Winchburgh
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Winchburgh is a village situated within the geographical county of West Lothian, Scotland. It is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of the city-centre of Edinburgh, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Linlithgow and 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Broxburn.
Population
In 2005, the Scottish National Census recorded 4 people being resident in Winchburgh.[1]
Public transport
There are regular scheduled buses to surrounding places including : Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Falkirk, South Queensferry and Broxburn. The main bus route which is the 38 is from Edinburgh to Linlithgow/Fakirk/Stirling depending on the final destination always goes via Winchburgh and is the same in the opposite direction. There is also a night bus service, the 44N which does a similar route as the 38 allowing people to get the bus home from Edinburgh City Centre at 12.30am and 3.00am on a Saturday and Sunday Morning to Winchburgh.
The mainline railway between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street goes through the Winchburgh Tunnel, under the village. There was a passenger station at the north end of the tunnel; this closed in 1930.
Sport
The Village features an impressive golf course, which is located in and around the grounds of the picturesque and historic Niddry Castle. There is also a Bowling Club which features a bar for social occasions, such as weddings. In late July 2007, local parents helped to reform the local football team, Winchburgh Albion Boys Club, which now has a team that has played in the West Lothian Association of Youth Football Clubs league at the Under 14 age group. The captain is Sean Finnigan. Club is promoted to A league in second place in the 08/09 season with an 8-0 thumping of Blackburn which saw striker Alan Bryant score 4, the second time a Winchburgh player has achieved this in this season, the other being Jack Burgoyne. Burgoyne finishes as top scorer with 21 goals. Winchburgh City F.C won 12 SPL titles in a row and last season won the Champions League. Their team captain is Lionel Messi and Jose Mourinho is the manager.
Amenities
winchburgh is scummy :).
Winchburgh and the Union Canal
The Edinburgh to Falkirk Union Canal passes through Winchburgh. It follows a contour south to Broxburn and eventually Edinburgh. Westwards it goes through Linlithgow, and then Falkirk. The Union Canal was used in the past to transport goods between places situated in and between Edinburgh and Glasgow - there was a connection with the Forth and Clyde Canal at Falkirk. The Bridge 19-40 Canal Society has a base at Winchburgh on the canal, and it operates seasonal boat trips departing from Port Buchan located in neighbouring Broxburn on West Main Street.
Schooling
There are two Primary Schools and a Nursery located in Winchburgh. The 'Holy Family Primary' school serves Catholic pre-secondary school children, whereas 'Winchburgh Primary' is a non-denominal school. Both of these are state run schools, and share the same building (the Holy Family Primary School's original building was demolished). Secondary School aged children mostly attend schools in neighbouring Linlithgow and Livingston, and occasionally Broxburn. There are currently plans being developed to build a high school in Winchburgh to alleviate overcrowding in Linlithgow Academy.
History
There has been a settlement in Winchburgh for over a thousand years. Early spellings include Wincelburgh (1189); Wynchburghe (1377); from 'wincel' and 'burh' meaning 'Town in the nook or angle'. Its possible it was named after the bend in the Niddry burn that runs through the village. The early settlement was probably near to Niddry Castle.
After the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Sir James Douglas followed King Edward I and the remnants of his army to Winchburgh. Both sides rested at Winchburgh before riding on to Dunbar where King Edward took ship for England.
Quhill that the king and his menye
To Wenchburg all cummyn ar.
Than lychtyt all that thai war
To bayt thar hors that wer wery,
And Douglas and his cumpany
Baytyt alsua besid thaim ner.— Extract from The Brus by John Barbour (1320-1395), Book 13, written c.1375
In 1568, Mary, Queen of Scots, escaped from Loch Leven Castle, and was met by Lord Seton before crossing the Firth of Forth at Queensferry. She stayed at Niddry Castle, Seton's property in Winchburgh, on 2 May 1568.
In the 19th century, Winchburgh had a thriving oil shale mining industry, the remnants of which are the distinctive red "shale bings", large hills composed of used shale. Some of the bings have a variety of plant life, such as bushes and heather, as well as animal life, including rabbits and occasionally old deer. The bings are also known locally as "tips", although it is a generally less common name for them.
On 13 October 1862 on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway a mile and a half northwest of Winchburgh was the scene of a head-on rail crash in which 15 people were killed.[2]
In the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1892–1896), Winchburgh is described:
Winchburgh, a village in Kirkliston Parish, Linlithgowshire, 11¾ miles W of Edinburgh. It has a station on the North British Railway, a Post Office with money order and savings bank departments, an Established mission church (opened 1891) and a public school. Pop. (1881) 115, (1891) 424.[3]
References
- ^ "Winchburgh". World News Network. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
- ^ http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=26
- ^ Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. 1892–1896. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
External links
- Winchburgh to Linlithgow - A selection of images on the Union Canal.
- Niddry Castle
- Winchburgh Church website