Welcome to Brechin

The cathedral city of Brechin is located on a hill beside the River South Esk, in the Scottish county of Angus, approximately 470 miles north of London and 9 miles west of Montrose.

The town has a population of around 7,900. Administratively it is within the district of Angus which covers an area of approximately 2,182 sq kms.

The Grampian mountains provide a scenic backdrop to this ancient town with its steep streets and predominantly red-sandstone architecture. There are some notable historic buildings, foremost of which is the 12th century cathedral itself - now a parish church - which has attached to it one of only two surviving round watchtowers on mainland Scotland. The town is a good base from which to explore the surrounding countryside.

The town's history dates from 900 AD when Irish missionaries arrived and established a church here, of which the 87ft high round watchtower still stands. It was the nineteenth century that saw the real growth of Brechin, based largely on textiles. By 1870 there were four major mills in the town, three with power looms, and between them they employed around 1400 people. 1895 saw the arrival of the Caledonian Railway at a station on the east side of the town, and in the meantime brewing and distilling assumed considerable importance in the local economy.

Today the last distillery in the town is Glencadam which was founded in 1825. Although this had fallen into decline, it was taken over in 2003 and now produces 1.4 litres of whisky a year. The Vale of Strathmore which surrounds Brechin is one of Scotland's most productive farming belts, and Brechin is an important town in this strongly agricultural interior region of Angus.