Mormond Station and a New Leeds rags to riches story

Grey Granite set off from Mormond Station to check that New Leeds is visible from the Line and in doing so found an attractive circular walk of about 3 miles along the Line and pleasant country lanes and tracks.

From Mormond Station walk towards Strichen for about a mile, New Leeds can be seen to the south as one walks beyond the belt of trees near West Cockmuir. Just beyond  a series of marshy ponds a sign on the embankment indicates a clear foot path leading across fields to Smiddyhill. Turn left when reaching the New Leeds to Strichen road, New Leeds and the  A952 are ahead, three wind turbines near West Cockmuir form prominent landmarks.   After about a mile look out for the sign to North Redbog and walk down a hedged farm road, continue beyond the farm along a track  towards the turbines. The road leading down to Mormond Station is a short distance to the left once the tarred road is reached.

Bridge over the Line near Mormond Station

Centaurea Macrocephela

A bee enjoying foraging on this eye catching giant yellow thistle like plant, growing in the station garden, gives some idea of the size of the flowers. Commonly known as Armenian Basket plant this member of the knapweed family is a native of the Caucasus Region. It has been grown in  the UK since 1805 and is not thought to be an invasive species here threat but is so rampant in some USA states that it is illegal to cultivate the plant.

Looking back towards the Line from the track leading to Smiddyhill

The Line is marked by the hedge in the middle distance, Mormond Hill beyond that.

In his essay 'The Last Journey', David Toulmin describes the struggle single engines had hauling long goods trains heavy with fish, potatoes or grain along this section of the Line as being:  'a sair trauchle on the gradients, and round the base of Mormond Hill the local folk swore the engine was alive and complaining sorely of its tormentors. Approaching the hill the engine would puff slower and slower as if in apprehension of its task, the smoke from the lum would get thicker and blacker as the fireman shovelled more and more coals into its flaming belly,. 'Wull I m-a-n-a-g-e, W-u-l-l I m-a-n-a-g-e, W-u-l-l I m-a-n-a-g-e, W-u-l-l I m-a-n-a-g-e...' This was the rhythm of the engine on the steepest part of the brae, and to get its vocal effect you must repeat in slow motion. Half way up and  a regaining of confidence brought forth 'I t-h-i-n-k I w-u-l-l, I t-h-i-n-k I wull, I think I wull, I think I wull..' and on reaching the summit the chooking of the engine became an exhilaration as it sped away on level ground with quickening pulse to the tune of   'I ken't I wid, I ken't I wid, I ken't I wid!', this one as fast as your tongue can go.'

New Leeds just glimpsed from the Line beyond a field of ripe oil seed rape. The hamlet, still too small to be called a village, despite the recent addition of several smart bungalows, originated in the 1790s as a futile attempt by  Captain Fraser, son of the founder of Strichen to establish a settlement which would rival Leeds as a centre of the textile industry. This enterprise failed miserably and the settlement failed to flourish. Mormond Station, was a little over a mile away from New Leeds, probably most easily reached by the track taken through North Redbog followed during the course of this walk. New Leeds is of interest chiefly for the unusual church and manse (now a private house) and as the birthplace of James Rollo Duncan.

New Leeds Church and manse

A mission station of the united Associate Presbytery of Stuartfield was established in New Leeds in  1832 and  a church was built the following year.  In  1853 the original church, which eventually became a United Free Church,  was replaced by the present building, an unusual combined church and manse, which in due course became  Church of Scotland and is now a private house. 

The  former Post Office in New Leeds, thought to have been the sweet shop where James Rollo Duncan, born illegitimately on 20 July 1859, was brought up by his mother's sister and her husband. James Rollo Duncan had an extraordinary life. He became apprenticed to a New Leeds stonemason, Charles Penny, before emigrating to Bolivia where he enjoyed endured great hardships including being attacked by indigenous tribesmen and  contracting typhoid fever before he gained enormous success and amassed vast wealth as a tin and silver miner. In Bolivia he met and married (1898) Isabella Lawrie Davidson who was born about 15  miles away from New Leeds at Nethy Kinmundy in Longside. Following the death of her father in an accident at the Cairngall Home Farm steading where he was grieve, Isabella went into service. One of the families for whom she worked as nanny was that of the Strichen banker Mr Philip and when he was appointed as bank agent in Bolivia Isabella accompanied the family. The Isabella and James met two years later in Oruru,  where when she was crossing the muddy the town square, Isabella lost her shoe which James retrieved for her and romance blossomed and they married. The couple returned to Buchan in 1900 and bought the farm of Tillycorthie where they built an extraordinary opulent mansion, one of the first buildings to be constructed from reinforced concrete. Duncan retained his business interests in Bolivia and  the couple returned there frequently. In 1931 they also bought the 1,000 acre Cairngall estate which included the farm where Isabella's father had died.

The group of wind turbines forms a prominent landmark