Fettercairn is an idyllic spot in the rolling Mearns countryside, its elegant Royal Memorial Arch instantly recognisable.
But the quiet village you see today has seen more than its share of history over the past thousand years.
It was here in 995 that Lady Finella murdered King Kenneth II as revenge for killing her son.
Legend has it she lured the monarch to an out-of-the-way cottage with the promise of information about a conspiracy.
The story tells she had rigged a booby-trapped statue that shot the king with a crossbow when he touched it.
Over the centuries Fettercairn flourished, busy with weekly markets and an annual fair, until it was sacked and burned by the Marquis of Montrose in 1645.
The Royal Memorial Arch was built in 1864 to mark an overnight stay by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1861 – it was supposed to be a secret but crowds gathered to cheer the royal couple as the left.
Today, Fettercairn is perhaps best known for its distillery, producing outstanding malt and a major draw for whisky fans.
Join us as we take a look at Fettercairn over the years.
This archway in the centre of the village of Fettercairn, pictured in 1960, is still a squeeze for traffic to this day. It was built at a cost of £250 to mark Queen Victoria’s visit.
Bearing the date 1670, Fettercairn’s ancient market cross carries the insignia of the Earl of Middleton and is believed to be in part a survival of the Cross of Kincardine. It is pictured here in 1969.
Looking along the High Street of Fettercairn in 1969 to the parish church on its high ridge to the north. The church itself was built in 1803 but the spire built in 1838 was the gift of Sir John Gladstone of Fasque.
The Burn, pictured here in 1974, is a grand mansion at Fettercairn. It was built by Lord Adam Gordon, who converted what was described as a “dreary desert” into an “Arcadian grove”. In the 1800s it was the seat of John and William Shand, brothers who were involved in the slave trade, owning and running plantations in the West Indies.
A view of the Fettercairn Distillery, taken in 1974. Today it distils a hugely-popular range of single malts and is a popular destination for whisky fans from around the world.
