Avoch and Killen History

Attribution: photo by Ian Fraser

Introduction to the community history

Photos from Avoch and Killen in the past

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Avoch » Avoch Places » Avoch Residential
Braehead and High Street
Braehead and High Street
Most of the housing in Avoch is on the two layers seen here. The lower houses are directly opposite the harbour and the upper ones lie immediately in front of the old railway line (now a footpath to Fortrose).
Dock
Dock
Dock is the area between the 'Streeties' and Henrietta Bridge. Its cottages are set at varying angles and cause confusion to the visitor but locals say that it was far more congested in previous times.
George Street
George Street
There are six roads running between the High Street and the sea front. They are called locally 'The Streeties' and are named after some of the Mackenzie family - Alexander, John, James, Margaret and George.
Gowans Place
Gowans Place
Built in the 1990s the attractive houses in the bottom left hand corner of this picture provide sheltered accommodation in a very pleasant cul-de-sac at the edge of 'The Parkie'.
Henrietta Street
Henrietta Street
Built well over 200 years ago these cottages originally housed fishing families. With only two rooms downstairs and the same upstairs it is difficult to believe that they often housed two families. It is believed that once the upstairs rooms were lofts for housing sails making even less room for habitation. There was a scheme to pull them down to build more modern houses behind them but fortunately the outbreak of war prevented this and now they are listed buildings.
More Killen housing.
More Killen housing.
There were originally four estate houses in these two residences. The grandson of a Rosehaugh gardener lived (lives?) in one of them.
Killen Smiddy
Killen Smiddy
This is one of three smiths workshops which can be remembered although none now exist.
Killen
Killen
Originally an estate cottage, this attractive dwelling is on the main road through Killen.
Long Road
Long Road
Running alongside the burn this road connects Toll Road and Henrietta Street.
Maji Cottage
Maji Cottage
Although known as an old cottage, it was not realised until planning permission was sought for alterations in the 1990s that it is one of the oldest domestic buildings in the North of Scotland. It is situated in Dock - an area of many old cottages.
Ormonde Terrace
Ormonde Terrace
Facing the sea and continuing west from Henrietta Street is Ormonde Terrace.
Roadman's Cottage
Roadman's Cottage
This cottage lies on the road through Killen. Locals remember him with a bicycle and barrow and recall him cutting the grass with a scythe.
Tower House
Tower House
Although now a private residence it is obvious that this was originally a church. After the Disruption of 1843 the Avoch Church of Scotland minister stayed with the established church and when a Free Church minister was settled in the village permission for a building was refused by James Mackenzie of Scatwell - the then owner of Rosehaugh. John Matheson of Bennetsfield, however, donated them a site and a church was built. In 1864 James Fletcher bought Rosehaugh and offered this site on condition that he chose the architect. His choice was Alexander Ross who also designed the cathedral in Inverness and the premises were opened in 1873. As the congregation diminished the building eventually ceased to be used for worship and it became a village hall. When the present Community Hall was built in about 1980 and the premises lay empty until 1986 when they were converted to dwelling and office accommodation.
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Statistical Accounts

On the 25 May 1790, Sir John Sinclair, Baronet of Ulbster in Caithness wrote to over nine hundred Parish ministers throughout Scotland asking them to contribute to a Statistical Inquiry by answering as best they could,a series of one hundred and sixty-six Queries respecting each Parish.

The New (or Second) Statistical Account of Scotland built on the previous work carried out by Sir John Sinclair for the First Statistical Accounts by including the knowledge of local doctors and schoolmasters. The Second Statistical Accounts were published between 1834 and 1845.

1st Statistical Accounts
2nd Statistical accounts

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