Here at the West Lothian history Hub, we love to explore the Old landscapes and roads as well as all the historic buildings and prehistoric megaliths. They all hold so much history and tell so many stories. But, we can’t forget the Counts vast array of Waterways and Aquatic enclosures. For it has been upon these waters that civilisations have been residing for millennia, and contain some of the County’s Oldest signs of human habitation.
Exploring the Waters of West Lothian
When we look at the history of Ancient Civilisation, not only here in West Lothian, but throughout the world, we see a common denominator – Water. All over the globe, discoveries of some of the oldest remnants of civilisation have often been centred around water. Whether it be Island fortresses or Crannogs actually In the water, or cities built upon a River or Coast, Water is a key factor. But afterall, we all need water to live.
But water has always been a source of many advantages for any civilisation. It has often acted as a defense, but as well as providing a plentiful supply of drinking water, it also works well for Industry. The River Almond alone, which runs right through West Lothian at One time had 42 separate Mills along its banks. Before the age of Steam in the 19th Century, Water was the main driver in Industry.
So, the waters around West Lothian were often very well populated in the past and each of them packed with their own stories to tell. Many dating right back to the prehistoric times of The Iron Age and Bronze Age. Although no physical traces of Dwelling or Industry has been recovered from the Stone age, we know that there was definitely human habitation here throughout that era. WE know this from the Megalithic Structures like that of Cairnpapple where we see stone crafting from around 4000 BC. So, we can be pretty confident that the shires waters would have been utilised by the people back then too.
The Waters of West Lothian
So that you can navigate the numerous waterways, Lochs and reservoirs around West Lothian, we have compiled this list below. Simply scroll through the list of Waters to find which One you’re loooking for and then click on it to discover It’s colourful past.
Rivers
The River Almond
The River Avon
The River Forth
Burns
Barbauchlaw Burn
Bickerton Burn
Black Burn
Breich Water
The Brocks/Brooks Burn
Brunton Burn
Cultrig Burn
Howe Burn
White Burn
Lochs, Ponds & Reservoirs
Lochcote Reservoir
Ghost Waters
Most of West Lothian’s numerous Waters are still easily accessible and there for us to see, and some have remnants of Old activity upon them. However, some of the county’s historical waters are no more. Ghost waters. Here are some of the Once prominent waters of the area that no longer exist.
Petershill Reservoir