Dunnottar Castle

Stonehaven (Steenhive in the Doric dialect of Scots ) is a town on the North-East coast of Scotland. It is the county town of Kincardineshire. The nearest city is Aberdeen, 16 miles away. It grew around an Iron Age fishing village, which has now developed into the "Auld Toun" ("old town"). Stonehaven has three primary schools (Dunnottar Primary, Arduthie Primary and Mill O' Forest Primary) and a secondary school (Mackie Academy).

The central focus of the town is the Town Square. The town was redeveloped in the 18th century by Robert Barclay Allardice -- father of The Celebrated Pedestrian -- whose name the two primary streets bear: Allardice Street and Barclay Street, both of which border the square. Robert Street is also named after him. Many other streets in the town bear the names of his close family - Mary Street, Anne Street, and the like.

Stonehaven was the birthplace of R. W. Thompson, inventor of the pneumatic tyre and the fountain pen, and was a holiday retreat of the poet, Robert Burns. James Murdoch (1856-1921) was also born in Stonehaven.

The town's primary industries are fishing and tourism, with Dunnottar Castle, the local landmark, bringing in a large quota of tourists every year. The castle, perched atop a rocky outcrop, was home to the Keith family, and during the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Scottish Crown Jewels were hidden there. More recently, it was used in the 1990 movie Hamlet (directed by Franco Zeffirelli, and starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close). The castle is a prominent landmark and is normally visible on most leaflets (flyers) advertising Scotland.

The town has a beautiful and very long beach facing the cold North Sea, with large cliffs at either end sheltering small rock pools and inlets. It is also famous for its Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool, which is heated and uses filtered seawater. Another attraction is the local harbour, which features the Tolbooth, the town's tiny museum of local heritage.

During Hogmanay festivities, the High Street comes alive with crowds watching the annual fireballs ceremony, in which volunteers walking down the High Street swing huge balls of fire around and around at the ends of chains. The fireballs are finally thrown into the harbour.

Stonehaven has grown rapidly since the oil boom in Aberdeen. The increasing demand for new, middle-class housing has seen three new estates being appended to the town, creating a large expanse of suburbs. This may eventually lead to the development of a second secondary school.

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James Murdoch