Steenhive

Stanehyve Square

Steenhive frae the air

Steenhive (itherwise kent as Stanehyve, Cala na Creige in the Gaelic, an Stonehaven in the Inglis) is a toun wi aboot ten thousan indwallers (9,577 in the 2001 census) on the nor'eist (German Ocean) coast o Scotland. It is the coontie toon o the historic coontie o The Mearns an the praisent day coontie o Aiberdeenshire. It growed aroond an Airn Age fishin clachan, nou the "Auld Toon", an raxt inlaund frae the siesyd.

Geography

Steenhive is 15 mile (24 km) sooth o Aiberdeen in a beildie steid on Stanehyve Bay atwein the Carron Wattir an the Cowie Wattir. The herbor, maed up o twa bynes, wis bettert in the 1820s bi the ingineer Robert Stevenson (grandfaither o the writer Robert Louis Stevenson) an becam an important centur o the 19t yeirhunder herrin tred; the herbor is boond on the north bi Bellman's Heid an at the sooth bi Downie Pynt. At the wastren lip of Stonehaven, wast o the A90 road ligs the veilage Kirkton o Fetteresso. David Lizars (1754 -1812) etched an image o the toon in 1805 frae the sooth-east (Aiberdeen Art Gallery).

Stonehaven haes growed swith sin the ayl boom in Aiberdeen. The mair demaund for new housin haes seen fower new estates bein eikit til the toun, makkin a whein o suburbs.

Laundmerks

• Dunnottar Castil
• Fetteresso Castil
• Fowlsheugh Naitur Hainin
• Muchalls Castil
• Mackie Academie

Steids o worship

Steenhive haes three Kirks o Scotland: Dunnottar Pairish Kirk, Steenhive Sooth Pairish Kirk an Fetteresso Pairish Kirk, an evangelical Kirk o Scotland. The toun haes een Baptist Kirk, an Episcopal Kirk an a Catholic kirk anaw.

Transport

Steenhive railwey station serves the toun. Despite its smaa size, it is a cawin pynt for a lairge nummer o services gangin baith North tae Aiberdeen an Sooth tae Edinburgh an Glesga. Addeetionally, a service operatin anly atween Aiberdeen, Portlethen an Steenhive haes operatit syne the winter o 2008.