St Andrews

For other uses, see St Andrews (disambiguation).

St Andrews
St Andrews, seen from the top of St Rule's Tower
St Andrews is located in Fife
St Andrews
St Andrews
Location within Fife
Population18,410 (2022)[1]
OS grid referenceNO507168
• Edinburgh30 mi (48 km)
• London351 mi (565 km)
Community council
  • Royal Burgh of St Andrews[2]
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townST. ANDREWS
Postcode districtKY16
Dialling code01334
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°20′25″N 2°47′44″W / 56.3404°N 2.7955°W / 56.3404; -2.7955

St Andrews (Latin: S. Andrea(s);[3] Scots: Saunt Aundraes;[4] Scottish Gaelic: Cill Rìmhinn, pronounced [kʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ])[5] is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, 10 miles (16 kilometres) southeast of Dundee and 30 miles (50 kilometres) northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 as of 2011, making it Fife's fourth-largest settlement and 45th most populous settlement in Scotland.

The town is home to the University of St Andrews, the third oldest university in the English-speaking world and the oldest in Scotland.[6] It was ranked as the best university in the UK by the 2022 Good University Guide, which is published by The Times and The Sunday Times.[7][8] According to other rankings, it is ranked as one of the best universities in the United Kingdom.[9][10]

The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle. The settlement grew to the west of St Andrews Cathedral, with the southern side of the Scores to the north and the Kinness Burn to the south. The burgh soon became the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, a position which was held until the Scottish Reformation. The famous cathedral, the largest in Scotland, now lies in ruins.

St Andrews is also known globally as the "home of golf". This is in part because of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, founded in 1754, which until 2004 exercised legislative authority over the game worldwide (except in the United States and Mexico). It is also because the famous Old Course of St Andrews Links (acquired by the town in 1894) is the most frequent venue for The Open Championship, the oldest of golf's four major championships. Visitors travel to St Andrews in great numbers for several courses ranked amongst the finest in the world, as well as for the sandy beaches.

The Martyrs Memorial, erected to the honour of Patrick Hamilton, George Wishart, and other martyrs of the Reformation epoch, stands at the west end of the Scores on a cliff overlooking the sea. The civil parish has a population of 18,421 (in 2011).[11]

The town also contains numerous museums, a botanic garden and an aquarium.

  1. ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. ^ "The Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council Website". www.standrewscc.net.
  3. ^ Variously Sancto Andrea, civitas Sancti Andrea, urbs Sancti Andreæ, urbs Sancti Andree, Sanctus Andrea, &c.
  4. ^ "Names in Scots – Places in Scotland". scotslanguage.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (AÀA) – Gaelic Place-names of Scotland". www.ainmean-aite.scot.
  6. ^ "History | University of St Andrews". www.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  7. ^ McCall, Alastair (18 September 2021). "St Andrews knocks Oxbridge off top spot as best British university". The Times. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Good University Guide 2022". The Times. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  9. ^ "University league tables 2023". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  10. ^ "The Complete University Guide". The Complete University Guide. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  11. ^ Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland. Web site http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ retrieved March 2016. See "Standard Outputs", Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish 1930