population

date of map

7427 6766

1856 1896

63.36 %

£245,220

355ha

3805

10.7 dwellings/ha

cuparIn 12th century Cupar was established as the county town of Fife. It prospered in its early days on the back of the wool industry and later grew as a market town and administra-tive centre. It served a huge population encompassing much of south east fife. The 19th Century saw Cupar at its most fortunate. The early part of the century saw it establish itself in financial services and as home to the county newspaper. Further development occurred with the arrival of the railway in 1847. The population of the town grew steadily throughout the century from 4463 in 1800 to 6766 in 1901. Due to its wealth the town housed numerous fine buildings and churches many of which can still be seen today. Although stripped of its role of county town in 1974 when the council gave the title to the new town of Glenrothes, the town has continued to prosper and grow. This may have been aided by the retention of the railway and location close to the M90 motorway.

£

market

21

8085 8800

1938 2008

1850 1900 cupar thrives as financial centre 1950 town continues to prosper 2008 retains market town charactercounty town of fife10 000

population

date of map

2364 2758

1876 1906

78.86%

£207,111

326 ha

2163

6.64 dwellings/ha

dingwallIt is believed that Dingwall was first established around 1050 lying in a strategic position at the head of Cromarty forth. In 1814 the bridging of the rivers Conon and Buely and the construction of the parliamentary roads, lead to Dingwall becoming the centre of communications for the north. It became the administrative centre for much of northern Scotland. In 1820 the harbour arrived and it became a port. Agricultural change in the 1800’s lead to commercial farming and brought new business to the town. The arrival of the railway in 1862 lead to further growth and the town established itself as an agricul-tural market place. In 1890 the town set up permanent livestock markets however these have since been relocated to allow for a large superstore in the town centre. Originally in the 1900’s the high street was part of the A9. The creation of the Cromarty Firth bridge redirected this and relieved the town of the heavy traffic it experienced in the 19th cen-tury when it was the busiest route centre in Northwest Scotland.

£

market

23

3604 5080

1959 2008

1820 1862 railway arrived 1900’shigh street part of the A9 2008bustling market townbecame a port10 000

population

date of map

forres

4069 5241

1873 1906

83.37 %

£170,600

381 ha

3801

9.97 dwellings/ha

Forres is one of the oldest towns in Scotland, holding Royal Burgh status since 1140. With lim-ited growth from the 17th century, Forres entered a period of development beginning in 1810 and by the 1820’s the town experienced rapid expansion with new developments emerging on the outskirts of town. Nestled on the flood plane of river Findhorn, the great flood of 1829 transformed the town with many of the population seeking high ground and relocating to the Cluny Hills. However despite this natural disaster Forres transformed in the 19th century with the help of the introduction of the railway. This strengthened the economy, allowing export of agriculture by rail, which in turn brought improved road connections and infrastructure investment. Today the composition of the town remains relatively unchanged having retained the original layout of the medieval town plan. The market history of the town is still evident, the high street widening where the market was originally held. Many fine buildings also remain in-cluding the tolbooth and mercat cross. Through retaining it heritage and tradition Forres today is an attractive place to visit, famous for its floral displays.

£

market

25

5231 8990

1959 2008

1820’s 1910 market town 1985bypass introduced 2008town centre largly unchangedlarge expansion10 000

population

date of map

kelso

5634 4525

1862 1899

64.7%

£192,753

151 ha

2363

15.6 dwellings/ha

Located where the rivers Tweed and Teviot meet, Kelso developed from a small hamlet as a direct result of the Kelso Abbey which was established in 1128. Upon completion, the town flourished and attracted monks who were skilled craftsmen, this helped the population to expand. However there were large scale fires in 1645 and 1742 which destroyed the central part of town. Controlled predominately by the abbey the wealth and power declined in the 16th century yet the construction of the Kelso Bridge in 1754 lead to Kelso becoming an important stop on the London to Edinburgh coach route. During the 18th and 19th centuries stately homes were built outside the town centre due to the growth of a richer middle class. Today the town retains the original central layout with four cobbled streets merging into a central cobbled market square. Most of the current town centre features Georgian or Victorian architecture with the town hall from 1816 sitting on the site of the original tollbooth.

£

market

27

4518 5380

1938 2008

1803 1128 developed with creation of abbey 1905largest market square in scotland 2008 a charming townfirst bridge constructed10 000

population

date of map

3555 3309

1854 1909

80.33%

£273,720

152 ha

1620

10.65 dwellings/ha

kirkcudbrightSituated on the River Dee, Kirkcudbright achieved Royal Burgh status in 1455. This gave the town the right to trade with ports outside Scotland an emphasised the importance of the harbour. The original town was built around the high street. The River Dee protected its castle, habour and moat on all sides giving security which lead to the town prospering. The town gained considerable wealth in the early centuries and during the 1400’s a quarter of all Scotland’s cloth exports left from Kircudbright’s harbour. The town then faced a time of decline in the 1600 and 1700’s however the arrival of the railway in 1864 allowed Kircudbright to make its mark as a centre for artists and maintain a steady population through the 19th and 20th century. The high street in kirkcudbright is unusual as it wraps around the two sides of the town core rather than forming a central thoroughfare, this can be clearly seen in the figure grounds above. Many old town houses still line the high street hinting to kirkcudbright’s history.

£

market

29

3316 3240

1951 2008

1854 1900 high street is wrapped 2 sides of core 1950town retains character as artist town 2008 scenic scottish fishing townarrival of railway10 000

population

date of map

8243 8103

1864 1898

70.25 %

£200,741

268 ha

3656

13.6 dwellings/ha

lanarkBecoming a Royal Burgh in 1140, Lanark has been an important market town since medieval times and was the location of the first Scottish parliament meeting in 978. 1785 brought large change when the water power of the river Clyde was harnessed by the cotton mills built at New Lanark (located one mile from the existing town). Whilst Lanark served as a focus for the wider rural community New Lanark drove the local economy. In 1845 the railway arrived and Lanark flourished as a market town holding regular livestock markets. The mills in New Lanark closed in 1968 & 74 which threatened its existence and the economy of the surrounding areas. However, it began a process of regeneration and survived. Today the older buildings lining the high street reveal Lanark’s character as a market town. There has been a considerable amount of investment in Lanark over recent years, though the narrow streets and vennels have prevented major redevelopment of the shops. The site of the original mercat cross marks the foot of the high street and is still known as ‘the cross’. Today there is little industry although it still holds one of Scotland’s largest farming markets.

£

market

31

9250 8200

1958 2008

1785 1855 railway arrived 1950town continued to flourish 2008 retains market town charactermercat cross demolished10 000

population

date of map

3574 2756

1879 1907

87.02%

£204,125

279ha

1536

5.5 dwellings/ha

tainTain is Scotland’s oldest Royal Burgh granted the title in 1066. It developed as a market and administrative centre. It was an important religious centre containing the shrine of St Duthus, a Christian figure in the 8th and 9th century. The town is dominated by its Toll-booth, first constructed in 1630. This historically held many administrative functions. The railway arrived in in 1864 and helped the town continue to prosper in its original role. The railway effectively cut the town off from its sea front. Although enjoying a coastal location, Tain does not interact with the water, in fact the water’s edge is lined with a golf course. This is perhaps not surprising as the town never functioned as a port, but is unusual for a sea side town. In the 1930’s Tain was home to many RAF with the construction of an aerodrome. The population of Tain has remained relatively stable through out its existence varying between 2277 in 1800 to 3340 in 2006. Its lack of industry failed to attract a vast population. It may have lost its administrative role, but remains a popular place, partly due to its intact townscape and good road and rail connections.

£

market

33

2348 3380

1960 2008

1800 1864 railway arrived - remains admin centre 1930war time air base 2008 popular with visitors & localsroyal burgh and admin centre10 000

top threeemploymenttypes

railway station

within thirtymiles of largesettlement

% growth1954 -2006

% +/- averagehouse price[s.a.£150,257]

% in employment[s.a. 44.67]

economy social housing connections growth% owneroccupied[s.a. 62.59]

education:% with aquailification[s.a. 66.77]

health: % good general health[s.a. 89.85]

36.23 13846.86din

gw

all

63.8 91.25 61.77

calc

km

annan

cupar

bre

chin

43.63 61.41 91.41 12 56.93 - 15.28

41.77 64.9 87.69 16 57 13.09

44.79 76.04 91.77 39 70.98 8.84

p

p

top threeemploymenttypes

railway station

within thirtymiles of largesettlement

% growth1954 -2006

% +/- averagehouse price[s.a.£150,257]

% in employment[s.a. 44.67]

economy social housing connections growth% owneroccupied[s.a. 62.59]

education:% with aquailification[s.a. 66.77]

health: % good general health[s.a. 89.85]

36.23 13846.86din

gw

all

63.8 91.25 61.77

calc

km

annan

cupar

bre

chin

43.63 61.41 91.41 12 56.93 - 15.28

41.77 64.9 87.69 16 57 13.09

44.79 76.04 91.77 39 70.98 8.84

p

p

market

35

top threeemploymenttypes

railway station

within thirtymiles of largesettlement

% growth1954 -2006

% +/- averagehouse price[s.a.£150,257]

% in employment[s.a. 44.67]

economy social housing connections growth% owneroccupied[s.a. 62.59]

education:% with aquailification[s.a. 66.77]

health: % good general health[s.a. 89.85]

- 11.36

3444.81

- 2.3

8241.6

71.86

1347.93

lanar

kkir

kcu

dbri

ght

forr

es

89.9656.65 65.12

90.9565.76 70.8

70.09 92.66 63.03

19.07

2847.77

kel

so

92.4755.84 58.27 p

p

top threeemploymenttypes

railway station

within thirtymiles of largesettlement

% growth1954 -2006

% +/- averagehouse price[s.a.£150,257]

% in employment[s.a. 44.67]

economy social housing connections growth% owneroccupied[s.a. 62.59]

education:% with aquailification[s.a. 66.77]

health: % good general health[s.a. 89.85]

- 11.36

3444.81

- 2.3

8241.6

71.86

1347.93

lanar

kkir

kcu

dbri

ght

forr

es

89.9656.65 65.12

90.9565.76 70.8

70.09 92.66 63.03

19.07

2847.77

kel

so

92.4755.84 58.27 p

p

market

37

top threeemploymenttypes

railway station

within thirtymiles of largesettlement

% growth1954 -2006

% +/- averagehouse price[s.a.£150,257]

% in employment[s.a. 44.67]

economy social housing connections growth% owneroccupied[s.a. 62.59]

education:% with aquailification[s.a. 66.77]

health: % good general health[s.a. 89.85]

43.95

3542.01tain

91.660.53 59.37