Strichen: Buildings from Several Centuries

If you are interested in historic buildings and archaeological landmarks, Strichen offers a clear contrast across time. In the village, the former parish church and the Town House represent different building histories; southwest of the village lies the reconstructed Strichen Stone Circle. The themes range from an 18th-century planned village and a former market arcade to a stone circle that probably dates from the Bronze Age. This makes Strichen a destination with several layers of history.

Town House: Village Planning and Market Arcade

Strichen Town House stands in the centre of the village, which was planned in the 18th century. It is an outstanding example of an early 19th-century castellated town house and was designed by the renowned Aberdeen architect John Smith. This brings together the history of village planning and a later building, although they do not belong to the same building phase. Its central location and architectural classification make the Town House a tangible reference point for Strichen’s local history. Battlements are the notched sections along the top of a wall; here, the term describes a specific feature of the building’s exterior design.

Another feature is on the ground floor: the arcade was originally open and served as a covered market. An arcade consists of a series of arches forming an open, covered area. In this building, it connects the structure with its former role as a marketplace; the battlements also identify the Town House as a town house.

The Former Parish Church

Strichen’s former parish church was built in 1798, replacing an earlier church dating from 1620. There are 178 years between the two construction dates, making the gap between the earlier building and its replacement clear. The former parish church stands in the burial ground between Newton Wood and North Ugie Water in the village of Strichen. In contrast to the Town House, the historical emphasis here is on the succession of two church buildings, rather than the architecture of a town house and its former role as a marketplace.

Strichen Stone Circle

Strichen Stone Circle is a reconstructed recumbent stone circle with a diameter of about 15 metres. It comprises a recumbent stone, two flanking stones and seven additional stones made of local grey granite. The diameter gives an approximate indication of its size, while the arrangement describes the monument’s specific form. Excavations suggest that the circle was probably built in the early Bronze Age. This makes it considerably older than the Town House and former parish church. The stone circle lies about three-quarters of a mile southwest of Strichen village, on the summit of a low hill.

Strichen War Memorial

Strichen War Memorial is a carved monument of grey granite in the form of a churchyard cross. Its form differs clearly from Strichen Stone Circle: here, a carved cross defines the monument, while there, it is the reconstructed arrangement of individual stones. The materials can also be compared: the Memorial is described as carved grey granite, while seven additional stones in the stone circle are made of local grey granite.

The locations also set these landmarks apart: the parish church and Town House are in the village, while the stone circle lies about three-quarters of a mile southwest, on a low hill. When planning your visit, you can therefore distinguish between the buildings in the village and the archaeological monument located separately.

Discover more destinations: Inverurie, Dinnet, Kintore, Marykirk, Insch, Plaidy, Aberchirder, Portlethen

View the broader travel guide: Aberdeenshire.