Bygone Brechin

Brechin is one of those towns you might visit and wonder why is all this here, slightly off the beaten track? Te answer lies in its origin as an early religious site, with a cathedral now over 1000 years old. A castle and a turbulent history followed after and Brechin became a Royal Burgh and a market town, which in turn segued into its unlikely position at the forefront of the Angus linen industry using flax imported from Russia and northern Europe. Besides spinning, weaving and bleaching linen, Brechin also had a whisky distillery on account of its agricultural surroundings. The 19th century saw the town develop and grow further and although the photographs in this book are mainly 20th century, they reflect Brechin in the late years of this growth spurt.