Longniddry ( sco, Langniddry, gd, Nuadh-Treabh Fada)
is a coastal village in

East Lothian East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

, Scotland, with an estimated population of in . The Scottish Women's Rural Institute was founded here in 1917.

Features

Longniddry is primarily a dormitory village for commuters, with good transport links by road and rail (

Longniddry railway station Longniddry railway station is located at the southeast corner of the village of Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland. The station is on the East Coast Main Line, east of Edinburgh Waverley, and is served by stopping passenger trains on the North B ...

is on the

North Berwick Line The North Berwick Branch is a short railway branch line built by the North British Railway to connect North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland to the East Coast Main Line (at Drem). It was built as a tactical means of excluding competitors fro ...

) to the capital, some 12 miles to the West. The village has a number of local, community based resources including local shops and Longniddry Community Centre, which also houses the library. Near to the library is the Scout Hall used by the Longniddry Scout Group. The golf course hosted the

Carling-Caledonian Tournament The Carling Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in the United Kingdom from 1960 to 1962. History The first event, in 1960, was called the Hammonds-Carling Jubilee Tournament and was held at Pannal Golf Club, Harrogate, Yorkshire ...

in 1961. Like many coastal towns in East Lothian, Longniddry has a sandy beach beside the golf course. This stretch of local coastline is lined with dunes and known as

Longniddry Bents The area is popular, mostly in the summer months, with local families, holidaymakers, picnickers, horseriders, ramblers, metal detectors, dogwalkers and the occasional kite buggy. The shallow bay is a popular watersports location for windsurfers, ...

History

The 18th century

Gosford House Gosford House is a neoclassical country house around northeast of Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland, on the A198 Aberlady Road, in of parkland and coast. It is the family seat of the Charteris family, the Earls of Wemyss and March. It was t ...

, which is the seat of the

Earl of Wemyss and March Earl of Wemyss ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1633. The Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of Wemyss in Fife since the 12th century. Since 1823 the earldom has been held with the Earldom of March, created in ...

, stands on the eastern edge of the village. In 1917 the first meeting of the Scottish Women's Rural Institute took place in Longniddry organised by Catherine Hogg Blair. 37 women became members. In 2006, Longniddry and the neighbouring towns of

Prestonpans Prestonpans ( gd, Baile an t-Sagairt, Scots: ''The Pans'') is a small mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the Council area of East Lothian. The population as of is. It is near the site of the 1745 ...

Cockenzie Cockenzie and Port Seton ( sco, Cockennie ; gd, Cùil Choinnich, meaning "cove of Kenneth") is a unified town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, four miles east of Musselburgh. The burgh of Cockenzie was created ...

and

Port Seton Cockenzie and Port Seton ( sco, Cockennie ; gd, Cùil Choinnich, meaning "cove of Kenneth") is a unified town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, four miles east of Musselburgh. The burgh of Cockenzie was crea ...

were twinned with the town of

Barga, Tuscany Barga is a medieval town and ''comune'' of the province of Lucca in Tuscany, central Italy. It is home to around 10,000 people and is the chief town of the "Media Valle" (mid valley) of the Serchio River. History In the 9th century, Barga is men ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Notable people

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...

, main figure in the Scottish Reformation and disciple of

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

was tutor to the sons of the Douglas family who lived at the west side of the village. *

George Douglas of Longniddry George Douglas of Longniddry (floruit 1580-1610) was a Scottish landowner and courtier. He was the son of Francis Douglas of Borg and Elizabeth Fairlie. His father's tutor was John Knox, and he joined Knox in St Andrews Castle in 1547. The lands ...

, Scottish courtier * Sir Norman Graham, head of Scottish Education Department *

Hugh MacDiarmid Christopher Murray Grieve (11 August 1892 – 9 September 1978), best known by his pen name Hugh MacDiarmid (), was a Scottish poet, journalist, essayist and political figure. He is considered one of the principal forces behind the Scottish Rena ...

, the Scottish poet, lived in Longniddry for a short while. * James Bond actor

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...

lived in Longniddry from August 1964 with his mother and new stepfather William Carmichael before moving to London. *

Mollie Hunter Maureen Mollie Hunter McIlwraith (30 June 1922 – 31 July 2012) was a Scottish writer known as Mollie Hunter. She wrote fantasy for children, historical stories for young adults, and realistic novels for adults. Many of her works are inspired b ...

, winner of the 1974 Carnegie Medal for outstanding books for children.

References

External links

2001 Census Factsheet: Longniddry from East Lothian Council

Longniddry Parish Church
{{Authority control Villages in East Lothian

Features

History

Notable people

See also

References

External links