Inverbervie
| Inverbervie Gaelic: Inbhir Beirbhe | |
| Kincardineshire | |
|---|---|
 King Street, Inverbervie | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 56°50’36"N, 2°16’54"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,980 (2004 est.) |
| Post town: | Montrose |
| Postcode: | DD10 |
| Dialling code: | 01561 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Aberdeenshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
W. Aberdeenshire & Kincardine |
Inverbervie is a small town on the coast of Kincardineshire, lying south of Stonehaven.
The name Inverbervie derives from the Gaelic Inbhir Beirbhe, meaning Mouth of the River Bervie. The town is known as Bervie locally.
History
Inverbervie appears in written history at least as far back as the 12th century AD; in a document relating to Arbroath Abbey, Simon of Inverbervie is noted as having witnessed a charter transferring the lands of Balfeith to the Abbey. The town was raised to the status of a royal burgh 1342 by King David I in thanks for hospitality he and his Queen received when shipwrecked there the previous year when returning from exile. It was a parliamentary burgh from 1708 to 1950.
A small harbour in the town was important in early years but despite improvements by Thomas Telford in 1819, disappeared by 1830 owing to the buildup of the shingle bar at the river mouth.
The first flax spinning mill in Scotland was established here at the Haughs around 1790 and by 1910 there were nine in operation employing 500-600 workers. As a result of this, the population of the settlement peaked at over 2,500 around the turn of the 20th Century but has since declined owing the downturn in that industry.
Prominent local buildings include Hallgreen Castle, founded in 1376, standing on a bluff overlooking the sea towards the southern end of the town.
Parish church
Bervie Church (Church of Scotland) is part of Arbuthnott, Bervie & Kinneff Parish Church. The Church is on the main street within close proximety to the school. The Parish also own the Church Centre (formerly the manse) next to the church, and the Herd Centre (formarly YWCA Hall) at the bottom of Town Head.
Local Radio
Alongside the commercial enterprise of the local newspaper, The Mearns Leader, Bervie has a local volunteer radio station, Mearns FM.
Broadcasting from nearby Stonehaven, in the Townhall, Mearns FM helps to keep Bervie up to date with local and charity events, as well as playing a wee bit of music. Mearns FM is run as a not for profit organisation, broadcasting under a Community Radio licence, with a remit to provide local focus news events and programming. Jointly funded by local adverts and local and national grants, it has one of the largest listening areas of any Community Radio Station owing to the distributed population across The Mearns; it was set up to try to bring these distant communities together.[1]
Big Society
Bervie contains many prominent community groups and facilities:
- The Church Centre (belonging to the Church)
- Scouts and Guides
- The Living Rooms Christian Centre and Coffee Shop (in the school car park behind the church). The Living Rooms is an evangelical centre with a popular Coffee Shop and services of worship, prayer meetings and other special events.
- Gala and Fireworks: Every year the Gala Committee organise the climax of the community diary in June. As part of this event a 'citizen of the year' and 'young citizen of the year' prizes are awarded.
The fireworks display is organised and held by the caravan site every year.
Gallery
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Jubilee Bridge, Inverbervie -
Bervie Parish Church, Inverbervie -
Bervie Beach, Inverbervie
