New Leeds is a
planned village in the
Buchan
Buchan is a coastal district in the north-east of Scotland, bounded by the Ythan and Deveron rivers. It was one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas of Aberdeenshire.
Etymology
The ge ...
area of
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
, Scotland, situated east of
Strichen
Strichen is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It sits on the A981, connecting it to New Deer to the southwest and Fraserburgh to the north-northeast, and the B9093, connecting it to New Pitsligo about due west. The village got its nam ...
at the foot of
Mormond Hill
Mormond Hill (from Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic ''Mórmhonadh'', "big hill") is a broad eminence in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, not far from Fraserburgh. Its twin summits reach heights of and ; the higher of the two is known as Waughton Hill. The hill i ...
.
Nowadays New Leeds serves chiefly as a
dormitory village for
Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
and
Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh (; ), locally known as the Broch, is a town in Aberdeenshire (unitary), Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with a population recorded in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census as 13,100. It lies in Buchan in the northeastern corner of th ...
.
Transport
Regular bus services operate to Fraserburgh and Aberdeen, and an on-demand
Dial-a-bus service is also available.
New Leeds is adjacent to the
A952 road, which links with the
A90 road
The A90 road is a major north-to-south road in eastern Scotland, running from Edinburgh to Fraserburgh, through Dundee and Aberdeen. Along with the A9 road (Scotland), A9 and the A82 (road), A82 it is one of the three major north–south tr ...
north to Fraserburgh and south to Aberdeen and beyond.
The nearby
Mormond railway station
Mormond Halt railway station was a railway station near New Leeds, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the Shires of Scotl ...
closed in 1979, and now offers an access point to the
Formartine and Buchan Way
The Formartine and Buchan Way is a long-distance trail in Scotland, extending from Dyce north to Peterhead and Fraserburgh in the Buchan and Formartine districts of Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It follows the track of a former railway line, the Fo ...
, the long-distance path that follows the route of the former railway.
Landmarks
On the slopes of Mormond Hill above the village is the White Stag of Mormond, a
hill figure
A hill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type of geoglyph usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and ...
marked with quartz stones, first laid out by Mr F. W. Cordiner of
Cortes
Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to:
People
* Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name
** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador
Places
* Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...
to mark his wedding in 1870.
A more modern landmark is the pair of wind turbines erected in 2008 at Redbog, north of the village. A further turbine at nearby West Cockmuir is planned.
Schools
Primary education is provided at Kininmonth School, south of the village, whilst secondary pupils travel to
Mintlaw Academy
Mintlaw Academy is a secondary school in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
History
The school opened in 1981 with about 600 enrolled students and a capacity of 1,000. By August 2003, it had about 920 enrolled students. The rector is Linda Duthie . The sc ...
, away.
Churches
New Leeds Church was built between 1853 and 1854, and is located in the south-west end of the village. The church and attached manse have been converted into a private house.
History
New Leeds was founded in the late 18th century by
Alexander Fraser 8th of Strichen (
fl.
''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
1764), whose ambition was that the village would grow to rival
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
in Yorkshire as a place of wool manufacture. Such ambitions were not to be realised, and by 1912 the village was suffering declining population, with many dwellings abandoned.
Lotted lands and planned villages in north-east Scotland
Douglas G. Lockhart
Burnshangie Farm dates to 1800, while nearby Howford Old Farm followed a little later.
References
Bibliography
*
{{authority control
Villages in Aberdeenshire
Buchan