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Pennan

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Pennan
Pennan
OS grid referenceNJ845655
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townFRASERBURGH
Postcode districtAB43
Dialling code01346
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
File:Local Hero still frame 029638.jpg
Pennan as seen in Local Hero, portraying the fictional village of Ferness — the red telephone box is visible

Pennan is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland[1] consisting of a small harbour and a single row of homes, including a hotel. It is located on the north-facing coast and is approximately one hour's drive from Aberdeen.

Pennan seems to have come into existance as a fishing village in the 1700s. Until the 1930s, the population of the village seems to have come under three main surnames - Watt, Gatt and West. The people of Pennan were dependent on the see. Most families had small boats for their own personal use. Where the men would catch the fish, it was usually down to the women and children to try and sell it to clients in the country. In the last 50 years, most of the native families have moved out and most of the houses have been bought as holiday homes. Pennan became famous in the 1980s for being used as one of the main locations for the film Local Hero, and representing the fictional village of Ferness. Film enthusiasts have come from all over the world to make a phone call in the red telephone box which featured in the film. The phone box was in fact originally put there only as a prop for the film, and then removed, but as a result of public demand a genuine telephone box was installed a few metres from the original spot, and has been a listed building since 1989.[2]

Landslips, especially one in 2007, have been damaging the village.[3] In 2009 a 25 foot crack appeared on the cliff-side sparking calls for the village to be evacuated.

Area history

This part of Aberdeenshire was inhabited by prehistoric peoples since at least the Bronze Age. One of the most ancient extant monuments is the long barrow at Longman Hill.[4]

Line notes

References

  • United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map (2004) Landranger, 1:50000 scale
  • C.Michael Hogan (2008) Longman Hill, Modern Antiquarian [1]