Longside: Churches, Memorials and Activities

Longside offers distinctive church architecture, places of remembrance at the airfield, and activities with different focuses. Nearby, you’ll also find Cairn Catto: a long, wedge-shaped hill in Buchan’s open, undulating landscape. If you’re looking for holiday accommodation, you can plan your trip around whether architecture, remembrance, landscape, or a particular activity is your main focus.

Churches from Different Centuries

Dun A Cluach, the former manse of Longside, dates from 1825. It is the village’s oldest surviving manse and forms a historic group of buildings with the parish church and the remains of the old church. Its exterior and floor plan are largely unchanged. This single building therefore offers a glimpse both of its former use as a manse and of a remarkably enduring architectural design.

Longside Parish Church stands out for its location and form: it occupies an elevated position within the village and is visible from many directions. Designed by John Smith, the church was built in 1835/36, and its silhouette is rectangular. The churchyard contains well-preserved stones from the 18th century. There is also an obelisk erected in 1861 in memory of Jamie Fleeman. The church, gravestones, and obelisk offer different points of interest if you’re interested in architecture and local history.

Longside Old Parish Church offers another point of comparison across time. Built between 1619 and 1620, it has been roofless since the 19th century. Alongside the largely unchanged former manse and Longside Parish Church, built in the 19th century, it presents a different historic architectural form. St John’s Church in Longside dates from 1853. It features an Early English Gothic style with distinctive details and is attributed to William Hay. St John’s is still used as a church; check access arrangements before visiting.

Memorials and Airfield Activities

At Longside Airfield, a granite memorial stone commemorates the men and women who served at RAF Peterhead between 1941 and 1945. The RAF Peterhead memorial is surrounded by a low, circular stone wall that extends over 300 degrees. The materials and design give this place of remembrance a tangible form; the inscription and dates anchor the commemoration to a specific period.

At Longside Airfield, Buchan Archers hold outdoor archery sessions from May to September. As these sessions are seasonal, check the latest information before your trip. Buchan Aero Club uses part of the former runway at Longside. The airfield thus brings together a historical connection and present-day club activities, although they serve different purposes.

Another activity is offered by Longside Golf Club: its course has 18 holes, a par of 66, and a length of 5,266 yards (4,815 m). When planning your trip, you can therefore decide whether seasonal archery or golf is your main activity.

Landscape and the Focus of Your Trip

Near Longside lies Cairn Catto, a 48-metre-long, wedge-shaped long barrow in Buchan’s open, undulating landscape. Its form and length make it a distinctive landscape and historical feature alongside the churches and airfield. If you’re interested in this kind of landscape feature, Cairn Catto offers a different focus from the village’s architectural history.

When looking for holiday accommodation, it helps to first decide which themes matter most to you. If you’re combining several interests, you can weigh up historic buildings and memorials alongside seasonal archery sessions or golf. If you want to attend a particular Buchan Archers session, check the details in advance and plan your travel dates accordingly. If your main interest is the churches, their different construction dates and designs can help guide your visit.

Discover more destinations: Ballater, Plaidy, Fraserburgh, Inverallochy, Milltimber, Inverbervie, Hatton of Fintray, St Cyrus.

For the broader travel guide: Aberdeenshire.