Philorth Halt:Rosehill Brick and Tile Works

This morning sunshine and a couple of inches of snow transformed the Line and the otherwise winter dreary golf course and fields between Philorth and Fraserburgh into a deserted, magical snowscape.

The line at Philorth Halt, looking down the Line towards Fraserburgh.

 Philorth Halt was built  and maintained by the railway company,  as a private station for Lord Saltoun  as a condition of the line being able to pass through the Philorth Estate.  Although, along with other stations on the line,  Philorth opened in April 1865, the station did not appear on public timetables until   1923 and  was reserved for the exclusive use of Lord Saltoun, his family and factor until 1926. 

The station was built at the point at which the Line crossed the road leading from Philorth Estate to the Cairnbulg road. Part of the  gate of  the level crossing for the road may be seen on the left of the picture above taken looking towards Rose Hill and Corbie Hill from the station.

 Philorth Woods from the Station

Rose Hill with Corbie Hill beyond seen from near the Golf Clubhouse

The small hill on the golf course close to Philorth Halt, where the Philorth road meets the Cairnbulg road, is known as Rose Hill. Writing in 1914 Cranna reports that, 'old men living in Fraserburgh a generation or two ago,  remembered that a brick and tile work was carried on at the Rosehill, the little hill which lies almost opposite the Corbiehill,  on the Cairnbulg turnpike'. The works would have made use of the clay which underlies the bents in this area. A house was built here in 1787 for the Philorth Estate pundlar who along with his duties rounding up stray cattle, seems also to have operated a ferry boat on the Water of Philorth. The hill gives its name to the nine hole golf course which it overlooks.

Corbie Hill, directly beyond Rosehill, is named for the ravens which once flocked there. It in turn gives its name to the 18 hole golf course on the far side of the Cairnbulg road.