Blairhall
Blairhall is a village in West Fife, Scotland. It is situated 1.1 miles (1.77 km) west of Comrie, and 6.7 miles (10.783 km) west of Dunfermline.[1] The village was originally a small hamlet but was expanded in 1911 to house the miners from a nearby colliery. Today Blairhall has a primary school and a community leisure centre. The village has a population of around 1000 people.[2]
Nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south, beyond Shiresmill, and to the west of the Bluther Burn, stands the 17th-century laird's house of Blairhall, which was the birthplace (c.1630) of Sir William Bruce, later baronet of Balcaskie and then Kinross, and Surveyor-General to King Charles II.[3]
In 2008, a further expansion of the village took place to the northwest, in an area called the Coo Park which was formerly the grounds of Comrie Castle. The park was landscaped with several parkland trees and a rigg-and-furrow system of cultivation from earlier times was evident. The house was owned by a James Anderson of Blairgowrie in the 1850s, but was demolished in the early 1960s. In the grounds there remain parkland trees, an overgrown ha-ha and the site of a curling pond.[4]
Education
Blairhall has a small primary school with approximately 60-80 pupils altogether. It was opened in 1924 as a secondary school but became a primary school in 1945 due to a lack of suitable students.[2] Pupils from Blairhall primary continue onto Queen Anne High School in Dunfermline.[5]
Notable people from Blairhall
- Sir William Bruce, gentleman-architect
- George O'Brien former professional footballer
- George Niven, former professional footballer with Rangers F.C.
- James Syme, former ice hockey player
- Thomas Syme, former ice hockey player
- Kenny Ward (born 1963), former professional footballer[6]
- Charlie Fleming former professional footballer for Sunderland A.F.C.[7]
References
- ^ "Blairhall". fifedirect.org.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ a b "About Blairhall". fifedirect.org.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "Blairhall". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ "Comrie Castle". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ "Queen Anne High School review - School Guide". www.schoolguide.co.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "Kenny Ward". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "Scottish Football Association". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
56°05′18″N 3°36′08″W / 56.0882°N 3.6023°W
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