Scotland’s ‘Great Improvement’ and It’s Realities
Throughout the 18th century, the Scottish Lowlands underwent a ‘Great Improvement’ that saw a completely new era for Scotland and its lowlands. This agricultural revolution was a result of Scotland’s ‘Great Enlightenment’ that completely transformed West Lothian and the whole of Scotland in effect. But what were the actual realities of this rural revolution? Well. […]
How Change on the Cult Estate led to the Discovery of Petroleum
On the land at the far West Point of West Lothian, almost at the border of West Lothian and Lanarkshire, you’ll find the site of the Old Cult Estate. Although damaged by fire, Cult House still proudly stands on the site, overlooking the old Glasgow to Edinburgh Turnpike Road. Later incorporated into expansion of the […]
The Highland and Lowland Clearances – Which Impacted more
So, most of us are well aware of the Highland Clearances. A dispersing of the Scottish Highland Clans with the eviction and evacuation of hundreds of the Glens that were their homes. These 19th century clearances left the highlands a vast unpopulated land mass. However, It’s far less often, if ever, that we her about […]
The Hidden History of Bridgend – The Village born of Shale
If you wander just a few miles east of Linlithgow, you’ll find the village of Bridgend. While it appears as a quiet, modern residential settlement today, the ground beneath your feet tells a much louder story. This was once a frontier of the 19th-century industrial expansion, a place where the landscape was carved and reshaped […]
Pumpherston – The Blueprint of a Boom Town
When we think of the First of the global oil industries, we often think of the sprawling deserts of the Middle East or the dusty plains of Texas. But, for a brief window in the Nineteenth century, the worlds ‘refined oil’ capital was actually located in the cold, windswept lowlands of Scotland. This dominance relied […]
Seafield
On the Western edges of Red West Lothian, just before it meets the Black, up on the ridge that overlooks the Almond valley, sits the little village of Seafield. Seafield This was a village that was initially built as One of West Lothians many ‘Company Villages’ of Miners Rows. These were usually One or Two […]