
Strathtyrum is a country estate in the north-western outskirts of
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's four ...
,
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
. It is accessed via the
A91.
Etymology
The name ''Strathtyrum'' was recorded as ''Trestirum'' in 1190,
and may rooted in either a
Gaelic or
Pictish
Pictish is the extinct Brittonic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited number of geographic ...
etymology.
The first element is either Gaelic ''treabh'' or Pictish ''*trev'', cognates both meaning "farm, estate, town" (c.f.
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
''tref''),
assimilated to Gaelic ''srath'', "valley".
The second element is possibly Gaelic ''tioram'', "dry",
or else an adaptation or translation of an earlier Pictish form.
History

The estate was owned by
St Andrews Cathedral Priory prior to the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
, whereafter ownership was granted to the
Duke of Lennox and it subsequently changed hands several times.
It was purchased by
Archbishop James Sharp in 1669 and by James Cheape, the son of a
laird
Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in a ...
, in 1782.
The adjacent property of
St Andrews Links
St Andrews Links in the town of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, is regarded as the "Home of Golf.” It has one of the oldest courses in the world, where the game has been played since the 15th century. Today there are seven public golf courses; the ...
on the northern side of the estate was acquired by James Cheape in 1821 and sold by his brother's grandson, also named James Cheape, to
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1893.
Control of St Andrews Links was regulated by an act of Parliament in 1894 and another in 1974 which resulted in the creation of the St Andrews Links Trust. The Strathtyrum Course of St Andrews Links, which was opened in 1993, was built on land that was previously part of the estate and sold to the St Andrews Links Trust by Mrs Gladys Cheape in 1986.
The Strathtyrum estate was subsequently inherited by Henry Ismay Cheape.
Buildings
There are several buildings on the estate including the main residential building Strathtyrum House located opposite the
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest golf course.
It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links Trust under ...
, a
Category A listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
built in the 18th century. It is a
Georgian building three storeys high accompanied by riding stables, a mausoleum and a large walled garden.
It was the rented country residence of publisher
John Blackwood who died there in 1879.
While attending the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
where they met,
Prince William and his future wife
Catherine Middleton lived in Balgove House on the estate for two years before graduating in 2005.
See also
*
List of Category A listed buildings in Fife
*
References
External links
Strathtyrum EstateEast Neuk Estates – Strathtyrum
{{coord, 56.344796, -2.826494, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
St Andrews
Country houses in Fife
Listed houses in Scotland
Category A listed buildings in Fife