Brig o' Turk

Brig o' Turk (Scottish Gaelic: Drochaid Tuirc)^[1] is a small rural village historically in Perthshire and today within the council area of Stirling, Scotland. It is situated in the Trossachs, a range of hills on the A821 road.

Brig o' Turk Scottish Gaelic: Drochaid Tuirc
The eponymous Brig o' Turk
Brig o' Turk Location within the Stirling council area
OS grid reference	NN535065
Civil parish	Callander
Council area	Stirling
Lieutenancy area	Stirling and Falkirk
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CALLANDER
Postcode district	FK17
Dialling code	01877
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Stirling
Scottish Parliament	Stirling
List of places UK Scotland 56.229°N 4.364°W / 56.229; -4.364

Brig o' Turk from Glen Finglass Forest

Features

Brig o' Turk has a rare 1930s wooden tea room, which featured in the 1959 remake of The 39 Steps.^[2] Brig o' Turk also features a village hall which hosts many craft fairs, dances and other events, a small primary school (Trossachs Primary of 1875)^[3] serving the village and the surrounding areas, a small post office (located in someone's house) and a pub-restaurant, called The Byre Inn, which is made to look like the cow barn attached to the large neighbouring house, Dundarroch. The Bicycle Tree, located half a mile north of the village, is a local landmark and tourist attraction.^[4]

Trossachs Parish Church

The Church of Scotland parish church, called the Trossachs Parish Church, is located to the west of the village overlooking Loch Achray. It was built in 1849 in the early Gothic style, to cater for tourists visiting the area. It contains a memorial plaque to Major-General David Limond C.B. (1831–1895), a veteran of the Siege of Lucknow in the Indian Mutiny. The church, together with the graveyard and boundary wall, is a Category C(S) listed building.^[5]

History

Etymology

The village is named after the Brig o' Turk, which spans the River Turk a short distance west of the village.^[6][7] The current bridge was built in 1796, although bridges have crossed the river since 1451.^[6]

Jacobite insurgency

In 1708, Brig o' Turk was the venue for a gathering of prominent Jacobite lairds in support of the expected invasion by James Stuart, the "Old Pretender". In the event, the commander of the French fleet of 30 ships carrying James's 6,000-strong force withdrew rather than risk an action with the Royal Navy; however, the gathering later was used as evidence of treason against the participants.^[8]

Ruskin

In the mid nineteenth century the village was the location of a famous Victorian love triangle involving John Ruskin, his wife Effie Gray, and protégé John Everett Millais.

Community

There are a number of community groups based in the area such as the Trossachs Welfare association, Trossachs Community Council and Trossachs Community Trust.