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Halkirk is a village
Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or Residential community, larger than a hamlet , but smaller than a town or city. Though generally located in rural areas, the term urban village may be applied to certain urban area neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in Beirut, Lebanon....
 on the River Thurso
River Thurso

The River Thurso has Loch Rumsdale in Caithness as its source, about 26 kilometres south and 14 kilometres west of the burgh of Thurso, Caithness, and about 2 kilometres south of the railway line linking the burghs of Thurso and Wick, Caithness with Inverness....
 in Caithness
Caithness

Caithness is a registration county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland and historic Local government in Scotland of Scotland. The name was used also for the Earl of Caithness and the Caithness of the Parliament of the United Kingdom ....
, in the Highland
Highland (council area)

The Highland Council areas of Scotland area is a local government area in the Scottish Highlands and the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole....
 council area
Council Area

Council Area is the name applied by some local authorities in Scotland, to the area over which they have responsibility delegated to them by the Scottish Government....
 of Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
. From Halkirk the B874 road
Road

A road is an identifiable Road number, way or Trail between Location . Roads are typically smoothed, Pavement , or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel; though they need not be, and historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or Maintenance, repair and operations....
 runs towards Thurso
Thurso

Thurso is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland Council areas of Scotland of Scotland. Historically, the town is one of two burghs within the Counties of Scotland of Caithness....
 in the north and towards Georgemas
Georgemas

Georgemas is an area in the county of Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, about 8 kilometres south of the town of Thurso and about two kilometres east of the village of Halkirk....
 in the east. The village is within the parish of Halkirk, and is said by local people to be Scotland's first planned village.

It was at one time the site of the cathedral of the Diocese of Caithness, but this was moved to Dornoch
Dornoch

Dornoch is a town and seaside resort, and former Royal burgh in the Highlands of Scotland, on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, close to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east....
 in the early 13th century.






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Encyclopedia


Halkirk is a village
Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or Residential community, larger than a hamlet , but smaller than a town or city. Though generally located in rural areas, the term urban village may be applied to certain urban area neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in Beirut, Lebanon....
 on the River Thurso
River Thurso

The River Thurso has Loch Rumsdale in Caithness as its source, about 26 kilometres south and 14 kilometres west of the burgh of Thurso, Caithness, and about 2 kilometres south of the railway line linking the burghs of Thurso and Wick, Caithness with Inverness....
 in Caithness
Caithness

Caithness is a registration county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland and historic Local government in Scotland of Scotland. The name was used also for the Earl of Caithness and the Caithness of the Parliament of the United Kingdom ....
, in the Highland
Highland (council area)

The Highland Council areas of Scotland area is a local government area in the Scottish Highlands and the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole....
 council area
Council Area

Council Area is the name applied by some local authorities in Scotland, to the area over which they have responsibility delegated to them by the Scottish Government....
 of Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
. From Halkirk the B874 road
Road

A road is an identifiable Road number, way or Trail between Location . Roads are typically smoothed, Pavement , or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel; though they need not be, and historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or Maintenance, repair and operations....
 runs towards Thurso
Thurso

Thurso is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland Council areas of Scotland of Scotland. Historically, the town is one of two burghs within the Counties of Scotland of Caithness....
 in the north and towards Georgemas
Georgemas

Georgemas is an area in the county of Caithness, in the Highland area of Scotland, about 8 kilometres south of the town of Thurso and about two kilometres east of the village of Halkirk....
 in the east. The village is within the parish of Halkirk, and is said by local people to be Scotland's first planned village.

It was at one time the site of the cathedral of the Diocese of Caithness, but this was moved to Dornoch
Dornoch

Dornoch is a town and seaside resort, and former Royal burgh in the Highlands of Scotland, on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, close to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east....
 in the early 13th century. There are no remains of the early church and bishop's seat.

Historic distilleries

Halkirk has had two whisky
Whisky

Whisky or whiskey refers to a broad category of Distilled beverages that are distilled from Fermentation grain Mashing and aged in wooden casks ....
 distilleries
Distillery

Distillery may refer to:*Lisburn Distillery F.C., known as Distillery until 1999.*A premises where distillation takes place, particularly in context with alcohol....
, Gerston from 1796 to 1885, and Ben Morven (also known as Gerston II) from 1886 to circa 1911. Both were established on the banks of the River Thurso, near Gerston FarmOrdnance Survey
Ordnance Survey

Ordnance Survey is an executive agency of the United Kingdom government. It is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, and one of the world's largest producers of maps....
 grid reference
British national grid reference system

The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
 for Gerston Farm: , and both drew water from Calder Burn. The Ben Morven distillery was named for the mountain
Morven, Caithness

Morven is a mountain in Caithness, in the Highland Region of Scotland. The hill is classed as a Graham and, at 706 metres, its Topographical summit is the highest point in the county of Caithness....
, the highest point in Caithness.

The original Gerston distillery was first registered by a Francis Swanson, and was expanded by two sons, John and James, in 1825. Sir Robert Peel is said to have acquired a taste for the whisky. The distillery closed not long after it was sold to new owners in 1872, and a London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 company, calling themselves the Gerston Distillery Company, decided to build a new distillery.

In 1897 the new distillery was sold to Northern Distilleries Limited, who gave it the Ben Morven name. It was never very successful, and it closed circa 1911. The stillhouse is still standing.

Alexander Keith

Halkirk is the birthplace of Alexander Keith
Alexander Keith

Alexander Keith was a Canadian politician and brewmaster. He was mayor of the city of City of Halifax, Nova Scotia, a Conservative member of the provincial legislature, and the founder of the Alexander Keith's brewing company....
 (1795 to 1873), who settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia and became established as a respected politician and brewer. He is known across Canada for his most famous beer, Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale.

Footnotes


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