The Crown (from the Scottish Gaelic: A' Chrùn) is an area situated upon the plateau of a hill immediately to the south of the city centre of Inverness.[1][2]Lying immediately above the city centre of Inverness on a hill, the area is one of the oldest in the city and prior to a period of rapid house-building, consisting of highly fertile strips of land, the produce of which served both the medieval castle and the Parish Kirk, the city's principal high church.
History
The first new town of Inverness with large areas set aside for plots to be sold individually from the early 1800s, the modern day area historically[3] comprised The Hill (Barnhill, Colthill, Balloch Hill, variously); Knockanlone, sometimes referred to as 'MacBeth's Hill', part of The Barony of Castlehill and seat of Clan Cuthbert or Clann MhicSheòrsa (Sons of George); The Kirk session lands of Broadstone or Carnmore (Càrn Mòr, Great Cairn); The Porterlands or Porterfield (Achadh nam Pearachtair) which provided the castle with fruit, vegetables and meat during the medieval era; The lands of Knockpris (Cnoc a' Phris or Thornbush Hill) towards the old Kings Mills and Cotterton (Baile nan Croitear, Towns of the Crofters) located on what is now Mayfield Road. A stream called Bùrn Sgùir (Burn of the Washing), anglicised to 'Scour Burn' once flowed from Kingsmills Road through much of the area before descending a steep slope down towards the Mill Burn. [4]
The area was accessed from the historic centre of the burgh via a number of steep ascending routes:[5] the Bealach pass from the river with hairpin bends arriving at Ardkeen Tower on The Balloch Hill, the Brae of Lochgorum (today called Crown Road from which the Eastgate Shopping Centre carpark is accessed), Stephen's Brae which begins at the Eastgate, the Market Brae from the High Street (today the Market Brae Steps but historically a winding brae by which crofters and farmers drove cattle up to the market), the Vennel from Castle Street (today the site of the Raining's Stairs) or MacAndrew's Brae, the steep hill which constitutes the beginning of Midmills Road.
Prior to its establishment as a royal burgh in the 1200s, Inverness centred around the area's Old Castlehill where MacBeth's castle commanded a wide view of the region.[6] The city's medieval walls surrounded much of the area with historic reference to underground tunnels, a large orchard, a holy well and specialist herb and vegetable gardens. Consequently, the Crown is a designated conservation area by the local government, with the area's housing mainly dating back to the Victorian or Edwardian era.
Modern Day Area
Today, the modern residential area is centred around 'The Village' (known in Gaelic as Am Baile), a cluster of shops, small businesses, cafes and pubs which is situated upon a crossroads in which five different streets leading to different historic parts of the area meet. The Crown consistently scores highly under the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivations, classifying it as an affluent area with no significant areas of widespread deprivation.
The area is serviced by a number of public amenities, including General Practitioners, two large parks, sports clubs, care homes, sheltered housing for the elderly, a primary school, three churches, a number of charitable organisations, a small prison built during the Victorian era surrounded by high stone walls, an opticians, post office and chemist.
The hospitality sector has a strong presence throughout the area, with a number of small hotels and inns, many bed and breakfast guesthouses and a high density of AirBnB lets. With the city's prison HMP Inverness set to close and move to Stoneyfield, a decision on the future of its historic buildings and significant grounds is yet to be made.
References
- ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 26 Inverness & Loch Ness (Strathglass) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2011. ISBN 9780319231128.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey: 1:50,000 Scale Gazetteer" (csv (download)). www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Ordnance Survey. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ Mackay, William Inverness in the Sixteenth Century, Inverness. Illustration No.4, Plan of the Burgh Lands in the 16th century (prepared by Mr. James Fraser, M. Inst. C.E.)
- ^ Pollitt, A. Gerald Historic Inverness, Perth, Melven Press, 1981, p48.
- ^ The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland Rotuli scaccarii regum Scotorum; Volume: v.10, p.150, p.370
- ^ Pollitt, A. Gerald Historic Inverness, Perth, Melven Press, 1981, p6.
57°28′36″N 4°12′38″W / 57.47667°N 4.21056°W / 57.47667; -4.21056
