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Forfar is a town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people, located in the unitary authority of Angus in Scotland. It is the district capital and administrative centre of Angus and was the county capital of the former county of Angus. The town is also the market town for the lowland farms of Strathmore in central Angus.

History

The town is extremely old. According to Hector Boece, Pictish chiefs met at a castle by Forfar Loch to plan how best to repel the Romans who invaded on several occasions between the first and fourth centuries AD. Ultimately the Romans prevailed, only to be displaced in the Early Middle Ages by the Picts.History of Forfar, Angus The Romans established a major Roman Camp at Battledykes, approximately three miles north of Forfar; this camp was analysed to have held 50 to 60 thousand men.Alan Reid, ''The Royal Burgh of Forfar: A Local History'', 1902, Houlston & sons; 445 pages From Battledykes northward the Romans established a succession of camps including Stracathro, Raedykes and Normandykes.C.Michael Hogan, ''History of Muchalls Castle'', Lumina Tech Press, Aberdeen (2005)

A "claimant" to the throne, the daughter of the leader of the Meic Uilleim, who were descendants of King Duncan II, had her brains dashed out on Forfar market cross in 1215 while still an infant.

Transport

The town is located just off the main A90 Perth to Aberdeen road, which now bypasses the town but once passed through the town. The town had a railway station until September 3 1967 when it closed as part of the Beeching cuts. It was located on the main line of the Caledonian Railway from Glasgow to Aberdeen, which was the furthest north link in the chain of the West Coast Main Line from London. Lines also went to Dundee, Arbroath, Brechin and Kirriemuir. There was a major locomotive shed here too, which is still standing today but now houses a coach works. Some bridges and cuttings still survive but the site of the goods station, which was also the town's original railway station before the one near the county buildings was built, is now mainly residential properties. There are bus services to Dundee, Arbroath, Kirriemuir, Brechin etc.

Local sport

The town has a third division football club, Forfar Athletic, who play at Station Park, as well as two junior clubs, Forfar West End and Forfar Albion.

Rugby Union is represented in the town by Strathmore Rugby Football Club, who play their home games at Inchmacoble Park, beside Forfar Loch. Strathmore Cricket Clubhttp://strathmorecc.intheteam.com/modules/page/page.aspx?type=home&mid=12181&pmid=0, founded in 1862, has played at Lochside Park since 1873. Forfar Loch is home to Forfar Sailing Club http://forfarsailingclub.org.uk/portal/

The town has a swimming pool and a separate dedicated leisure centre. It also has an ice rink which was built in the early 1990s and this is home to the local curling club. There are also many bowling clubs, and the Forfar Golf Club http://www.forfargolfclub.com/which is situated at Cunninghill to the east of the town. Angus Gliding Club operates at Roundyhill, between Glamis and Kirriemuir.

Places of worship

Forfar has three Church of Scotland congregations:

East and Old Church, originally the parish kirk, with a tall slender spire overlooking the town centre.

Lowson Memorial Church, off Montrose Road. This is a grade A listed church in late Scots Gothic style built in 1914 by A Marshall Mackenzie (who also designed Crathie Kirk). The church contains notable stained glass windows by Douglas Strachan. The church serves the east side of Forfar.

St Margaret's Church, in the town centre, originally a Free Kirk.

The town also has churches of other denominations, including:

St John the Evangelist Scottish Episcopal Church, East High Street, designed by Sir R Rowand Anderson and consecrated in 1881. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later to become Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, was confirmed in this church.

Other items of interest

The town is home to the world famousForfar bridie. There are two main bakers in the town that produce the local delicacy - McLarens of Forfar and Saddlers of Forfar, which are both popular with locals and visitors to the town. This has been featured on many TV programmes.

Another feature of the town is the Forfar Loch Country Park, which is popular amongst locals as a walking venue.

Her Majesty The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited the town and surrounding area in 2004: the first time in around 30 years.

The town lies in Strathmore and is situated just off the main A90 road between Perth and Aberdeen, with Dundee (the nearest city) being 13 miles away. It is approximately five miles from Glamis Castle, home to the Strathmore family and where HRH Princess Margaret Rose, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, was born in 1930.

The town is near to the Angus Glens, including Glen Shee, Glen Clova and Glen Prosen, that are popular with skiers and hillwalkers. The area is notable for the beautiful scenery of the mountains and Strathmore.

The town holds many events throughout the year such as the bi-annual Forfar Mara-Fun, which raises money for charity and the annual Forfar Food Festival highlighting some of the local food. There is also a monthly farmers' market.

Agriculture and tourism are some of the town's major industries. It also acts as an administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex currently being built on the outskirts of the town, with department due to open throughout 2007.

Forfar is also home to Strathmore Springs, a bottled mineral water producer. Their products are shipped worldwide.