Belhaven (, meaning mouth of the river) is a village in

East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...

, Scotland, and was originally the ancient port of

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...

of which town the village has always been a part. Belhaven takes its name from its situation at the mouth of the Biel Water. The village is home to Belhaven Hill School, an independent co-educational prep school for children between the ages of 7–13.

History

Belhaven originated as a subsidiary settlement of the burgh of Dunbar and was first mentioned in the 12th century as the site of the port of Dunbar and that the village had been divided into crofts and tenements. Its continued to be the port of Dunbar into the sixteenth century, when new works at Dunbar replaced it. The physical traces of Belhaven's once substantial breakwater and pier were removed by quarrying and recycling. The location of Belhaven and its distance from Dunbar, with the now drained Belhaven Loch giving a plentiful supply of water, meant that a leather tanning industry developed. In addition, many of the villagers grew enough fruit and vegetables to trade in Dunbar. The readily available water also allowed

brewing Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...

to develop. The first brewers in the area were said to be the monks from the monastery on the

Isle of May An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

who had been granted land in the area. In 1901 a hospital, the Dunbar Combination Hospital, was opened to the south of Belhaven and it continues as a community hospital and a nursing home today, on the same site. The outline of Belhaven has remained largely unchanged for the last 200 years and its street plan is still similar to what it was two centuries ago, although some streets are longer. Six sizeable houses on the edge of the village defined its perimeters and these large properties, set in their own grounds, prevented Dunbar from expanding to join Belhaven, except for a small area in the south eastern corner. Most of the village is within a Conservation Area and many of the older buildings are listed. Winterfield was the home of Captain R. Anderson of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

Industry

In 1806 a spinning mill was erected at Belhaven but closed after a relatively short time of operations. In 1815 a factory for cotton goods was established in the former artillery barracks opposite Winterfield Park, which had been purchased from the government. It gave employment to 250 looms and 550 people, many of whom were Irish immigrants. This industry also closed following the collapse of the East Lothian Bank (1823).

Brewery

Belhaven Brewery is owned by Greene King. The brewery produces Belhaven Best ale and several other beers.

Surf Centre

Opened in 2020 as a charitable organisation the Centre provides space for community organisations and surf club.

References

External links