Strichen has a population of around 1200 and lies some nine miles from the coast on the A981 south of Fraserburgh.

The Fraser family were the Lairds of Strichen and founded the village in 1764. Strichen (called Mormond until the 1850's) was built by the Frasers of Strichen to house estate workers and to promote "the arts and manufactures of this country, for the accommodation of tradesmen of all denominations and other industrious people to settle within the same". During the latter half of the 18th and early 19th centuries some twenty new villages were established by landowners throughout Buchan.

Lord Strichen sees the wealth of the British Empire and the profit that the world markets holds and sets in motion his plans. His vision is of recruiting the local population to his cause by inviting them to build a village which hopes will prosper. As a reward, he offers the princely sum of £100 pounds to the first man to complete his house.

For the next hundred years that little hamlet grew. In 1790 the population of the new village is given as 200. By 1840 it was 681. With the coming of the railway in 1865, en route to Fraserburgh, it seemed that the dream would at last come true. Trade increased, people in the city of Aberdeen became aware of what the Buchan countryside could offer them. The future looked bright, but this was to be Strichen’s zenith. Strichen was at one time the venue of weekly agricultural livestock markets, and hosted "feeing" markets where farm servants were engaged in May and November each year. These are now relegated to history but are recalled in a mumber of north-east Folksongs.

Today, the buildings illustrate a range of traditional styles and construction skills and most of the village has been designated an Outstanding Conservation Area since 1985.

For thousands of years there has been some form of settlement on or near what is now the village of Strichen. No doubt, long ago, our ancestors found the shelter afforded by nearby Mormond Hill of great comfort. It is evident from the number of archaeological finds that early man prospered in these parts and several sites in the area remain as a sign of his passing. Nestling under Mormond Hill by the North Ugie Water, it is a fine example of an 18th century planned village, where most of the original houses open directly on to the street with a large garden to the rear.

The lands of Strichen is one of the earliest places in Buchan for which a charter exists, having been given (with the lands of Kindrought) to Cospatrick Macmadethyn by Will, the first Comyn of Buchan in the early 1200's.

Public Halls

The two storey Town Hall in the centre of the village dates from 1816 and is of architectural interest with its clock tower and spire. The town hall bell rang curfew every evening at 8.00 p.m. until the late 1930's.

The modern Ritchie Hall is adjacent to the pleasure park and play area. This was built by the community and is used regularly as a meeting place by local groups.

Churches

There are two churches in the village.

The Parish Church of the Church of Scotland, with its tower and spire looking down High Street, was built in 1893 as the Free Church.

The earlier building within the cemetery ot the south-west of the village dates from 1799 and was the parish church until the Free Church united with the Church of Scotland in 1929. The first Church in the cemetery was built in 1620 and Strichen was raised to full parish status in 1633.

All Saint's Episcopal Church in West Street dates from 1861.

At the far end of what is now Brewery Road, adjoining the dwelling house known as "The Cloisters", is a building erected in 1580 as a Roman Catholic chapel but said never to have been completed.

Schools

The Primary School in North Street has a roll of approximately 120.

At the southern end of Market Terrace is the older building which once housed Strichen's secondary school. Secondary school children now travel to Fraserburgh or Mintlaw Academies.

Public Library

The village has an excellent Public Library in Water Street.

This first opened in 1923 as the Anderson and Woodman Institute, named after its founders. See http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/libraries/local_libraries/strichen.asp for details

A Centre of Heritage

Strichen is home to the Buchan Countryside Group, a conservation organisation established in the 1970's and based in the village since 1980.

Through educational and practical projects the group increases public awareness throughout Buchan.

A major project of the group is the development and maintenance of the Buchan Walkway along the route of the old railway. This long-distance pathway runs for forty miles (60km) from Dyce, on the outskirts of Aberdeen, up through Ellon, to Auchnagatt and Maud, then eastwards to a little beyond Mintlaw. Only short stretches have so far been developed at Strichen.

In mid-May each year Strichen hosts the Buchan Heritage Festival from Friday through to Sunday.

The Saturday has competitions in Doric verse, bothy ballads, accordian and fiddle music, piping and diddling. This is held in venues throughout the village, including the Ritchie Hall, British Legion Club, the White Horse Hotel, the School and Church Hall. An outdoor Saturday lunchtime concert at The Square is a feature of the weekend and a prizewinners concert is staged on the Saturday evening. The Doric Drama Festival, allied to the Heritage Festival, is held in New Pitsligo on the previous weekend.

Facilities

The village also has a doctors' surgery (off Water Street), a branch of the Clydesdale Bank, a garage and filling station, post office, chemist, joiner, grocery, bakery and butchery shops and a carry-out chip shop. You will also find a Bowling Green and Tennis Court.

Pleasant walks in the area include the Buchan Walkway stretches, Strichen House, the Riverside and Forest Walks a little farther afield in the White Cow Wood (signposted from the cemetery junction).