary settlements	Auchenblae Drumoak Fettercairn Gourdon Inverbervie Johnshaven Laurencekirk Newtonhill Portlethen St Cyrus Stonehaven

Other settlements	Arbuthnott Banchory-Devenick Bridge of Muchalls Cammachmore Catterline Cookney Downies Drumlithie Findon Fordoun Glenbervie Kinneff Kirkton of Durris Maryculter Marykirk Muchalls Netherley Portlethen Village Tewel

Places of interest	Causey Mounth Crawton Drum Castle Dunnottar Castle Fetteresso Castle Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve (Craiglethy) Monboddo House Muchalls Castle Normandykes Portlethen Moss Raedykes Stonehaven Open Air Pool Stonehaven Tolbooth

Areas and primary settlements in Aberdeenshire (see also: Aberdeen City)

in Banff and Buchan	Aberchirder Banff Fraserburgh Gardenstown Inverallochy and Cairnbulg Macduff Portsoy Rosehearty Sandhaven Whitehills

in Buchan	Boddam Crimond Cruden Bay Fetterangus Hatton Longside Maud Mintlaw New Deer New Pitsligo Peterhead St Combs St Fergus Strichen Stuartfield

in Formartine	Balmedie Cuminestown Ellon Fyvie Newburgh Oldmeldrum Pitmedden Potterton Rothienorman Tarves Turriff

in Garioch	Blackburn Insch Inverurie Kemnay Kintore Newmachar Westhill

in Kincardine and Mearns	Drumoak Fettercairn Gourdon Inverbervie Johnshaven Laurencekirk Newtonhill Portlethen St Cyrus Stonehaven

in Marr	Aboyne Alford Ballater Banchory Braemar Huntly Lumphanan Tarland Torphins

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