Dunblane
Dunblane
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 Dunblane from the Bridge Allan Water. In the distance is Dunblane Cathedral. |
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 Dunblane
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| Dunblane shown within the Stirling council area | |
| Population | 9,000 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | NN779007 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DUNBLANE |
| Postcode district | FK15 |
| Dialling code | 01786 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Dunblane (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Bhlàthain) is a city in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The city is situated off the A9 road which has been bypassed since 1991, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the city centre, with the Cathedral and the High Street on the east side. Dunblane had a population of 8,114 at the 2001 census which grew to 8,811 at the 2011 census, both figures computed according to the 2010 definition of the locality.
The name Dunblane is sometimes said to mean "fort of Blane", commemorating an early saint (Old Irish Bláán) who flourished probably in the late 6th century. His main seat was originally Kingarth on the Isle of Bute. He or his followers may have founded a church at Dunblane - it is likely that the cult of Bláán came there with settlers from what is now Argyll in later centuries. The earliest spellings of the name Dunblane are of the form Dul Blaan, the first element being a Pictish word for 'water meadow, haugh' which was borrowed into Gaelic. This is more likely a name than 'fort of Blane', given that saints do not usually have forts, while we have parallels to Dul Blaan in such Scottish place-names such as Dalserf, Dalmarnock and Dalpatrick, all of which commemorate saints.
The earliest evidence for Christianity on the site are two cross-slabs of the 10th to 11th centuries which are preserved in the cathedral. Incorporated into the later medieval building, but originally free-standing, is an 11th-century bell-tower, whose height was increased in the 15th century. The nave and aisleless choir are 13th century. Dunblane did not have a rich or extensive medieval diocese (37 parishes), and the cathedral is relatively modest in scale, but its refined architecture is much admired, as is its setting overlooking the valley of the Allan Water. After the Reformation, the nave of the cathedral was abandoned and soon became roofless and used for burials. The choir was retained as the parish church. The nave was re-roofed and the cathedral provided with new furnishings by Robert Rowand Anderson between 1889 and 1893. During the boom years of the Hydropathy movement in the 19th century, Dunblane was the location of a successful hydropathic establishment (see photo below).
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Wikipedia