Dunkeld

This article is about the town in Scotland. For other uses, see Dunkeld (disambiguation).

Dunkeld
Little Dunkeld (nearside of the river) and Dunkeld viewed from the south
Dunkeld is located in Perth and Kinross
Dunkeld
Dunkeld
Location within Perth and Kinross
Population1,330 (2022)[1]
OS grid referenceNO027425
• Edinburgh45 mi (72 km)
• London376 mi (605 km)
Community council
  • Dunkeld and Birnam
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDUNKELD
Postcode districtPH8
Dialling code01350
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°33′56″N 3°35′10″W / 56.56556°N 3.58611°W / 56.56556; -3.58611

Dunkeld (/dʌŋˈkɛl/, Scots: Dunkell,[2] from Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians"[3]) is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundary Fault, and is frequently described as the "Gateway to the Highlands" due to its position on the main road and rail lines north.[4] Dunkeld has a railway station, Dunkeld & Birnam, on the Highland Main Line, and is about 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of Perth on what is now the A9 road. The main road formerly ran through the town, however following the modernisation of this road it now passes to the west of Dunkeld.[5]

Dunkeld is the location of Dunkeld Cathedral, and is considered to be a remarkably well-preserved example of a Scottish burgh of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.[6] Around twenty of the houses within Dunkeld have been restored by the National Trust for Scotland.[7] The Hermitage, on the western side of the A9, is a countryside property that is also a National Trust for Scotland site.[5][8]

Over the centuries there have been several bridges linking Dunkeld with neighbouring Birnam,[9] and the current bridge, designed by Thomas Telford and financed by the 4th Duke of Atholl, was completed in 1809.[10]

  1. ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Scotslanguage.com - Names in Scots - Places in Scotland". www.scotslanguage.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (AÀA) – Gaelic Place-names of Scotland - Database entry for Dunkeld". Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference qualities was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Ordnance Survey, Great Britain (2008), "Blairgowrie & Forest of Alyth", Ordnance Survey Landranger Map (B2 ed.), ISBN 978-0-319-23121-0
  6. ^ Robin Prentice, ed. (1976). The National Trust for Scotland Guide. Jonathan Cape. p. 271. ISBN 0224012398.
  7. ^ "Dunkeld". National Trust for Scotland. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference ossian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Telford's Bridge at Dunkeld". Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  10. ^ "History of Dunkeld and Birnam". Dunkeld and Birnam Tourist Association. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.