Torphins

Torphins (/tɔːrˈfɪnz/ tawr-FINZ;[2] Scottish Gaelic: Tòrr Fionn) is a village in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland which lies about 22 miles (35 km) west of Aberdeen. It is situated on the A980, about 7 miles (11 km) north-west of Banchory, and was once served by the Great North of Scotland Railway.

Not to be confused with Torphin.

Torphins

Torphins Village Crossroads
Torphins
Location within Aberdeenshire
Population1,410 [1] (Aberdeenshire Council)
OS grid referenceNJ6219
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBANCHORY
Postcode districtAB31
Dialling code01339
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

With a population of around 1400, it is one of the larger villages in Deeside.

Toponomy

The name Torphins may come from the Gaelic Torr Fionn, meaning fair/white hill, or as a corruption of Tor Feithachan, meaning hill of the bogs.[3] Another less likely namesake is Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Earl of Orkney, who might have passed through the area due to his partnership with Macbeth.[3][4] It appeared on maps in 1750 under the name Turfins.[4]

Amenities

The village has many facilities including a primary school (with about 250 pupils attending each year), a large park with play area, a car dealer, two tennis courts, a bowling green and a doctor's surgery. There are also a variety of shops in Torphins including a charity shop, a Scotmid store, a funeral directors, a Chinese takeaway and a chemist. There is a Church of Scotland church, which is part of the Mid Deeside United Churches alongside those in Kincardine O'Neil and Lumphanan. Torphins also has its own Town Hall - the Learney Hall. It also has a public house/Indian restaurant, the Learney Arms Indian, which was originally part of a hotel. The hotel and pub was closed in 2015 with plans to turn the building into a residential dwelling, despite local objection.[5] The pub was later reopened in 2016 but the hotel remained closed.[6] The pub closed again briefly before being converted into an Indian restaurant. The hotel, rebranded as The Gatsby, also reopened at some point.

Torphins was home to a War Memorial Maternity Hospital. As a result, many notable people from Deeside have been born in Torphins. The building, however, has recently become a GP clinic, and no longer offers maternity facilities.

Walkers Shortbread was founded in the village by Joseph Walker in 1898.[7]

There is a 9-hole golf course located about a mile outside of Torphins.[8]

Public transport

The Stagecoach Bluebird 201 and 202 buses provide service to Aberdeen. There are other infrequent connections on the 413, and the Royal Mail PB74 postbus. Torphins railway station on the Deeside Railway served the village from 1859 to 1966.

Sport

Torphins is home to the local amateur football team, Torphins AFC,[9] though the team play their home games in Kincardine O'Neil due to the limited size of Torphins' public park. Torphins also has a tennis club,[10] a lawn bowls club[11] and a seasonal curling rink.[12]

References
  1. "Aberdeenshire Settlements Populations 2016" (PDF). Aberdeenshire Council. 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  2. G.M. Miller, BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (London: Oxford UP, 1971), p. 149.
  3. Christie, Denis; Murray, Brian (2020). A History of Torphins. Christie-Murray. pp. 89–91. ISBN 978-1-5272-6068-9.
  4. "Torphins Feature Page". Undiscovered Scotland. Undiscovered Scotland. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  5. "Aberdeenshire village's only pub could close its doors in two weeks time". The Press and Journal. Aberdeen Journals Ltd. DC Thomson Media. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  6. "Aberdeenshire village's only pub reopens under new guise after 18-month closure". The Press and Journal. Aberdeen Journals Ltd. DC Thomson Media. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  7. "Walkers Shortbread History". English Tea Store. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  8. "Torphins Golf Club". Torphins Golf Club. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  9. "Homepage | Torphins AFC". Clubwebsite.co.uk. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  10. "Torphins Tennis Club". Torphinstennisclub.wordpress.com. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


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