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Dunkeld and Birnam
Historic Trail
Double click on
any on the images below to enlarge!
Here we have put together a
short historic trail through the towns of Dunkeld and Birnam.
Above you can see the all important Dunkeld bridge linking the
two towns. It was built by the Dukes of Atholl, one of many of
Thomas Telford's engineering feats in the highlands of Scotland.
The bridge started life as a toll bridge.
To see what else
Dunkeld and Birnmam have to offer.
 1.
The Magazine. The dynamite for blasting slate on Birnam Hill
was stored here. One wonders what the townsfolk thought of the
dangers of this!
2. The Town Jail. Under the bridge on the Dunkeld side
you will see the door of the Town Jail. It must have been a cold
,damp prison to be incarcerated in, with the possibility of a bath
when the Tay flooded.
 3.
Dunkeld Bridge. The 4th Duke of Atholl commissioned Thomas
Telford the great Scottish engineer to build the toll bridge in
1809. Telford did much to open the Highlands with canals, roads
and bridges, many still in use today. In 1879 the locals
successfully rioted against the continual charges, as the cost
of the bridge must have been repaid by then.
 4.
Ancient Ferry Point. Prior to the bridge, upstream was a
ferry service. The drovers had to get their reluctant cattle to
swim the river. An enterprising local farmer hired out one of
his cows that did not mind swimming to encourage the other cows
to follow her.
5.
The Cathedral Gates were cast in 1730 for Dunkeld House, a
residence of the Dukes of Atholl. In 1832 the gates were moved
to this location.
  6.
The Cathedral. The early Celtic Church built a wattle
monastery here in 570. King Kenneth McAlpine (Scotland’s 1st
King) built a church here in 850 and had St Columba’s relics
transferred to the church from the island of Iona on Scotland’s
west coast. The present church dates from the 13th C. It was
laid out East to West for religious reasons. The town was
originally built around the Cathedral. In 1689, during the
Battle of Dunkeld, the houses being raised to the ground.
7.
The Cathedral tower was built in 1469. As well as some rare
Medieval carved stones, there is a stone from the first church,
showing a man on horseback blowing a horn and holding a spear.
 8.
The Cathedral Museum is well laid out and very informative.
It contains stones from the 9thC church, the Atholl family
memorial, a statue of the 4th Duke and famous Scottish fiddler
Neil Gow’s gravestone. Neil Gow lived in Inver, on the other
side of the A9 from Dunkeld.
 9.
Behind the High Altar, you will find King Robert II’s son,
the Wolf of Badenoch, who was excommunicated by the Pope and in
rage burnt down the towns Elgin and Forres, destroying Elgin
Cathedral in 1390. He was forced to make public penance in
sackcloth and ashes at Blackfriars Monastery in Perth in front
of his brother King Robert III.
10.
Alexander Mackenzie, Canada’s first Liberal Prime Minister,
grew up here, spending his childhood in No 9 Cathedral St.
 11.
The town square or ‘The Cross’, the centre of the town and
the ancient market place. Called ‘The Cross’ as there was once a
large cross here, removed by the 7th Duke and replaced by the
fountain we see today.
12.
Culloden House. Robert Burns stayed here in 1787 during his
tour of the Highlands.
13.
Stanley Hill, originally a natural hill, landscaped by the
Duke of Atholl in 1730 to give a fortified appearance with
canons installed. There was also a large ice house to serve as a
fridge for Dunkeld House. Dunkeld House was some way west of
Stanley Hill. When Dunkeld was burned down during the battle of
Dunkeld in 1689, the Duke could see the Cathedral from his house
for the first time, so he made sure the new town was laid out
east of the cathedral as we see today.
14.
Now visit the Birnam Institute and see the fabulous Beatrix
Potter Exhibition and Garden a 'must see' for young and the not
so young.
Dunkeld and Birnam / Battle of Killiecrankie / Pitlochry | 
