Laurencekirk

Laurencekirk is a small town in the ancient county of Kincardineshire, modern county of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, just off the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen main road around 15 miles south of Stonehaven.


It is the largest settlement in the Howe o' the Mearns area and houses the local secondary school; Mearns Academy and the Laurencekirk Primary School.

The 2004 population is estimated at 3,596.  

Its old name was Conveth, a corruption of "Coinmheadh". Laurencekirk is situated in the valley between the Hill of Garvock and the Cairn O' Mount. The famous landmark of the Johnston Tower can be seen on the peak of the Garvock.  

Laurencekirk was, in the past, known for making snuff boxes with a special type of airtight hinge (known as a "Laurencekirk hinge") invented by James Sandy.

The area was made famous by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, who  wrote much about The Mearns and the surrounding area in his book Sunset Song.  

The Grassic Gibbon Centre Centre  at Arbuthnott a few miles from Laurencekirk is well worth a visit.