Woolfords is a small

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in the Parish of

Carnwath Carnwath (Gaelic: ''A' Chathair Nuadh''; English: "New Fort") is a moorland village on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies about south of both Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is bounded by the Nort ...

, in

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

, Scotland. Woolfords is located on the road between

Auchengray Auchengray is a small village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Overview It has a small church whose architect was Frederick Thomas Pilkington (1832–98), the ground given by George Robertson Chaplin (proprietor) of Colliston House, Arbroath, ...

and

West Calder West Calder ( sco, Wast Cauder, gd, Caladar an Iar) is a village in the council area of West Lothian, Scotland, located four miles west of Livingston, West Lothian, Livingston. Historically it is within the County of Midlothian. The village was ...

, next to

Cobbinshaw Reservoir Cobbinshaw Reservoir is a reservoir in West Lothian, Scotland. It is situated near the Pentland Hills, 5 km south of West Calder. The site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is popular with wildfowl. History Cobbinshaw Re ...

. It was formerly part of

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

and has an EH55

postcode A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...

. Woolfords is at above sea level on the edge of the

Pentland Hills The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale. Etymology The name is first recorded for the farm of Pentlan ...

. Nearby villages include

and

Tarbrax Tarbrax (Scottish Gaelic: "An Tòrr Breac" - meaning "the speckled tor") is a small village in the Parish of Carnwath, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is at the end of a dead end road off the A70 road between Edinburgh and Carnwath. Tarbrax has ...

. North of Woolfords and the other side of the railway line is the

linear settlement A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical re ...

of Woolfords Cottages.

History

Woolfords was built to house the mineworkers for the coal, lime and shale mines of

Cobbinshaw Cobbinshaw is a small hamlet in West Lothian, Scotland. It is at the end of a dead end road from nearby Woolfords. Cobbinshaw is at above sea level on the edge of the Pentland Hills. Nearby villages include Woolfords, Auchengray and Tarbra ...

and Baads Mill. Nearby Cobbinshaw is much older.

Transport

It once had its own

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

on the

Caledonian Railway The Caledonian Railway (CR) was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively extended its network and reached Edinburgh an ...

's Edinburgh to

Carstairs Carstairs (, Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteal Tarrais'') is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Carstairs is located east of the county town of Lanark and the West Coast Main Line runs through the village. The village is served by Carstairs ra ...

Line. The station was located north of

Auchengray railway station Auchengray railway station was just outside Auchengray, a hamlet in the Parish of Carnwath, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was served by local trains on what is now known as the West Coast Main Line. It is near Tarbrax and Woolfords. The Wil ...

References

Villages in South Lanarkshire {{SouthLanarkshire-geo-stub