Peter Macdonald Photo
Snowy Wynd
We've had around 3ft of snow in Bo'ness in the past week and The Wynd is one of only three or four roads that have been cleared.
Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a coastal town in the Falkirk (council area) of Scotland, lying on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth. Prior to 1975 the town was in the former county of West Lothian. Formerly a centre of heavy industry and coal mining, and a major port, the town is now primarily a commuter town.
Bo'ness has important historical links to the Roman period and marks the eastern extent of the Antonine Wall which stretched from Bo'ness to Old Kilpatrick on the west coast of Scotland. Roman artefacts, some with inscriptions have been found in the eastern part of the town in the parish of Carriden. A Roman fort called Veluniate and long since lost to history once stood on the site now occupied by the grounds of Carriden House. Indeed, it is said that stones from the fort were used in the building of the mansion house. Several artefacts have over the years been uncovered by the local farming community with many of them now on display in the Museum of Edinburgh. Other Roman sites have been identified at Muirhouses (known locally as "The Murrays") and Kinglass on the south-east side of the town. Kinneil, in the western part of Bo'ness, was mentioned by Bede, who wrote that it was named Pennfahel ("Wall's end") in Pictish and Penneltun in Old English . It was also Pengwawl in old Welsh. In the grounds of Kinneil House is the ruin of the small house where James Watt worked on his steam engine. The Antonine Wall was named as an extension to the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2007. A Roman fortlet can still be seen at Kinneil Estate.
The town was a recognised port from the 16th century; a harbour was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1707. The harbour, constructed progressively during the 18th century, was extended and complemented by a dry dock in 1881 (works designed by civil engineers Thomas Meik and Patrick Meik). The commercial port (heavily used for the transport of coal and pit props) eventually closed in 1959, badly affected by silting and the gradual downturn of the Scottish coal mining industry. Plans currently exist for the regeneration of the docks area including reopening the port as a marina.
Bo'ness was a site for coal mining from medieval times. Clay mining was carried out on a smaller scale. The shore was the site of industrial salt making, evaporating seawater over coal fires. The ruins of several fisheries (fish storage houses) along the shoreline evidences long gone commercial fishing activitiy. The town was also home to several sizable potteries, one product being the black "wally dogs" which sat in pairs over many fireplaces. Metalworking is still carried out, and the Bo'ness Iron Company's drain covers are to be found in many places.
Snowy Wynd
We've had around 3ft of snow in Bo'ness in the past week and The Wynd is one of only three or four roads that have been cleared.
Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a coastal town in the Falkirk (council area) of Scotland, lying on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth. Prior to 1975 the town was in the former county of West Lothian. Formerly a centre of heavy industry and coal mining, and a major port, the town is now primarily a commuter town.
Bo'ness has important historical links to the Roman period and marks the eastern extent of the Antonine Wall which stretched from Bo'ness to Old Kilpatrick on the west coast of Scotland. Roman artefacts, some with inscriptions have been found in the eastern part of the town in the parish of Carriden. A Roman fort called Veluniate and long since lost to history once stood on the site now occupied by the grounds of Carriden House. Indeed, it is said that stones from the fort were used in the building of the mansion house. Several artefacts have over the years been uncovered by the local farming community with many of them now on display in the Museum of Edinburgh. Other Roman sites have been identified at Muirhouses (known locally as "The Murrays") and Kinglass on the south-east side of the town. Kinneil, in the western part of Bo'ness, was mentioned by Bede, who wrote that it was named Pennfahel ("Wall's end") in Pictish and Penneltun in Old English . It was also Pengwawl in old Welsh. In the grounds of Kinneil House is the ruin of the small house where James Watt worked on his steam engine. The Antonine Wall was named as an extension to the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2007. A Roman fortlet can still be seen at Kinneil Estate.
The town was a recognised port from the 16th century; a harbour was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1707. The harbour, constructed progressively during the 18th century, was extended and complemented by a dry dock in 1881 (works designed by civil engineers Thomas Meik and Patrick Meik). The commercial port (heavily used for the transport of coal and pit props) eventually closed in 1959, badly affected by silting and the gradual downturn of the Scottish coal mining industry. Plans currently exist for the regeneration of the docks area including reopening the port as a marina.
Bo'ness was a site for coal mining from medieval times. Clay mining was carried out on a smaller scale. The shore was the site of industrial salt making, evaporating seawater over coal fires. The ruins of several fisheries (fish storage houses) along the shoreline evidences long gone commercial fishing activitiy. The town was also home to several sizable potteries, one product being the black "wally dogs" which sat in pairs over many fireplaces. Metalworking is still carried out, and the Bo'ness Iron Company's drain covers are to be found in many places.