Blackness
| Blackness Gaelic: An Dubh-Nis | |
| West Lothian | |
|---|---|
 A view of houses in the village of Blackness | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NT051800 |
| Location: | 56°0’13"N, 3°31’19"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 135 (2001[1]) |
| Post town: | Linlithgow |
| Postcode: | EH49 |
| Dialling code: | 01506 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Falkirk |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Linlithgow and East Falkirk |
Blackness is a small village and harbour at Blackness Bay, an inlet of the Firth of Forth in West Lothian. It lies 3½ miles east-south-east of Bo'ness, five miles west-north-west of South Queensferry and four miles north-east of the county town, Linlithgow.
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 As a port, Blackness was later superseded by Bo'ness, and fell into decline from the 17th century.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.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 No 3 - 2001 Census Population of settlements and wards, www.falkirk.gov.uk. Retrieved 2011-05-17
- ↑ Scotland: the Movie Location Guide - Hamlet - Blackness Castle, www.scotlandthemovie.com.
- ↑ Visit Scotland - Blackness Castle, guide.visitscotland.com.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Blackness) |