Kemnay

Kemnay (Gaelic: Ceann a' Mhuigh) is a village 16 miles (26 km) west of Aberdeen in Garioch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. With a population of 3,830 residents aged 16 or over (2012),[2] Kemnay is the third largest settlement in the Garioch after Inverurie and Westhill.[3]

This article is about the village in Scotland. For the community in Canada, see Kemnay, Manitoba.

Kemnay

Kemnay, war memorial and main street.
Kemnay
Location within Aberdeenshire
Population3,870 (mid-2016 est.)[1]
OS grid referenceNJ730158
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townINVERURIE
Postcode districtAB51
Dialling code01467
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

History

The village name Kemnay is believed to originate from the Celtic words that mean "little crook in the river"[4] due to the village location on the bend of the River Don. Kemnay House is classified by Historic Scotland as a category A listed building.[5]

The village was served by Kemnay railway station on the Alford Valley Railway from 1859 to 1950. The alignment through the village has been lost to housing developments.

Religion

Kemnay has church buildings available for the following religious groups:

Tourism

Kemnay is popular with explorers of Aberdeenshire who can stay in numerous guest houses, hotels, and bed and breakfasts within the village. There are two pubs, the Bennachie Lodge and the Burnett Arms Hotel.

Granite

Kemnay Quarry was opened in 1830 by John Fyfe, and became commercial in 1858. Kemnay Granite has been used in many famous buildings and structures, including;

Granite workers from Kemnay helped to quarry and shape the Australian granite used in the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They also travelled to quarries in California, the Mississippi Levees and Odessa.

Places of interest

Sports

Kemnay has various sports clubs, including;

  • Badminton
  • Bowling Club
  • Cricket
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Tennis

There are playing fields available for use by the public at Bogbeth Park, which is also home to the Kemnay Skate Park.

Golfer Paul Lawrie, who won the 1999 Open Championship is a former pupil of Kemnay Academy, as is former Aberdeen F.C. footballer Darren Mackie.

In April 2017, a gym opened in the village, Station 83.[7]

Education
Kemnay Academy in 2005.

In Kemnay, there are two primary schools and one secondary school:

  • Kemnay Primary School
  • Alehousewells Primary School
  • Kemnay Academy, which unveiled a £14.3 million extension in 2015.[8]

References

Citations

  1. "Mid-2016 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  2. "Settlements in Aberdeenshire which have a population greater than 500 (2012)". National Records of Scotland. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  3. "Comparative Population Profile: Kemnay Locality". General Register Office for Scotland. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  4. Milne (1912), p. 204
  5. "Kemnay house, Ref: 9212". Historic Scotland. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  6. "Place of Origin". Kemnay Village Website.
  7. "Gym and café offer Kemnay residents social benefits too". The Press and Journal. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  8. "Kemnay Academy extension opened". Retrieved 18 November 2018.

Bibliography

Milne, John (1912), Celtic Place Names in Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen Journal

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