All three of these villages in the ancient kingdom of Buchan in the north east of Scotland are prime examples of 'planned' communities, conveniently laid out in straight rows by forward-looking land owners when the cottage industries of weaving and dying cloth were booming. Today they are quiet commuter towns but as these photographs attest, they still bear the marks of the thriving, bustling places they once were. The small weavers' cottages can still be seen interspersed with more modern buildings and the imposing Station Hotel on Strichen High St. is a reminder of more lively times. For those interested in more ancient landmarks there are many stone-age relics, standing stones and stone circles in the wooded areas around Strichen parish while the old 'peatscrapes' around New Pitsligo, as the photographs show, were truly impressive in their scope.