Lancet Jades
03-01-2004, 11:30 AM
Cheers to village that never was
LUCY CHRISTIE
A MISTAKE by council officials has led to an Aberdeenshire village being renamed after a malt whisky.
Residents in Kennethmont, near Huntly, have long campaigned for speed restriction signs at the entrance to their village. But when the new signs finally arrived, it became apparent that council planners had decided Ardmore, a drink which is made locally, was a better name for the area.
David Grant, the chairman of the community council, said: "When I saw the sign I just couldn’t believe such a huge mistake had been made.
"The fact is Ardmore just doesn’t exist. We can’t believe the stupidity of the council. You can’t go renaming places on a whim.
"They certainly haven’t done their homework here so the signs are now totally useless. They’ll only help people looking for the distillery."
Kennethmont, which is located near Huntly, is mentioned in official documents dating back as far as 1285. The village has a rich history, and because of its unusual name it is thought to have links to the burial place of Kenneth, the Scottish kings.
But it is most famous for the local Ardmore distillery, which makes a whisky of the same name.
The distillery is located at the entrance to Kennethmont, and some locals have been known to refer to that part of the village as the Ardmore end.
This appears somehow to have confused the planners from Aberdeenshire council.
Mark Skilling, the man in charge of signage at the council, admitted: "It was all my fault.
"When we put the new signs up beside the distillery I didn’t think that was part of the main village.
"I was pretty sure that area was called Ardmore, but I was wrong. Several locals have been in contact with us to tell us about the mistake."
The council is planning to change the signs soon. The transformation will not be too costly because only the lettering has to be changed.
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There's actually a town nearby where I live named Ardmore...
LUCY CHRISTIE
A MISTAKE by council officials has led to an Aberdeenshire village being renamed after a malt whisky.
Residents in Kennethmont, near Huntly, have long campaigned for speed restriction signs at the entrance to their village. But when the new signs finally arrived, it became apparent that council planners had decided Ardmore, a drink which is made locally, was a better name for the area.
David Grant, the chairman of the community council, said: "When I saw the sign I just couldn’t believe such a huge mistake had been made.
"The fact is Ardmore just doesn’t exist. We can’t believe the stupidity of the council. You can’t go renaming places on a whim.
"They certainly haven’t done their homework here so the signs are now totally useless. They’ll only help people looking for the distillery."
Kennethmont, which is located near Huntly, is mentioned in official documents dating back as far as 1285. The village has a rich history, and because of its unusual name it is thought to have links to the burial place of Kenneth, the Scottish kings.
But it is most famous for the local Ardmore distillery, which makes a whisky of the same name.
The distillery is located at the entrance to Kennethmont, and some locals have been known to refer to that part of the village as the Ardmore end.
This appears somehow to have confused the planners from Aberdeenshire council.
Mark Skilling, the man in charge of signage at the council, admitted: "It was all my fault.
"When we put the new signs up beside the distillery I didn’t think that was part of the main village.
"I was pretty sure that area was called Ardmore, but I was wrong. Several locals have been in contact with us to tell us about the mistake."
The council is planning to change the signs soon. The transformation will not be too costly because only the lettering has to be changed.
---------------------------
There's actually a town nearby where I live named Ardmore...