Forfar
The
Royal Burgh of
Forfar is a
burgh of approximately 13,500 people, located in the
unitary authority of
Angus in
Scotland. It is the district capital and administrative centre of Angus and was the county capital of the former county of Angus. The town is also the market town for the
lowland farms of
Strathmore in central Angus.
The town is extremely old. According to
Hector Boece,
Pictish chiefs met at a castle by Forfar loch to plan how best to repel the Romans who invaded on several occasions between the first and fourth centuries AD.
A "claimant" to the throne, the daughter of the leader of the
Meic Uilleim, who were descendants of King
Duncan II, had her brains dashed out on Forfar market cross in
1215 while still an infant.
The town is located just off the main
A90 Perth to
Aberdeen road, which now bypasses the town but once passed through the town. The town had a
railway station until
1967 when it closed as part of the
Beeching cuts. It was located on the main line of the
Caledonian Railway from
Glasgow to
Aberdeen, which was the furthest north link in the chain of the
West Coast Main Line from
London. Lines also went to
Dundee,
Arbroath,
Brechin and
Kirriemuir. There was a major
locomotive shed here too, which is still standing today but appears to be used for industrial purposes. Some bridges and cuttings still survive as well as the site of the goods station, which was also the town's original railway station before the one near the county buildings was built.
The town has a senior
football club,
Forfar Athletic, as well as two junior clubs, Forfar West End and Forfar Albion.Rugby Union is represented in the town by Strathmore Rugby Football Club[
1], who play their home games at Inchmacoble Park, adjacent to the Forfar Loch. There is also a cricket club.The town has a swimming pool and a leisure centre with an ice rink, home to a curling club, and there are several bowling clubs. A few miles out of the town, at Roundyhill, there is a gliding club.
The town is the home of the Forfar
bridie.
*
History of the town and photographs
