New Aberdour’s only shop has shut, there’s no Post Office, buses have been cut and the village church is going to close.
This all comes after the school closed 20 years ago, and the boarded-up pub is a derelict eyesore having served its last pints 17 years ago.
But, for a population of just more than 300, New Aberdour is a village rich with history.
It’s where Christianity first arrived in the north-east, with a much earlier version of St Drostan’s church overlooking the bay since the 6th century.
Locals are now fighting to make sure its storied past is not forgotten – and to keep the community spirit forged through the generations alive.
“We are the last ones standing,” Graeme Bruce tells me as he looks back on all the recent blows.
Graeme is the chairman of the Friends of New Aberdour Church (FNAC) charity, a group of locals joining forces to try and save the village from falling into disarray.
I spoke with the group about their project to save the north-east’s forgotten village, and heard about:
- The storied, untold past of New Aberdour
- The struggles facing the village as shops shut down and public services are cut
- And the one-eyed American Civil War veteran who lived in a cave, and how he sums up the fight to preserve New Aberdour
Church on the chopping block
Arriving at St Drostan’s church on a grey Monday morning, I am greeted with a howling gale coming in from the Moray firth.
But despite the treacherous conditions, people of all ages have braved the weather to make it to the weekly coffee morning.
I am welcomed with a warm smile by Graeme, as we sit down with Corrine Cox, a local historian and member of the charity, in a cosy corner.
Over a cup of tea and scone (genuinely the best scone I have ever had), the pair tell me about the community’s storied past and uncertain future.
Their most pressing concern right now is the building we are sitting in. It’s where they hold their weekly Monday morning coffee mornings from 10am to noon.
Between sips of tea, Corrine tells me that – despite its significance in the religious history of Scotland – is bound to shut.
“Churches have been closing left, right and centre across the country,” the 69-year-old tells me.
“We were invited, shall we say, by the Church of Scotland to repurpose our building to make it more viable.
“Not just for Sunday services, but also during the week to bring people in from the community…”
And they are now trying to raise funds to make sure they can continue to provide “a place for people to come together”.
A Church of Scotland spokeswoman told us there is “currently no date” for it, but the New Aberdour place of worship “is designated for closure”.
‘There is nowhere to go, so they come here’
That sense of community they are so keen to keep alive is fully on show at the coffee morning.
The church is full of people, young and old, enjoying each other’s company.
If you hadn’t told me otherwise, I would have presumed it was all one big family.
“The coffee mornings are a way of meeting up with people. There’s no cafe, there’s nowhere for people to go, and so they come here,” Corrine explains.
And there really is not much for locals in New Aberdour.
Its only school was shut down decades ago, and there are no cafes or pubs.
But it was when the village shop closed that alarm bells really began to ring…
Shop closure a ‘real blow’
The newsagents sat on High Street for decades, with different owners coming and going over the years.
It sold the usual range of essentials as well as items from nearby butchers.
The final custodians blamed the cost of living crisis and soaring prices as they made the “painful decision” to shutter the shop in September 2022.
“It was a real blow to the community,” Corrine sighed.
“The shop used to have a coffee machine, and people would pop in, get their messages and have a blether, but we don’t have that any more, people needed that.
“Now you have to go online for shopping, or get a lift to the shops if you can’t drive.”
And it’s not just the shop that has closed down lately…
Bus routes axing mean ‘torture’ for locals
The village’s bus service, or soon-to-be lack there of, is another issue which has made life harder for those living in New Aberdour.
Stagecoach’s major timetable overhaul has axed the New Aberdour to Fraserburgh route, which comes into effect Monday, August 19.
The only way to travel out of the village come next week for those who don’t drive is by Aberdeenshire Council’s Dial-a-Bus service.
However, it only goes through the village once a week.
Corrine lets me know just how much this affects the community: “If you’re not in a position to drive because you’re older or you’re younger, you’re stuck.
“This leads to people becoming very isolated.
“It must be torture for young people going to college, even in Fraserburgh.”
But despite it looking like there was not much hope for the future of New Aberdour, locals came together to keep that strong sense of community alive.
Village heroes band together to save New Aberdour
Friends of New Aberdour Church were born from the ashes of the “forgotten” village.
Despite having service after service stripped from the community, this group of resilient residents refused to give up the fight to keep spirits up.
And Corrine is a shining example, refusing to get too despondent about the setbacks.
Originally from Yorkshire, she moved to New Aberdour 27 years ago, and has fully embraced the village and its storied past.
And this passion, shared by the rest of its residents, for keeping New Aberdour alive is what binds the village together.
“We definitely needed something to keep the community together,” the 73-year-old historian tells me.
“We’re a tight-knit community. People always look out for their neighbours and people in the village.
“We want to encourage people to cherish their heritage, value it, and pass it on to further generations.
“That’s what makes communities unique.”
So what are villagers doing to keep history alive?
After finishing up my cup of tea and scone (I can’t put into words how amazing it was) I get ready to head off before the “heritage showcase” catches my eye.
Sadly appropriately for a village that has lost its only store, this month’s theme is shopping-related items.
A plethora of kitchen paraphernalia adorns the tables by the main door.
As he walks me through what these items are, Graeme smiles at how the displays have been embraced by the community.
“The heritage display generates interest, people love to come in and say ‘my granny had one of those’,” he beams.
Accompanying the displays are stories of the villages past, and just a quick glance reveals the fascinating lives of those who lived in New Aberdour.
The story of “Besome Jock” is one of these…
He was a hermit who lived in a cave down by the beach, whose story includes losing an eye whilst fighting in the American Civil War.
Without people like Graeme, Corrine and the rest of the charity, these captivating stories could be lost to time.
So despite New Aberdour being struck by blow after blow, this dedicated group of volunteers fight on to save their forgotten village – one scone at a time.
Read more:
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- New Aberdour castle which appeared in Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ on the market for £675,000
- Revealed: The Aberdeenshire residents holding out on £60k council tax bills
- Meet the masseuse mum who turned old rehab offices into plush new Peterhead day spa
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