Carnoustie - Landmarks

Landmarks

At the far west end of the town is the village of Barry. The village is much quieter now than it was a few years ago since the opening of the Barry bypass. On the North side of the road that runs through the village, to the west of the Barry Burn is the kirkyard and ruins of the old Parish Church. To the immediate east of this, a road heads North towards the old A92. Half a kilometre up this road, on the left hand side is the medieval motte associated with Grange of Barry, from where the monks of Balmerino Abbey managed the parish from the 13th century. On the other side of the road, a driveway runs towards the old Upper Mill, now simply known as 'Barry Mill', a water powered corn mill dating from 1815, when it was built on the site of a much older mill dating to the 16th century. It, along with the nearby bridge which was part of the old road from Barry Grange to Panbride, are both Category B listed buildings.

Much of the Western part of Carnoustie is post-war. The main road in this part of the town is known as 'Barry Road' and towards its Eastern end there are a group of weavers cottages that predate the expansion of the town and formerly belonged to the hamlet of Hunterstown. Leading South from here, is Panmure Street, which leads to the Panmure Institute and, behind it, the Panmure Works. The Panmure Institute is now known as the Panmure Centre and owned by Angus Council for their Community Learning and Development Centre. The factory building was restored in the late 1990s and now houses the building firm DJ Laing. At the end of Barry Road, the road diverts to the North slightly at the Corner Hotel, before continuing eastwards along Dundee Street. This corner, formerly known as Hutton's corner, is where a rocky outcrop blocked the path of the plough when the road was originally marked out in the 18th century.

Heading Eastward along Dundee Street, on the corner with Camus Street, is the Stag's Head inn. The Stag's Head, as might be expected, has a mounted Stag's Head on wall of the bar, but what perhaps makes it notable is the plaque claiming the pub as the site of Billy Connolly's first public appearance while based at Barry Buddon training camp during his Territorial Army career.

The road heading North on the opposite side of Dundee Street is 'West Path'. Its name comes from the fact it was the path that lead down to the main road from the Western boundary of the grounds of Carnoustie House. Carnoustie House was built by Major William Philips in 1792 and bought by George Kinloch in 1808. It passed to Kinloch's daughter, Cecilia Kinloch who, in turn, passed it to her niece, Helen Lingard-Guthrie. The House and lands were bought by the Council in the first half of the 20th century and the house was demolished following a fire around 40 years ago. Carnoustie House Grounds is now used as a park and is where the annual town Gala is held. Part of the land is now occupied by Woodlands Primary School, Woodlands Caravan Park and the town recycling centre.

Continuing Eastwards along Dundee Street from the foot of West Path, on the North side of the road is the small former St Annes Roman Catholic Church. On the South side of the Road, are the large grounds of Kinloch Primary School, opened in 1878 as Carnoustie Public School and last used as a school in November 2008 during renovations of Carlogie Primary School. The buildings were demolished in 2010 to make way for affordable housing.

Opposite the main part of the school is the former Erskine Free Church, which has been through a number of hands since it was sold off in the early 20th century and now houses All Stars sports bar, and beyond the school, heading south towards the beach is Links Avenue. On the left hand side of Links Avenue can be found the Scout Hut which, despite appearances, is the oldest school building in Carnoustie. The street passes through a narrow tunnel under the railway line to Links Parade near to Carnoustie Hotel, which was built in anticipation of the 1999 Open Championship and houses the worlds largest Rolex clock. Beyond the hotel lie the three golf courses of Carnoustie Golf Links.

Past Links Avenue on the North side of Dundee Street Carnoustie Church, which never received its steeple and, a little further past that, is the 'Auld Nick' which originally housed Carnoustie's police station. The War Memorial lies adjacent to the Auld Nick and was dedicated in 1926. It features a sculpture of the Unknown Soldier by Thomas Beattie.

On the opposite side of the road from the Auld Nick is Ferrier Street and a little way down on the right hand side can be seen Thomas Lowson's Dibble Tree. Opposite the Dibble tree is Kinloch Street and, about 100 metres down that street on the North Side, is the Erskine United Free Church, the oldest church building in Carnoustie, built in 1810.

A short way past the War Memorial on the Southern side of Dundee Street is First Feu Cottage, Thomas Lowson's original home in Carnoustie, and beyond that is the traditional centre of the town, The Cross, marking the intersection between Dundee Street, High Street, Queens Street and Park Avenue. Meeting High Street on its North side, Lochty Street leads up to the Church of the Holyrood in Maule Street. It is a Category B listed building, the only listed building within the town, and was built on land donated by Helen Lingard-Guthrie, who had recently married one of the clergymen who ministered to the nascent Episcopalian congregation during the early summer missions, Rev. Roger Lingard.

At the Eastern-most end of High Street, the main road becomes Church Street, with Station Road heading south towards the main railway station and the adjacent Station Hotel, built in 1840. Opposite Station Road is the old City of Glasgow Bank building built in 1870 in Italian style architecture and until recently housed the Clydesdale Bank. It is presently being developed into private accommodation. Church Street continues Eastwards and at one time lead all the way to Newton of Panbride church in the former village of Gallowlaw. The junction with Carlogie Road was realigned some years ago and the part of Church Street East of Carlogie Road renamed Arbroath Road. Past the Church, on the South side of the road, a road bridge leads to the former fishing village of West Haven, which predates Carnoustie by several centuries. To the East of the town, in Panbride, is Panbride Parish Kirk. The building itself is category C(s) listed, although its Burial aisle and the nearby Parish school are both Category B listed The 'Loupin' on Stane' a series of steps in the church courtyard that allowed churchgoers to mount their horses in a dignified manner have category B listing, as does the bridge over the Craigmill burn at the bottom of the hill. At the southern end of Craigmill Den, Panbride House has Category B listing, as does the associated stables.