Brechin – An Ideal Vacation Destination

Brechin is a town that has been around for a long time and is full of interesting historical occurrences that have been recorded over the centuries.

Brechin has its own football club called the Brechin City Football Club, which has been around since 1906, making it over one hundred years old. Once you have enjoyed a visit to the football club take a trip over to the Bolag Bar found in the center of Brechin. It was opened in the 1900’s as a public drinking bar but the building it is housed in has been around since the 16th century. Not far from the Bolag Bar you will find the Old Cross, a place where fairs took place but is also where proclamations were read and prisoners were punished for crimes they had committed. Today the Old Cross is still used for festivities, each year New Years Eve and Hogmanay is celebrated.

In the 1400’s Brechin was hit with the Black Death and later in 1648 it was hit with the disease again that killed almost two thirds of the entire population. Bubonic plague was the result of people being so impoverished that they turned to eating from the refuse people had thrown away. Not only was this unsanitary but the eating of decomposing food and meat and dirty water lead to one of the most devastating pestilence’s to hit this town. People would begin to experience delirium, fever, lumps called buboes that easily spread to others through human contact and fluids.

In the nineteenth century Brechin was known for its textile industry, which included four mills of which three had power looms. Brewing and distilling was also a major operation contributing greatly to the economy but today it has fallen away. The Edzell Castle is an excellent example of some of the history that Brechin has experienced over the ages having been around since before the 1700’s. Brechin is full of historical buildings all with a tale to tell. The old Toll Booth or as it is now known the town house was first built in 1537 but was later renovated in 1789 to the building you see today. The old Toll Booth was used as a jail but today it’s used for exhibitions, dances and men’s debating societies and for many other events.

While visiting Brechin stop off and visit the Caledonian Railway station that was built in 1895 and is still around today to be admired and to provide trips to the Bridge of Dun. The Cathedral is another sight worth a visit, located in the center of the town. Nearly every piece of glass in the Cathedral has been beautifully stained with various religious images to see. All the stained glass dates back only to the beginning of the twentieth century having been designed by designers like the William Morris factory. If you have an interest in Victorian architecture then head on over to St. Ninian’s Square where you will see excellent examples, including a fine library.

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