St Abbs facts for kids
St Abbs is a small and pretty fishing village on the southeastern coast of Scotland. It's part of the Coldingham area in the Scottish Borders.
The village was once called Coldingham Shore. It got its new name, St Abbs, in the 1890s. This name comes from St Abb's Head, a rocky point north of the village. That headland was named after a saint from the 7th century, Æbbe of Coldingham.
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A Look Back at St Abbs' History
St Abbs was first known as Coldingham Shore. Before any houses were built here, fishermen lived in Fisher's Brae in Coldingham. They had to carry their fishing gear about one and a half miles. They walked down a path to where their boats were kept. This path is now called the Creel Path. A "creel" is a local word for a lobster pot.
The very first building in St Abbs was put up around the mid-1700s. Later, a row of five small houses followed. These first homes were built in a traditional Scottish way. They had a central fire and a wide chimney. Their walls were made of "clat and clay." This was a wooden frame woven with straw and covered with wet clay.
By 1832, records show that 16 families lived in Coldingham Shore. Another 20 families in Coldingham also made their living by fishing. In addition, 30 people traveled north each year for herring fishing. This work used 14 boats from the village.
How St Abbs Got Its Name and New Look
The village was renamed in the late 1800s by the local landowner, Andrew Usher. He was a very important person in making the fishing village and harbour better. Usher bought the Northfield estate near the village. He made a large country house by the coast, finishing it in 1892.
Usher felt the old public hall was not good enough. So, he paid for a new village hall and school. This building was finished in 1887. Today, it is the St Abbs visitor centre. Usher also gave money for the local church, built in 1892. He also helped pay to make the outer harbour wall longer in 1890.
In November 1907, a local politician named Harold Tennant shared good news. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) agreed to give St Abbs a lifeboat. Also, the Board of Trade agreed to place life-saving equipment in St Abbs soon.
On September 5, 1914, a British ship called HMS Pathfinder was sunk. It went down near St Abbs Head because of a German submarine, the U-21. This was the first time a Royal Navy ship was sunk by a submarine.
St Abbs Today: A Village Full of Life
St Abbs is a very popular place for scuba divers. The sea around the village is super clear. This is different from other coastal waters further north or south, which often have more dirt in them. Because of these clear waters and amazing underwater views, Britain's first Voluntary Marine Reserve was set up here. This special protected area was created on August 18, 1984, by David Bellamy.
Divers can easily dive from the rocks outside the harbour wall. They can go down to about 15 metres deep. It's a common spot for new divers to have their first sea dives.
The cool "Cathedral Rock" has a double archway. It's only 50 metres from the shore. Several small, rocky islands are also near the harbour. These include "Big Green Carr," "Broad Craig," and "Little Carr." Divers can easily swim around them underwater.
A new visitor centre opened in St Abbs in March 2011. This centre is in the old village hall. That hall was built in 1897 with money from the whisky businessman Andrew Usher.
The St Abbs Lifeboat Station
St Abbs has its own lifeboat station. It is funded by private donations and is independent. The lifeboat station first started in 1911 after a ship called the S.S. Alfred Erlandsen sank. The RNLI used to run the station. But after it closed in 2015, local people raised money. Public donations and a generous gift from the Tunnock's bakery company saved the station. It reopened, and the new boat was launched on September 17, 2016.
St Abbs in Movies and Music
The village also appears in the 2019 superhero movie Avengers: Endgame. In the film, St Abbs is shown as "New Asgard." This is a town where the surviving Asgardians, led by Thor, settle down. After the movie came out, many more tourists visited the village. The village sign has even been changed to say it is twinned with New Asgard!
In 2019, St Abbs was also used as "the Isle of Eroda" in the music video for Harry Styles' song "Adore You".
People from St Abbs
- William Dickson was a chemist and teacher who came from St Abbs.
Twinned Towns
Signs have been put up around the village. They say that St Abbs is twinned with "New Asgard." This is because the village was used for filming in Avengers: Endgame. It is also twinned with "Eroda," a made-up island created by Harry Styles for his music video Adore You.
