Coordinates: 56°09′03″N 3°51′16″W / 56.15085°N 3.85438°W
| Menstrie | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Meanstraidh | |
  Menstrie
Menstrie shown within Scotland |
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| Population | 2,066 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Council area | Clackmannanshire |
| Lieutenancy area | Clackmannanshire |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Menstrie |
| Postcode district | FK11 |
| Dialling code | 01259 |
| Police | Central Scotland |
| Fire | Central Scotland |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Ochil and South Perthshire |
| Scottish Parliament | Ochil |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Menstrie (Meanstraidh in (Scottish Gaelic) is a village in the county of Clackmannanshire in Scotland, UK. It is about 5 miles (8 kilometres) east-north-east of Stirling. It is one of a string of towns that, because of their location at the base of the Ochil Hills, are collectively referred to as the Hillfoots Villages or simply The Hillfoots.
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Physical geography
Menstrie is overlooked by Dumyat and Myreton Hill, two of the most westerly summits of the Ochil Hills, which rise steeply to the north of the village. These two hills are divided by Menstrie Glen. Menstrie itself lies on almost flat ground, roughly astride the Ochil Fault, movement of which gave rise to the dramatic southern scarp of the Ochils.
The small watercourse of Menstrie Burn runs through Menstrie; just to the south of the town it joins the River Devon, which in turn meets the River Forth at Cambus.
Facilities
The village has a general store (containing the Post Office), a pharmacy, two pubs (The Holly Tree and the Burnside Inn) and a petrol station. Menstrie also has a library, small sports centre, public park, primary school, nursing home, and two churches, one being Menstrie Parish Church (Church of Scotland) and the other being of the United Free Church of Scotland. It also has a very well established Scout Group.
Transport links
Menstrie is on the A91 road from Stirling to St Andrews. Bus services run to Stirling (via Stirling University) and to Alloa (via Alva and Tillicoultry), and less frequently to St Andrews.
Recreation
Menstrie is popular with hillwalkers; along with Blairlogie it is situated at the foot of Dumyat, one of the most popular peaks in the Ochil Hills. Myreton Hill is much used by paragliders.
Industry and economy
Menstrie is now mainly a residential village, but immediately to the east is a yeast factory (owned by the Kerry Group) with research and development facilities, a large area of bonded warehouse (operated by Diageo, successors to Distillers Company Limited), and farm land.
A conspicuous zig-zag roadway up the scarp face of Myreton Hill is nowadays used by the local sheep farmer for access to his livestock, but was originally built during the Napoleonic Wars for access to some mine workings, which produced calcite.However, the volume of material mined was rather small in proportion to the effort needed to build the road, so the venture is unlikely to have been economic. There seems to be no record of why calcite was considered to be sufficiently valuable to have justified the considerable effort.
A more successful industry in Menstrie until comparatively recently was a woollen mill, and there was also a furniture factory, The Charrier, which was destroyed by fire in about 1968.
Architecture
Menstrie Castle was the birthplace of Sir William Alexander, James VI’s Chartered Lieutenant for the Plantation of Nova Scotia. Despite its name, it is described as a "three-storey castellated house",[1] and lacks many fortified features, standing as it does on low ground and constructed at a time of relative national calm. The building is now residential. Another castle, Broomhall, a superb Scottish baronial mansion, also overlooks the village. Its function has altered over the years and it is currently a restaurant.
As a commuter town, Menstrie is currently undergoing a period of expansion with new housing being constructed to the west and south of the village. In June 2006 it was estimated that nearly 50,000 people live in the county of Clackmannanshire.[2]
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References
- ^ History of Menstrie Castle: MenstrieCastle.co.uk website. Retrieved on January 13, 2008.
- ^ Population estimate for Clackmannanshire: Clacksweb.org.uk website. Retrieved on January 13, 2008.
External links
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