Editing Arbroath (section)

==Economy==
The 2011 census shows Arbroath to have an economically active population of 10,545 (2001: 9,192); of which jobs in health and social work account for 16.0 per cent of total employment (2001: 13.1 per cent), closely followed by wholesale and retail trade and repairs with 15.2 per cent (2001: 15.4 per cent). Manufacturing, the top employment sector in 2001 with 16.0 per cent, fell to third place in 2011 with 12.3 per cent. A separate figure for the fishing industry is not shown for 2011 but accounted for only 0.4 per cent (fewer than 50 people) in 2001, although the processing sector is counted separately under manufacturing and the figure of 50 relates directly to the catching and support sectors.<ref name="labnotes">{{Cite web |title=Census – Supporting Information |url=http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/metadata/topics/labour_market/Industry.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155459/http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/metadata/topics/labour_market/Industry.htm |archive-date=30 September 2007 |access-date=7 January 2007 |work=Scotland's Census Results Online (SCROL) |publisher=Scottish Executive}}</ref><ref name="empnotes">{{Cite web |title=Comparative Employment Profile: Arbroath Locality |url=http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Employment&mainArea=Arbroath&mainLevel=Locality |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927212316/http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Employment&mainArea=Arbroath&mainLevel=Locality |archive-date=27 September 2007 |access-date=8 January 2007 |work=Scotland's Census Results Online (SCROL) |publisher=Scottish Executive}}</ref>

===The port===
Arbroath's prospects originally revolved around the harbour. The original harbour was constructed and maintained by the [[abbot]] within the terms of an agreement between the [[burgess (title)|burgess]]es and John Gedy, the abbot in 1394 [[AD]].<ref name="brhisabb"/> This gave way to a more commodious port in 1725,<ref name="brhisabb"/> which in turn was enlarged and improved in 1839, when the sea wall, quay walls and breakwater were added to the old inner harbour, at a cost of £58,000.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Great Britain Parliament. House of Commons |title=Minutes of evidence taken before the commissioners appointed to inquire into the state of tidal harbours |publisher= H.M. Stationery Office |volume=16 |year=1845 |pages=45–49 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f2sSAAAAYAAJ}}</ref> Arbroath became a major coastal shipping port and in 1846 there were 89 Arbroath-registered vessels, totalling 9,100 gross tons. In the same year, 599 vessels docked at Arbroath, 56 from foreign ports (mainly [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] ports) and the remaining 543 employed on the coastal trade. Bark, flax, hemp, hides, oak and fir timber, and guano for manure, groceries from London, and numerous articles of Baltic produce were imported via Arbroath, with manufactured goods (mainly sailcloth) exported.<ref name="brithist"/>
[[File:Arbroath Harbour.jpg|left|thumb|Arbroath Harbour]]

=== Manufacturing ===
Driven by the needs of the fishing and sailing industry, Arbroath-based [[sailmaker]] Francis Webster Ltd perfected in 1795 the art of adding [[linseed oil]] to [[flax]] sails, creating an oiled flax.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The sailmaker's apprentice: a guide for the self-reliant sailor |url=https://archive.org/details/sailmakersappren00mari |url-access=registration |author=Emiliano Marino|year=1994 |isbn=9780071579803 }}</ref> This developed in the late 19th century into [[waxed cotton]], which drove Arbroath as a manufacturing centre until the early 1970s, when it began to decline. A major employer, Keith & Blackman, closed in 1985 and Giddings and Lewis-Fraser wound down about the same time, with the whole plant later demolished to make way for a supermarket.<ref name='cour1'>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2004/05/11/newsstory5904078t0.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040520201354/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2004/05/11/newsstory5904078t0.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 May 2004 |title=Disappointment for Arbroath Shoppers |access-date=13 January 2007 |last=Jarrett |first=Andrew |date=11 May 2004 |work=Dundee Courier & Advertiser |publisher=DC Thomson}}</ref><ref name='Timeline'>{{Cite web |url=http://www.arbroathtimeline.moonfruit.com/ |title=Arbroath Timeline |access-date=13 January 2007 |archive-date=22 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222061201/http://www.arbroathtimeline.moonfruit.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Alps Electric Co.]] was a large employer in Arbroath from 1990 to 2001, employing 180. All were made redundant when the plant closed.

===Armed forces===
Arbroath is home to [[45 Commando]] of the [[Royal Marines]], which has been based at [[RM Condor]] since 1971. The barracks were built in 1940 and commissioned as RNAS Arbroath/HMS Condor, a Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) until 1971. The Royal Marines moved to Arbroath in 1971 and remain a contributor to the local economy; in addition to the Marines stationed at Arbroath, some 600 residents are employed by the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]].<ref name="empnotes"/> In 2004, there was speculation that RM Condor would be transferred to the [[British Army|Army]] as a replacement for [[Fort George, Highland|Fort George]] and the barracks become a permanent base for a battalion of the [[Royal Regiment of Scotland]]. This went no further than the planning stage and in 2005 it was confirmed the Marines would remain.<ref name='cond1'>{{Cite web |url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=857922004 |title=Fort George at risk from defence cuts |access-date=10 January 2007 |last=Chamberlain |first=Gethin |author2=John Ross |date=24 July 2004 |work=The Scotsman}}</ref>

===Housing===
House prices in Arbroath in April–June 2006 were just £99 below national average: £113,646 compared to a national £113,745.<ref name='upmystreet'>{{Cite web |url=http://www.upmystreet.com/property/prices/l/Arbroath.html |title=Average property prices in Arbroath |access-date=8 January 2007 |work=UpMyStreet.com |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930043517/http://www.upmystreet.com/property/prices/l/Arbroath.html |archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> The average house price across Angus rose by 14.9 per cent to £124,451 in the year up to November 2006.<ref name='BBC3'>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/uk_house_prices/html/qc.stm |title=UK House Prices |access-date=10 January 2007 |date=17 November 2006 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Angus Council suggests the upgrading of the A92 between Arbroath and Dundee to a dual carriageway has lured Dundonians to Arbroath, which may be boosting house prices.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/6287211.stm |title=New road 'improves' town fortune |access-date=30 January 2007 |date=22 January 2007 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

===Tourism===
A visitor survey compiled in 2017 found Arbroath to be the most popular destination in Angus and [[Arbroath Abbey]] the second most visited attraction after [[Glamis Castle]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Angus Visitor Survey – Findings from July 2016 to June 2017 |url=https://www.investinangus.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/02/20170829_angus_visitor_survey_2016-17_summary_report_-_final.pdf |website=Investigate Angus |access-date=30 January 2023 }}</ref> Arbroath Abbey receives around 14,000 visitors annually.<ref name="SCO1">{{Cite web |date=14 August 2003 |title=Arbroath Abbey wins gold for green tourism |url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2003/08/3932 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125103317/http://scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2003/08/3932 |archive-date=25 January 2012 |access-date=8 January 2007 |publisher=Scottish Executive |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> A re-enactment of the signing of the [[Declaration of Arbroath]] (the declaration of Scottish independence) known as the Scots' or Arbroath Pageant has taken place in the Abbey ruins intermittently since 1947.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McNeill |first1=F. Marian |title=Silver Bough Volume 4 |date=20 August 2013 |publisher=eBook Partnership |location=Glasgow |isbn=978-0-948474-20-0 |page=Arbroath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=owbhDwAAQBAJ |access-date=30 January 2023 |language=en}}</ref> The last full pageant took place in 2005 but a smaller ceremony is usually performed on the 6 April each year to commemorate the signing.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ritchie |first1=Gayle |title=Pageant recalled as a 'colourful and dramatic spectacle' which marked the anniversary of The Declaration of Arbroath |url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/past-times/1225333/feature-pageant-recalled-as-a-colourful-and-dramatic-spectacle-which-marked-the-anniversary-of-the-declaration-of-arbroath/ |website=The Courier |access-date=30 January 2023 |date=4 April 2020}}</ref>

==== Former attractions ====
[[File:Harbour Visitor Centre - geograph.org.uk - 523689.jpg|thumb|Harbour Visitor Centre]]
A summer event known as the Seafront Spectacular took place in the 2000s. The program for 2006 included flying displays, a sea rescue demonstration, exhibition of motor vehicles and fairground rides.<ref name="DCT1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2006/07/17/newsstory8552763t0.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930153726/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2006/07/17/newsstory8552763t0.asp |url-status=dead|archive-date=30 September 2007 |title=Thrills galore at Seafront Spectacular |access-date=10 January 2007 |date=17 July 2006 |work=Dundee Courier & Advertiser |publisher=DC Thomson}}</ref> The Sea Fest, an event themed around Arbroath's maritime heritage, was held annually for 21 years until 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Strachan |first=Graeme |date=18 November 2017 |title=Arbroath's Sea Fest ends after 21 years |pages=1 |work=The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Mearns edition) |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-courier-advertiser-angus-and-the-mearns-edition/20171118/page/1 |url-access=subscription |access-date=29 January 2023 |via=[[PressReader]]}}</ref> [[Kerr's Miniature Railway]] was the oldest miniature railway in Scotland at the time of its closure in October 2020. It opened in 1935 and at its height, in 1955, drew 60,000 visitors; however numbers had fallen to just 3,500 in 2019.<ref name="kerr">{{Cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/kmr_scotland/ |title=Kerr's Miniature Railway |access-date=12 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018221507/http://geocities.com/kmr_scotland/ |archive-date=18 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Millar |first1=Maggie |date=12 October 2020 |title=End of the line: Hundreds bid farewell to Arbroath's beloved miniature railway |url=https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/end-of-an-era-crowds-bid-farewell-to-arbroaths-miniature-railway/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303110943/https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/end-of-an-era-crowds-bid-farewell-to-arbroaths-miniature-railway/ |archive-date=3 March 2021 |access-date=2 February 2021 |website=Evening Telegraph}}</ref> The Harbour Visitor Centre on Fishmarket Quay was completed in 2007. It was the focus of Angus Council's attempt to increase the number of tourists to the harbour. The centre originally housed a multimedia experience explaining the town's fishing history and a [[VisitScotland]] tourist information centre;<ref name="AngusAhead page">{{Cite web |url=http://www.angusahead.com/BusinessAngus/AngusProperty.com/HarbourVisitorCentreArbroath.asp |title=Harbour Visitor Center, Arbroath |access-date=4 February 2013 |publisher=AngusAhead |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624215959/http://www.angusahead.com/BusinessAngus/AngusProperty.com/HarbourVisitorCentreArbroath.asp |archive-date=24 June 2012}}</ref> both have closed and the space vacated let for commercial use.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Milne |first=Scott |date=14 December 2017 |title=Councillor declares closing Arbroath's tourist information centre could be a historic mistake |website=The Courier |url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/angus-mearns/563687/councillor-declares-closing-arbroaths-tourist-information-centre-historic-mistake |url-access=limited |access-date=29 January 2023}}</ref>