Kemnay, Aberdeenshire

Kemnay (Gaelic: Camnaidh) is a village 16 miles (26 km) west of Aberdeen in Garioch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Kemnay Scottish Gaelic: Camnaidh
Kemnay, war memorial and main street.
Kemnay Location within Aberdeenshire
Population	3,890 (2020)[1]
OS grid reference	NJ730158
Council area	Aberdeenshire
Lieutenancy area	Aberdeenshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	INVERURIE
Postcode district	AB51
Dialling code	01467
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
Scottish Parliament	Aberdeenshire East
List of places UK Scotland 57.23392°N 2.44890°W / 57.23392; -2.44890

History

The village name Kemnay is believed to originate from the Celtic words that mean "little crook in the river"^[2] due to the village location on the bend of the River Don. Kemnay House is classified by Historic Scotland as a category A listed building.^[3]

The village was served by Kemnay railway station on the Alford Valley Railway from 1859 to 1950. The alignment through the village has been lost to housing developments.

The pre-Reformation church was dedicated to St Anne. The parish was united with Craigern in 1500 and both came under the umbrella of nearby Kinkell. The old church was extensively rebuilt in 1632.^[4]

The current parish church dates from 1844.^[5] The pre-1844 church was of unusual cruciform style, with the earth floor 1m below the surrounding ground, and prone to icing in winter. The two upper galleries were accessed by earth ramps in the graveyard. The church was enlarged in 1871 by Rev George Peter of St Cyrus.^[6]

The village was substantially rebuilt after the creation of Kemnay railway station in 1858.^[7]

It shares its name with 'Kemnay' a small community in Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the Rural Municipality of Whitehead about 10 kilometres west of Brandon on PTH 1A.^[8]

Notable people

• David Leitch (b.1608) minister of the parish and Chaplain to King Charles II

Religion

Kemnay has church buildings available for the following religious groups:

• Church of Scotland
• Roman Catholic
• Scottish Episcopal Church
• Jehovah's Witnesses

Tourism

Kemnay is popular with explorers of Aberdeenshire who can stay in numerous guest houses, hotels, and bed and breakfasts within the village. There are two pubs, the Bennachie Lodge and the Burnett Arms Hotel.

Granite

Kemnay Quarry was opened in 1830 by John Fyfe, and began commercial operation in 1858. Fyfe invented the Blondin aerial ropeway system at Kemnay in 1872.^[9]

Kemnay Granite has been used in many famous buildings and structures, including;

• Cenotaph, Glasgow^[10]
• Forth Railway Bridge, Edinburgh/Fife^[11]
• Marischal College, Aberdeen^[12]
• Kew Bridge and Putney Bridge, London^[11]
• Thames Embankment, London^[11]

Granite workers from Kemnay helped to quarry and shape the Australian granite used in the Sydney Harbour Bridge.^[13] They also travelled to quarries in California, the Mississippi Levees and Odessa.

Places of interest

• James Mitchell Memorial^[14][15]
• Fetternear Estate
• Fetternear Palace, archaeological dig site (Bishop's Palace)
• Johnstone FM Monument
• Kemnay Academy
• View Point (Place of Origin)^[16]
• War Memorial^[17][18]
• Kemnay morthouse in the parish churchyard^[19] This is dated 1831 over its iron door.

Sports

Kemnay has various sports clubs, including;

• Badminton
• Bowling Club
• Cricket
• Football
• Golf
• Tennis

There are playing fields available for use by the public at Bogbeth Park, which is also home to the Kemnay Skate Park.

Golfer Paul Lawrie, who won the 1999 Open Championship is a former pupil of Kemnay Academy, as is former Aberdeen F.C. footballer Darren Mackie.

In April 2017, a gym opened in the village, Station 83.^[20]

Education

Kemnay Academy in 2005.

In Kemnay, there are two primary schools and one secondary school:

• Kemnay Primary School
• Alehousewells Primary School
• Kemnay Academy, which unveiled a £14.3 million extension in 2015.^[21]