Harburn is a small village and estate in West Lothian, Scotland. [1] [2] It lies approximately 2 miles south-east of West Calder and just to the north of the Pentland Hills.
The Harburn estate is a 19th century landscaped park and country house estate, primarily laid out in 1808. [3] [1] Harburn House is a Category B listed 18th century country-house that was built in 1804 for Alexander Young (1757-1842), factor to the Duke of Hamilton. [3] [4] [5] It replaced an early property, Hayfield House and there are also records of a Harburn Castle, recorded as being fortified during Cromwell's invasions. [3] [1] [6] The stables are also early 19th century and are Category B listed. [7]
In 1832, King Charles X of France visited Harburn and a monument to his visit, in the form of a stone column was erected. [8]
Harburn village hill is a local community facility that was built in 1923 as a gift to the community from King George V for the villages contribution to the war effort at the nearby gunpowder mill. [9]
Harburn golf course is an 18 golf course on the western edge of Harburn that was created in its present location in 1932. [10]
Camilty is a plantation and forest area on the southern and eastern edge of Harburn. The area produces trees for sale as christmas trees. [11] Permission was given in 2021 for a six large wind turbines to be built on the plantation. [12]
Camilty Gunpowder mill is a large ruined powder mill on private land near the Harburn estate that produced explosives, primarily for blasting in the local shale industry. [13] [14] In the First World War the facility produced munitions and armaments. [9] The mill was in production from 1890 to 1929 and was operated by Midlothian Gunpowder Company. [13] It was later owned by Curtis and Harvey and then passed to Nobel Enterprises before being closed following a period of decline in shale mining. The mill was powered by a weir built at the end of the 19th century. [13]
Castle Greg is located on the southern edge of Harburn. The castle is the archaeological remains of a Roman fortlet. [15]
The Caledonian Railway line, built circa 1850, cuts through the north-west boundary of the Harburn Estate. [3] The nearest railway station is West Calder railway station. The B7008 forms the south-west boundary of Harburn. [3] The A70 road connecting Edinburgh with Lanark lies to the south-east of Harburn.
Midlothian is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council area, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.
West Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geographically by the Avon to the west and the Almond to the east. The modern council area occupies a larger area than the historic county. It was reshaped following local government reforms in 1975: some areas in the west were transferred to Falkirk; some areas in the east were transferred to Edinburgh; and some areas that had formerly been part of Midlothian were added to West Lothian.
Livingston is the largest town in West Lothian, Scotland. Designated in 1962, it is the fourth post-war new town to be built in Scotland. Taking its name from a village of the same name incorporated into the new town, it was originally developed in the then-counties of Midlothian and West Lothian along the banks of the River Almond. It is situated approximately fifteen miles (25 km) west of Edinburgh and thirty miles (50 km) east of Glasgow, and is close to the towns of Broxburn to the north-east and Bathgate to the north-west.
Uphall is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is a swiftly growing village in a conurbation with Broxburn to the east, Dechmont to the west and the major town of Livingston to the south west. Uphall is 30 miles from Glasgow and 14 miles from Edinburgh in the Scottish Lowlands. Uphall Station and Pumpherston are separate villages that lie to the south of Uphall.
Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, 5 miles (8 km) west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, Blackburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, West Calder and Whitburn.
Fauldhouse is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is about halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The nearest towns to Fauldhouse are Whitburn and Livingston. Other neighbouring villages include Longridge, Shotts and Stoneyburn. At approximately 750 feet above sea level, Fauldhouse is one of the highest villages in West Lothian.
Balerno is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 8 miles south-west of the city centre, next to Currie and then Juniper Green. Traditionally in the county of Midlothian it now administratively falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council. The village lies at the confluence of the Water of Leith and the Bavelaw Burn. In the 18th and 19th century, the area was home to several mills using waterpower. In the 20th century, the mills closed and the village now forms a residential suburb of Edinburgh.
The River Almond is a river in Lothian, Scotland. It is approximately 28 miles (45 km) long, rising at Hirst Hill in Lanarkshire near Shotts, running through West Lothian and draining into the Firth of Forth at Cramond, Edinburgh. The name Almond/Amon is simply old Celtic for "river".
Longstone is a suburb of Edinburgh in Scotland. The area is primarily residential in nature, although the area includes several small shops, eateries and supermarkets, as well as one of the main bus depots for the city's buses. The population of Longstone was 4,678 in 2019.
Armadale is a town within the county of West Lothian in the Central Belt of Scotland. It lies to the west of Bathgate and to the east of Blackridge. Armadale, formerly known as Barbauchlaw, is an ex-mining town which was also known for its brick manufacturing. It is named after Armadale in Sutherland, this estate being owned by Sir William Honeyman who later acquired the land of Barbauchlaw. Primarily a residential community, the town has a number of different public places, a central Mains Street and a series of parks, green spaces and nature reserves, many of which lie atop former mines and industrial areas.
Winchburgh is a village in the council area of West Lothian, Scotland. It is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of the city-centre of Edinburgh, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Linlithgow and 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Broxburn.
Mid Calder is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located on a steep hill overlooking the River Almond and Calder Wood, around 15 miles (24 km) west of Edinburgh. The settlement has been on a major crossroads since its origin some time in the 11th century.
West Calder is a village in the council area of West Lothian, Scotland, located four miles west of Livingston. Historically it is within the County of Midlothian. The village was an important centre in the oil shale industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. West Calder has its own railway station.
Castle Greg is the archaeological remains of a Roman fortlet in Harburn on the Camilty Plantation, approximately three miles south-east of West Calder, West Lothian, in Scotland.
East Calder is a village located in West Lothian, Scotland, about a mile east of Mid Calder and a mile west of Wilkieston. It forms part of 'the Calders, three small neighbouring communities situated west of Edinburgh and south of the "New Town" of Livingston.
Bellsquarry is a suburban area located in the south-west of Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. Bellsquarry is located to the west of the Murieston area of the town and to the south of the Dedridge area of the town. The Brucefield industrial estate lies on its western edge.
Niddry Castle is a sixteenth-century tower house near Winchburgh, West Lothian, Scotland. It is situated near the Union Canal, and between two large oil shale bings, or waste heaps. Historically it was known as Niddry Seton or West Niddry to distinguish it from Niddry Marischal in Midlothian and Longniddry in East Lothian.
Harperrig Reservoir is a reservoir in West Lothian, Scotland, to the north of the Pentland Hills, four miles (6.4 km) south of Mid Calder. The Water of Leith flows through it, and nearby are Harlaw Reservoir and Threipmuir Reservoir. It has been proposed that the reservoir be designated as a local nature reserve to be managed by West Lothian Council.
Kirkton is a small area in the north-west of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. The area is mainly occupied by an industrial estate, as well as by some residential housing areas. The Killandean burn, a small stream runs through the area.