Login
Login

Invergordon

{{Short description|Town in Scotland}}

{{About||the locality in Australia|Invergordon, Victoria|the rural municipality in Saskatchewan, Canada|Rural Municipality of Invergordon No. 430}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2017}}

{{infobox UK place

| country = Scotland

| official_name = Invergordon

| population = {{Scottish locality population|name|POP=Invergordon}}

| population_ref = ({{Scottish settlement population citation|year}}){{Scottish settlement population citation}}

| os_grid_reference = NH715685

| edinburgh_distance_mi = 125

| london_distance_mi = 456

| map_type = Ross and Cromarty

| coordinates = {{coord|57.68792|-4.15704|display=inline,title}}

| unitary_scotland = Highland

| lieutenancy_scotland = Ross and Cromarty

| constituency_westminster = Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross

| constituency_scottish_parliament = Caithness, Sutherland and Ross

| post_town = INVERGORDON

| postcode_district = IV18

| postcode_area = IV

| dial_code = 01349

| static_image = Invergordon - geograph.org.uk - 46760.jpg

}}

Invergordon ({{IPAc-en|,|ɪ|n|v|ər|'|g|ɔr|d|ən|}}; {{langx|gd|Inbhir Ghòrdain}} or {{lang|gd|An Rubha}}) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.{{cite web |last1=Gittings |first1=Bruce |last2=Munro |first2=David |title=Invergordon |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst582.html |website=The Gazetteer for Scotland |publisher=School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society |access-date=30 July 2018}} It lies in the parish of Rosskeen.

History

File:Scotland – Invergordon - Arts Centre - panoramio.jpg]]

The town built up around the harbour which was established in 1828.{{canmore|num=14499|desc=Invergordon, Shore Road, Harbour| access-date=6 September 2022}} The area became a police burgh in 1863{{cite web|url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10360080 |title=Invergordon Burgh|publisher=Vision of Britain|access-date=6 September 2022}} and Invergordon Town Hall was completed in 1871.{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB35077|desc= High Street, former Town Hall and Playhouse Cinema |access-date=5 September 2022}}

The Invergordon Grain Distillery, operated by Philippines-owned whisky giant Whyte & Mackay, was established in 1959.{{cite web|url=https://scotchwhisky.com/whiskypedia/5890/invergordon-distillers/ |title=Invergordan Distillers|publisher=Scotch Whisky|access-date=6 September 2022}} Connected to the distillery was the Invergordon Distillery Pipe Band which was formed in 1964.{{cite news|url=http://www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/Features/Reflections/44-Years-Ago-3902.htm |title=44 Years Ago |publisher=ross-shirejournal.co.uk |access-date=6 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306111921/http://www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/Features/Reflections/44-Years-Ago-3902.htm |archive-date=6 March 2015 }}

In 1971, the British Aluminium Company, which was 47% owned by Reynolds Metals, opened an aluminium smelter at Invergordon.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=John M. |title=British Aluminum Debut Faces World Glut |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/29/archives/british-aluminum-debut-faces-world-glut-plants-in-britain-face.html |publisher=The New York Times Company |date=29 May 1971}}

Naval base

The naval institute was designed in 1914 by Edinburgh architect Stewart Kaye in anticipation of the First World War.{{cite web|url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=401877 |publisher=Dictionary of Scottish Architects|title= Stewart Kaye|access-date=6 September 2022}} The naval base was the venue for the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931.{{cite web |url=http://www.seayourhistory.org.uk/content/view/147/234/ |title=The Invergordon Mutiny of 1931 |publisher=Sea Your History |access-date=6 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206000336/http://www.seayourhistory.org.uk/content/view/147/234/ |archive-date=6 December 2011 |url-status=dead}} Remains of the naval base are evidenced in the tank farm lying behind the town centre; the port used to contain fuel oil and water supplies for naval ships (see Inchindown oil tanks).{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-14418588|title=Return to Highlands' Inchindown secret tunnels|last=McKenzie|first=Steven|date=8 August 2011|work=BBC Scotland|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=18 July 2014}}

One German bomb hit one of the tanks during the Second World War when a large flying boat base occupied much of the northerly coast of the Cromarty Firth.{{cite web|url=https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3.spanglefish.com/s/19219/documents/wwii/invergordon%20wwii%20memories%2016-4-2017.pdf |title=Memories of Invergordon in World War II |page=18|date=16 April 2017|access-date=6 September 2022}} The naval base closed in 1956{{cite web|url=https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/invergordon/invergordon/index.html|title=Invergordon|publisher=Undiscovered Scotland|access-date=6 September 2022}} (though the Oil Fuel Depot was retained in service until 1991).{{Hansard|1991/jul/16/naval-support-infrastructure}} On 27–28 May 1957 the Royal Navy held a fleet review in the waters off the town.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpathe.com/video/queen-and-duke-visit-home-fleet|title=Queen And Duke Visit Home Fleet 1957|publisher=British Pathe| access-date=6 September 2022}}

Since 1978, the former naval base has been used as a deep water port which has been visited by many large cruise liners and allows disembarkation for coach tours in the northern Highlands.{{cite web|url=https://pocf.co.uk/cruise/ |title=Welcome to Invergordon: Gateway to the Highlands|publisher=Port of Cromarty Firth| access-date=6 September 2022}} In the summer of 2017, the port was visited by the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth during her sea trials.{{cite journal | url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/mod-deny-rumours-new-aircraft-carrier-will-mothballed/ | title=MoD deny rumours that a new aircraft carrier will be mothballed | first=George | last=Allison | date=15 January 2017 | journal = UK Defence Journal}} On 19 June 2021 the last of the Batch-2 River-class offshore patrol vessels, HMS Spey, was commissioned at a ceremony at the former naval base. The Royal Marines Band Service was at the ceremony providing musical support.{{Citation|title=HMS SPEY Commissioned Into ROYAL NAVY 🌊 🚢|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL3euFcu8N0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/IL3euFcu8N0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2021-06-19}}{{cbignore}}

Culture

Invergordon has a number of painted murals.{{cite web | title=Invergordon Murals | website=Invergordon Museum | date=30 September 2015 | url=https://www.invergordonmuseum.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=727067 | access-date=8 June 2025}} There is a mural trail, designed to integrate local community groups, opened by Anne, Princess Royal in 2007.

Infrastructure

File:Invergordon from the air.jpg

The town is served by Invergordon railway station which lies on the Far North Line, and is in close proximity to the A9 trunk road.

As of 2012, there is a controversial scheme for a waste incinerator at the Cromarty Firth Industrial Park in Invergordon, which the Scottish government are now reviewing following protests by the local community. The £43 million plant would be built by Combined Power and Heat (Highlands) Ltd.[http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/i-ll-be-just-like-robert-the-bruce-says-mohamed-al-fayed-as-controversial-waste-incinerator-gets-go-ahead-1-2668947 Scotsman article by Frank Urquart, 1 December 2012]

Education

Invergordon has one secondary school, Invergordon Academy, which is fed by four primary schools, Newmore Primary School, Park Primary School, South Lodge Primary School and Milton Primary School.

In 2013 the Highland Council announced plans for a new "super school" to serve Ross-shire with the preferred option being that it be built in Invergordon. This has seen much protest by locals and is currently under review. If it went ahead Alness and Tain academies would close and there would also be a change to the local primary schools.{{cn|date= December 2024}}

In popular culture

In Season 3 of Amazon Prime motoring series The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond visited Invergordon as part of their journey along the NC500.{{Cite web | url=https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/jeremy-clarkson-and-grand-tour-co-hosts-ridicule-scots-town-during-nc500-road-trip-101664 | title=Jeremy Clarkson and Grand Tour co-hosts ridicule Scots town during NC500 road trip | date=24 February 2019 }}

Notable residents

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.invergordon.info/ Invergordon Community Online]
  • [http://www.theinvergordonarchive.org/ Invergordon Archive]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20130702230558/http://www.invergordonobserver.co.uk/ Invergordon News]
  • [http://www.cfpa.co.uk/ Cromarty Firth Port Authority]
  • [http://www.parkprimaryschool.co.uk/ Park Primary School]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070210221514/http://www.invergordon.highland.sch.uk/index.htm Invergordon Academy]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20130415191024/http://invergordonfc.co.uk/ Invergordon Football Club]
  • [http://www.spanglefish.com/InvergordonJuniorFootballClub/ Invergordon Junior Football Club]
  • http://www.invergordonoffthewall.com

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Ross and Cromarty

Category:Ports and harbours of Scotland

Category:Royal Navy bases in Scotland

Category:Towns in Highland (council area)