North Berwick Law
| North Berwick Law | |
|---|---|
 North Berwick Law seen from the seafront of North Berwick |
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| Elevation | 187 m (614 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 167 m |
| Listing | Marilyn |
| Location | |
| Location | East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 66 |
| OS grid | NT555842 |
North Berwick Law is a conical hill which rises incongruously from the surrounding landscape (indeed, this is the definition of the Lowland Scots word "law"). It overlooks the East Lothian town of North Berwick and stands at 613 ft (187 m) above sea level.
Geologically, the law is a volcanic plug of hard phonolitic trachyte rock of Carboniferous (Dinantian) age.[1] It has survived the scraping glaciers of the ice age. It is a crag and tail with a prominent tail extending eastwards.
The summit also bears some ancient ruins. These buildings were once used by lookouts in the Napoleonic Wars.
The famous whale's jawbone, pictured below right, collapsed in June 2005 after rotting away, and was removed by helicopter, much to the surprise of North Berwick residents. A jawbone has stood there since 1709, the last one having been there since 1933.
On 26 June 2008, a fibreglass replica whale bone, the same size as the one that was removed in 2005, was airlifted into place to give North Berwick Law back its famous landmark.[2]
Contents |
[edit] See also
- Breast shaped hills
- John Henry Devereux South Carolina architect who used whale jaw bones to adorn the largest mansion on Sullivan's Island
- List of mountains in Scotland
- Paps of Lothian
[edit] Gallery
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North Berwick Law, North Berwick, East Lothian
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The whale's jawbone as it sat on top of North Berwick Law
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Viewpoint indicator on North Berwick Law
[edit] References
- ^ Read, W. A. et al. (2002) Carboniferous, page 294 in Trewin, N. H. (2002) The Geology of Scotland, 4th edition, London, The Geological Society.
- ^ Scotsman.com
[edit] External links
- Computer-generated virtual panoramas North Berwick Law
- Stuart McHardy, The Goddess in the Landscape of Scotland
[edit] Photos of/from North Berwick Law
- A snowy bench on the Law
- A snowy panorama of North Berwick from the Law
- North Berwick Law from the Sea
- Through the Jaw Bone (new)
Coordinates: 56°02′55″N 2°42′57″W / 56.04859°N 2.71597°W
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