Blackburn, West Lothian
Coordinates: 55°52′21″N 3°37′18″W / 55.872452°N 3.621542°W
| Blackburn (West Lothian) | |
| Scottish Gaelic: An Dubh Allt | |
 Blackburn (West Lothian)
Blackburn (West Lothian) shown within West Lothian |
|
| Population | 4,761 [1] (2001 census) est. 4,970[2] (2006) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | NS985655 |
| Council area | West Lothian |
| Lieutenancy area | West Lothian |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BATHGATE |
| Postcode district | EH47 |
| Dialling code | 01506 |
| Police | Lothian and Borders |
| Fire | Lothian and Borders |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Livingston |
| Scottish Parliament | Linlithgow |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Blackburn (Scottish Gaelic: An Dubh Allt[3]) is a town[4] in West Lothian, Scotland next to Bathgate and five miles from Livingston. It is situated about 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Edinburgh along the old A8 road between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
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[edit] History
Blackburn means "the black burn (stream)", from Old English blæc "black" and burna "stream". The name was recorded as Blachebrine in 1152. As a small industrial town Blackburn originally developed as a cotton manufacturing town. In the mid-19th Century it became a centre for coal mining.
Its small population expanded rapidly from 4302 in 1961 to around 9000 by 1965 as a result of employment opportunities in Bathgate to the north and through in-migration following the inception of the Glasgow Overspill Plan.
The closure of the British Leyland plant in 1986 brought decline to the area, along with the destruction of many homes built during the 1960s.
The Highlander Crisps factory was originally based in Blackburn until the M8 motorway was constructed beginning in 1965; it is now based in Whitehill Industrial Estate, Bathgate, with the motorway being the reason for the split.
The railway station at Bathgate reopened in 1986 and the 30-minute journey to Edinburgh attracts commuters to live in Blackburn.
[edit] Churches
Blackburn and Seafield Parish Church (Church of Scotland) is located in Blackburn, with the Rev. Dr. Robert Anderson serving as its minister since 1998. The congregation celebrated its centenary in 2008. Blackburn Gospel Hall (Christian Brethren) meets for worship services and Bible studies in a well-kept church building originally constructed as Blackburn's village school in the late 18th century. Our Lady of Lourdes, a Roman Catholic church located in Blackburn, also serves neighboring communities and partners with a branch of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
[edit] Educational facilities
The village is well known for St. Kentigern's Academy(commonly called St. Kent's), which is a large secondary school that attracts students from the surrounding areas of West Lothian.
Another catchment is Bathgate Academy, which is 2 miles away from Blackburn.
The village also houses three primary schools: Murrayfield Primary, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary, Blackburn Primary, and a combination primary/secondary special school called Pinewood School.
Blackburn Academy was a non-denominational secondary school; it closed in 1992.
[edit] Sport
[edit] Football
Blackburn is home to the junior football club Blackburn United who play at Murrayfield Park near the centre of the town.
[edit] Famous natives
It is the birthplace of Australian Paralympic gold medalist, Michael Gallagher and Susan Boyle from Britain's Got Talent.
[edit] In British political culture
The town was notably mentioned in a famous speech by MP Tam Dalyell in the House of Commons on 14 November 1977 in which he posed what would become known as the West Lothian question.
[edit] References
- ^ "Comparative Population Profile: Blackburn Locality". Scotland's Census Results Online. 2001-04-29. http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Population&mainArea=blackburn+(West+Lothian)&mainLevel=Locality. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data
- ^ An Stòr-dàta Briathrachais [1], retrieved 09 June 2010
- ^ http://guide.visitscotland.com/vs/guide/5,en,SCH1/objectId,RGN901vs,curr,GBP,season,at1,selectedEntry,home/home.html
