Glenfinnan
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Glenfinnan (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Fhionnainn) is a village in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is located at the northern end of Loch Shiel, at the foot of Glen Finnan.
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[edit] Bonnie Prince Charlie
Charles Edward Stuart raised his standard at Glenfinnan on 19 August 1745, inviting Jacobite clan chiefs to gather there in support of him and his father, James Francis Edward Stuart, who claimed both the Scottish and the English thrones. Several chiefs answered the call, providing hundreds of troops at Charles' command. The 1745 Jacobite rising, which would end disastrously at Culloden, had begun.
In 1815, Alexander Macdonald of Glenaladale built a memorial tower at Glenfinnan commemorating the raising of the standard. The tower was designed by the Scottish architect James Gillespie Graham. Hundreds of Jacobite enthusiasts gather there each year on 19 August. The National Trust for Scotland's Visitor Centre at Glenfinnan provides tickets, information and exhibitions, and a shop, cafe, and toilets. The tower has also become a monument to Alexander Macdonald, who died before its completion.
[edit] Glenfinnan railway station
About half-way along the picturesque West Highland Railway line between Fort William and Mallaig lies Glenfinnan railway station. The Jacobite Steam Train and other trains regularly run this route, and just before arriving at Glenfinnan from the direction of Fort William, the line crosses a spectacular arched viaduct.
[edit] Glenfinnan Viaduct
- Main article: Glenfinnan Viaduct
The viaduct was built in 1897–1901 by the engineer Sir Robert McAlpine. It has 21 arches, reaching as high as 100 ft (30 m). A plaque at the base of one of the arches commemorates the centenary of the viaduct.
The Glenfinnan viaduct recently came to prominence in the Harry Potter films, the first being Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second in the Harry Potter Series, when the Jacobite Steam Train became transformed into the Hogwarts Express and was filmed crossing the viaduct. It also appears and will be appearing in subsequent Harry Potter films.
[edit] Trivia
In the Highlander universe, Connor and Duncan MacLeod are both fictional Scots born in Glenfinnan in 1518 and 1592 respectively.
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