The Linburn Centre is a day centre for blinded war veterans at
Wilkieston
Wilkieston is a small village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located on the A71 road, north of Kirknewton, south-west of Ratho and east of Livingston.
To the north-west of the village is Bonnington House, a 19th-century country house.
T ...
in
West Lothian,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, around west of the city of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
. The centre is located within the estate of Linburn House, a country house which was demolished in 1955.
It is operated by the charity Scottish War Blinded.
History
The Scottish National Institution for the War Blinded was established in 1915 to care for servicemen blinded in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The Institution purchased the Linburn estate in 1944 and developed housing, workshops and recreational facilities within the grounds of the house. Linburn House itself was used as a hospital before being demolished in 1955.
[ 16 purpose-built homes were constructed for blinded veterans and their families.][
In 2002 the hostel at Linburn, which provided nursing accommodation for blind veterans, was closed and the residents re-housed.]Page\Park Architects
Page\Park Architects was established in 1981 by David Page and Brian Park and has developed as one of Scotland's best known practices undertaking work over a range of sectors.
With over 150 national and international design awards since its inc ...
, had been inspired by a Chinese dragon
The Chinese dragon, also known as ''loong'', ''long'' or ''lung'', is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture at large. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish, but are most ...
on display in the old building.
Services
The centre incorporates a wide range of facilities to equip members with the skills and opportunities they require to maintain and improve the quality of their life. It is a center of activity and socialisation for members within the local area, but is also ideal for occasional short course use for members from further afield.[
]
See also
* Royal Blind School
References
External links
Scottish War Blinded
{{authority control
Blindness organisations in the United Kingdom
Hospitals in West Lothian