Blackness, Falkirk
Blackness
| |
|---|---|
 A view of houses in the village of Blackness | |
  Blackness Location within the Falkirk council area | |
| Population | 135 [1] (2001 census) |
| OS grid reference | NT051800 |
| • Edinburgh | 13.4 mi (21.6 km) SE |
| • London | 341 mi (549 km) SSE |
| Civil parish | |
| Council area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LINLITHGOW |
| Postcode district | EH49 |
| Dialling code | 01506 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
| Website | falkirk.gov.uk |
Blackness is a small village and harbour at Blackness Bay, an inlet of the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It lies 3.4 miles (5.5 km) east-southeast of Bo'ness, 5.0 miles (8.0 km) west-northwest of South Queensferry and 3.8 miles (6.1 km) north-east of Linlithgow, within the council area of Falkirk. It was formerly part of the historic county of West Lothian.
At the 2001 Census Blackness was reported as having a population of around 135 residents.[1]
History
The village originally served as a port for nearby Linlithgow, which was a principal residence of the Scottish monarchs from as early as the 12th century. As a port, Blackness was later superseded by Bo'ness, and fell into decline from the 17th century. Blackness Yacht Club currently use the village as a base for its sailing activities.
Blackness Castle
The small village is dominated by Blackness Castle, situated on a promontory overlooking the bay. The castle was both a residence and a prison before passing to Crown ownership in 1453. The castle is currently under the care of Historic Scotland and has been used as a setting for several films including Hamlet,[2] and the BBC production of Ivanhoe.[3] In addition to the castle and the boat club, the village contains a small variety shop and a pub restaurant. The old smithy has long since shut its doors, as has the dairy which once operated from the village.
See also
References
- ^ a b No 3 - 2001 Census Population of settlements and wards Archived 2011-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, www.falkirk.gov.uk. Retrieved 2011-05-17
- ^ Scotland: the Movie Location Guide - Hamlet - Blackness Castle, www.scotlandthemovie.com.
- ^ Visit Scotland - Blackness Castle Archived July 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, guide.visitscotland.com.
External links
