Dalmeny

Dalmeny Gaelic: Dail Mheinidh
West Lothian
St Cuthbert's, the parish church.
Location
Grid reference:	NT1477
Location:	55°58’56"N, 3°22’25"W
Data
Population:	9,867  (2001)
Post town:	South Queensferry
Postcode:	EH30
Dialling code:	0131
Local Government
Council:	Edinburgh
Parliamentary constituency:	Edinburgh West

Dalmeny is a rural village and parish in West Lothian adjacent to the border with Midlothian. Due to its small size no shops operate in the village; the inhabitants instead rely on the nearby town of South Queensferry. However it does have a primary school and railway station. It is notable for its parish church, which is considered one of Scotland's finest examples of Romanesque architecture.

Name Etymology

The name 'Dalmeny' has two possible origins. It is either from the Cumbric 'Din Meini' meaning 'stony fort' (a possible reference to the stone ruins found on Craigie Hill), or from the Gaelic 'Dail M'Eithne' (a possible reference to Eithne, an obscure female saint).

Infrastructure

As mentioned previously, no shops currently operate in the town. The last to close down was the village post office in 2006. The primary school teaches just under a hundred pupils and its head is Mrs Laura Brandon; its website can be found here. Although the railway station is named 'Dalmeny Station' its real function is to serve South Queensferry as Dalmeny itself is far too small to warrant its own station. The station is located at the southern end of the Forth Bridge on the Fife Circle Line and was built in 1890.

Saint Cuthbert's

St Cuthbert's is the parish church of Dalmeny. It was built in the twelfth century and has survived almost completely unchanged since then, aside from the original west tower which was destroyed in the 1400s and rebuilt in 1937. It is considered an excellent example of Norman Architecture and is a Category A listed building. Its current minister is the Reverend David Cameron who also preaches at the parish church in Queensferry.