Broxburn, West Lothian

Broxburn ( gd, Srath Bhroc, IPA: �s̪ɾaˈvɾɔʰk is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the A89 road, from the West End of Edinburgh, from Edinburgh Airport and to the north of Livingston.

Etymology

The name Broxburn is a corruption of "brock's burn", brock being an old Scots name for a badger whether from the Gaelic ''broc'' or the Pictish/Welsh/Brythonic ''Broch'' and burn being a Scots word for a large stream or small river. The village was earlier known as Easter Strathbrock (Uphall was Wester Strathbrock) with Strath coming either from the Gaelic ''srath'' or the Pictish/Welsh/Brythonic ''ystrad'' meaning a river valley.

History

The village that later became Broxburn probably originated around 1350 when Margery le Cheyne inherited the eastern half of the Barony of Strathbrock (Easter Strathbrock) on the death of her father, Sir Reginald le Cheyne III. The hamlet that grew up around her residence was then called Eastertoun (eastern town) after the land on which it stood. The lands of Strathbrock were earlier owned by Freskin the Fleming, granted to him under a charter from King David I.

Easter Strathbrock was burned to the ground sometime in 1443-4 during a conflict between William, Earl of Douglas, Lieutenant-General of Scotland, and William, Lord Crichton, Chancellor of Scotland. It was destroyed again in 1455 during fighting between the Douglases and King James II. After the conflict, peace was regained and the town was gradually resettled.

The village was renamed Broxburn in 1600 by Sir Richard Cockburn of Clerkington, Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, almost certainly after Broxburn, East Lothian.

Industry

Past

Broxburn remained an agricultural community until the development of the oil shale industry in the area during the second half of the nineteenth century. This brought in a rapid influx of workers, greatly expanding the local population. Broxburn is still known for its association with the industry, pioneered by the inventor and industrialist James Young. Many shale spoil tips, known as bings, are still in evidence around the town.

Up until its closure in 2013, Hall's of Broxburn employed around 1,700 employees at its meat processing plant to the east of the town. At the time of closure, it was the largest, single employer in Broxburn.

Present

Broxburn now has two separate industrial areas, the Greendykes Industrial Estate and the East Mains Industrial Estate, which provide employment for local people. The largest employers are Campbells Prime Meat Limited, Glenmorangie and Broxburn Bottlers Limited (part of Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd). James Ritchie & Son is a firm of clockmakers located in Broxburn that was established in 1809.

Governance

Broxburn lies in the Livingston constituency of the British Parliament and the Almond Valley constituency of the Scottish Parliament.

Before Brexit, it was part of the Scotland European Parliament constituency.

For Local Government purposes, it is part of; the Broxburn, Uphall and Winchburgh Ward of West Lothian Council and is part of West Lothian Council 2nd ward, which also includes the nearby villages of Uphall and Winchburgh

Leisure

The Union Canal passes through Broxburn. It no longer operates as a transport link, but is now used for fishing, magnet fishing and some leisure boating. It has a towpath previously used by the horses which drew canal barges and which is now used as a footpath, the foot paths are popular places for dog walkers, bikers, runners and walkers.
Image:Union Broxburn1.jpg, Union Canal
Image:Union Broxburn4.jpg, Swans on the canal
Image:Bridges 26and27.jpg, Between Bridges 26 and 27

The Shale Bings

The 3 Broxburn Bings (Greendikes Bing, Albion Oil Works Bing and Hopetoun Bing) reside on the north east of Broxburn starting from behind the East Mains Industrial estate. The nearby Niddry Bing resides near the village of Winchburgh. The largest of the three Bings is the Greendykes Bing which when scaled provides excellent views of the whole area. The Bings were created by large piles of spoil from the shale mines being dumped on top of each over to form the Bings.

Notable residents

* Anthony Stokes (Professional Footballer)
* James Anderson (swimmer) (Paralympian)
* Charles Benham (cricketer)
* Mark Burchill (footballer)
* Steven Craig (footballer)
* Bill Bann (footballer)
* James Baird (footballer)
*Colin Fleming, tennis player
* David Fleming (cricketer)
* Gavin Hamilton (cricketer)
*John Kerr (figure skater)
*Shelley Kerr, football manager
* Stephen Robson, Bishop
* Liam Henderson,(footballer)
* Alexander Steuart clock and instrument-maker

Education

Broxburn has four schools, all state-funded, Broxburn Primary, Kirkhill Primary, St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Primary and Broxburn Academy.

Sports and health

Broxburn is home to the football club Broxburn Athletic, who play in the East of Scotland League. There are sports and health facilities publicly available, including a sports centre, library, swimming pool and bowling clubs.
A motorcycle dirt track was built at The Sports Park in 1928 and a few demonstration events were staged to show off the new sport to football fans. Due to Broxburn's proximity to Edinburgh it was not licensed. Another demonstration event at motorcycle club event in 1929 ended after both riders crashed.

Transport

Broxburn has regular links to Edinburgh, Livingston, Linlithgow and Edinburgh Airport. The nearest railway station is at Uphall providing links to Edinburgh, Livingston, Bathgate, Airdrie and Glasgow.

The Town is served by multiple bus services operated by McGill's Scotland East, Lothian Country & E&M Horseburgh

McGill's Scotland East operates service X18 between Edinburgh and Whitburn via Bathgate & Armadale

Hospitals

The local hospital is St. John's Hospital at Howden in Livingston. Broxburn has its own health centre at the Strathbrock Partnership Centre.

Churches

Broxburn has six churches;
* New Life Christian Fellowship Broxburn in Strathbrock Community Centre,
* Broxburn Baptist Church,
* Broxburn Catholic Church,
* Broxburn Parish Church,
* Grace Community Church,
* St Nicholas United Free Church of Scotland.

There are also some other religious groups active in the town, including Jehovah's Witnesses and several evangelical Christian organisations.

Bibliography

* ''Canule, Canule, Birnin Bricht—'' by David Kerr, 2005
* ''Discovering West Lothian'' by William F. Hendrie, John Donald Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh, 1986
* ''A History of Broxburn'' by Peter Caldwell
* ''Strathbrock Area Guide'' prepared and published by Uphall Community Council with assistance from Broxburn Community Council and Ecclesmachan & Threemiletown Community Council

References

External links

Broxburn and Uphall Community WebsiteBroxburn Community CouncilBroxburn & Uphall Traders' AssociationWest Lothian CouncilNational Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE
(archive films about Broxburn)
SS John Cantius and NicholasOrange Order in BroxburnBroxburn Football Story

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Towns in West Lothian
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Mining communities in Scotland