Borrowstounness, commonly known as Bo'ness ( ), is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate ...

in the

Central Lowlands The Central Lowlands, sometimes called the Midland Valley or Central Valley, is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Historically History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

part of the county of

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

, it now lies within the

Falkirk council area Falkirk ( ; ; ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas of Scotland. It was formed on 1 April 1996 by way of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 from the exact boundaries of Falkirk District, one of three parts of the Central r ...

, northwest of

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and east of

Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...

. At the 2011 census, the population of Bo'ness was 15,100. Until the 20th century, Bo'ness was the site of various industrial activities, including

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

making and

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

production. With its location beside the Forth, the town and its harbour grew in importance in the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

and later continued to grow into the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

. Since the late 20th century,

deindustrialisation Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry. There are different interpr ...

has changed the nature of the town, with the coal mine closing in 1982 and the waterfront area now being primarily used for leisure purposes. However, some industry remains in the town including an

ironworks An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloome ...

and a timberyard/

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

beside the Forth. The centre of the town contains several listed buildings and is part of a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

. The town is the home of the

Museum of Scottish Railways The Museum of Scottish Railways is a railway museum operated by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS). It is based on the SRPS's large collection of railway artefacts from across Scotland. The museum is located at the Bo'ness and Kinn ...

and also a regional motor museum.

Toponymy

The name ''Borrowstoun'', from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

for "Beornweard's farm", refers to a hamlet a short way inland from Borrowstounness. The suffix ''ness'', meaning "headland", serves to differentiate the two. The shortened form ''Bo'ness'' first appears in the 18th century.

History

Roman history

Bo'ness has important historical links to the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

period and marks the eastern extent of the

Antonine Wall The Antonine Wall () was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Built some twenty years after Hadrian's Wall to the south ...

(at Carriden in the north-east of Bo'ness) which stretched from Bo'ness to

Old Kilpatrick Old Kilpatrick (, meaning "Patrick's church"), is a village in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The name ''Old Kilpatrick'' is said to be derived from St. Patrick ostensibly being born here. It has an estimated population of 4,820. It belonged to ...

on the west coast of Scotland. The Antonine Wall was named as an extension to the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2007. A Roman fortlet can still be seen at Kinneil to the west of Bo'ness. Roman artefacts, some with inscriptions, have been found in the eastern part of the town at Carriden. A Roman fort called ''Veluniate,'' long since lost to history, once stood on the site now occupied by the grounds of

Carriden House Carriden House is a mansion in the parish of Bo'ness and Carriden, in the Falkirk council area, east central Scotland. It is located on the Antonine Wall east of Bo'ness, and north-east of Linlithgow, in the former county of West Lothian. Th ...

. Indeed, it is said that stones from the fort were used in the building of the

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

house. Several artefacts have been uncovered over the years by the local farming community, including the

Bridgeness Slab The Bridgeness Slab is a Roman distance slab created around 142 CE marking a portion of the Antonine Wall built by the Second Legion. It is regarded as the most detailed and best preserved of the Scottish distance slabs. The sandstone tablet was ...

with many of them now on display in the

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a museum of Scottish history and culture. It was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, ...

or at the

Hunterian Museum The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology M ...

in Glasgow. A replica was unveiled by Bo'ness Community Council and

Council on 7 September 2012 in Kinningars Park. A video about its history and manufacture is available online. Other Roman sites have been identified at Muirhouses (known locally as 'The Murrays') and Kinglass on the south-east side of the town.

Commerce and industrial

The town was a recognised port from the 16th century. Coal was shipped from Bo'ness to supply

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

in 1548. A harbour was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1707. The harbour, built in stages in the 18th century, was extended and complemented by a dry dock in 1881 (works designed by

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

Thomas Meik Thomas Meik ( – )Thomas Meik
''Grace's Guide''. Retrieved: 8 October 2015. was a 19th-century Scottish en ...

and

Patrick Meik Patrick Walter Meik (1851 – 12 July 1910)Patrick Meik
''Grace's Guide''. Retrieved: 9 October 2015. was ...

). The commercial port (heavily used for the transport of coal and pit props) eventually closed in 1959, badly affected by

silting Siltation is water pollution caused by particulate Terrestrial ecoregion, terrestrial Clastic rock, clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the i ...

and the gradual downturn of the Scottish coal mining industry. Plans currently exist for the regeneration of the docks area including reopening the port as a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

though these are on hold indefinitely. Shipowning and maritime businesses in the town is evidenced by the ownership of , a ship owned by the Lovart Company of Bo’ness, that later sank in a collision off Denmark. Bo'ness was granted the right of exports and customs dues in 1672 and the office was transferred from Blackness. A large

Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

for the harbour was completed in 1880 on Union Street and still stands today as private dwellings. Bo'ness was a site for

from medieval times. Clay mining was carried out on a smaller scale. The shore was the site of industrial salt making, evaporating

seawater Seawater, or sea water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approximat ...

over coal fires. The ruins of several fisheries (fish storage houses) along the shoreline evidences long gone commercial fishing activity. The town was also home to several sizable potteries, one product being the black 'wally dugs' which sat in pairs over many fireplaces.

Metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals in order to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term, it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on e ...

is still carried out, and examples of the Bo'ness Iron Company's work are to be found in many places. Kinneil Colliery was a large

coal mine Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

on the western edge of the town, that at its peak employed over 1,200 people. Production at the mine began in the late 19th century, expanded significantly after 1951 and was eventually merged with the Valleyfield Colliery via a tunnel underneath the Forth, connecting the two collieries. The mine closed in 1982 due to ‘severe geological conditions’. Today the above ground site is a nature reserve open to the public. Borrowstounnessmap

When the town's commissioners bought the land for the Bo'ness Town Hall and park in the 1890s, the town's prosperity was on the rise. By its completion, the story was not so encouraging. Plans for the town hall and original library were approved however by the Dean of Guild Court on 14 October 1902. The building was officially opened on 14 September 1904. As part of the ceremony, a memorial stone was laid beneath which was placed a glass jar containing a copy of The Scotsman The Glasgow Herald, Bo'ness Journal and Linlithgow Gazette, a list of councillors and a copy of the council minutes. In the twentieth century Bo'ness was one of several Scottish ports involved in the

shipbreaking Ship breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship scrapping, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships either as a source of parts, which can be sold for re-use, or for ...

industry. The shipbreaking yard was established by the Forth Ship Breaking Company (1902–20), which was then taken over by P&W Maclellan who continued operating until about 1970. On a high spring tide the ship destined to be broken up would be manoeuvred to the far (north) side of the river and then steamed across with all speed to drive her as far as possible up the beach. A fo’c’stle crew would lower the ship's anchors as soon as she came to rest to stop her sliding back into the river. The bows would come almost up to Bridgeness Road. Among many ships scrapped at the yard were the

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...

s and ,

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

, and warships , , '' Newark'', , '' Ramsey'', and . ''The Bo'ness Journal and Linlithgow Gazette'' was a newspaper published in the town. It is now ''The Linlithgow Journal and Gazette''. The newspaper officers were at 37–43 North Street which was built in 1884 and today is a category B listed building in the town.

Economy and landmarks

Ballantine Bo'ness Iron Company and Ballantine Engineering is an

company in Bo’ness. The company was founded in 1856 and has produced ironworks for

bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somet ...

in the UK, including the fascia panels of

Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge crossing over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats ...

and North Bridge in Edinburgh. The company went into administration in 2013 but was revived with government support as ‘Ballantine Castings’ in 2014. In 2019, the company produced ironwork replacements for the roof of the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

and

Elizabeth Tower Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, Pars pro toto, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally named the Cl ...

. Other industry in the town includes Walker timberyard and

which is in Bo'ness beside the Forth on the Carriden Industrial Estate. One of the main local employers is the

Ineos Ineos Group Limited is a British multinational conglomerate headquartered and registered in London. it was the fourth largest chemical company in the world, with additional operations in fuel, packaging and food, construction, automotive, ph ...

petrochemical facility (formerly BP) in nearby

Grangemouth Grangemouth (; , ) is a town in the Falkirk (council area), Falkirk council area in the central belt of Scotland. Historically part of the Counties of Scotland, county of Stirlingshire, the town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firt ...

Kinneil House Kinneil House is a historic house to the west of Bo'ness in east-central Scotland. It was once the principal seat of the Duke of Hamilton, Hamilton family in the east of Scotland. The house was saved from demolition in 1936 when 16th-century mu ...

is a historic house to the west of Bo'ness now in the care of Historic Scotland. It sits within a public park, which also incorporates a section of the Roman Antonine Wall. Kinneil was mentioned by

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

, who wrote that it was named ''Pennfahel'' ('Wall's end') in

Pictish Pictish is an extinct Brittonic Celtic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from late antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited number of geog ...

and ''Penneltun'' in

. It was also Pengwawl in old Welsh. In the grounds of Kinneil House is the ruin of the small cottage where

James Watt James Watt (; 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS) – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was f ...

worked on his experimental

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs Work (physics), mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a Cylinder (locomotive), cyl ...

and the steam cylinder of a

Newcomen engine The atmospheric engine was invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, and is sometimes referred to as the Newcomen fire engine (see below) or Newcomen engine. The engine was operated by condensing steam being drawn into the cylinder, thereby creating ...

. The remains of an engine house are in Kinningars Park, off Harbour Road. Dymock's Building is a Category A listed 17th century former merchant's house, finished in orange harling. The house was restored in the late 1990s under the management of the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...

and the Pollock Hammond partnership. It is now used as

social housing Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...

, being split into 8 separate dwellings.

Culture

Community and culture

Bo'ness is now primarily a commuter town, with many of its residents travelling to work in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. Present-day attractions in the town include the

Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway The Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway is a heritage railway in Bo'ness, Scotland. It is operated by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS), a Charitable organization, registered charity, and operates a total of over of track (between B ...

, the Birkhill Fireclay Mine and the local motor museum.

, built by the powerful

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

family in the 15th century, lies on the western edge of the town. Bo'ness is also home to the recently refurbished Hippodrome Cinema, which is the oldest picture house in Scotland. The building, along with many other buildings in Bo'ness, was designed by Matthew Steele, a local resident and architect. The Hippodrome was built in 1912. Some footage of it survives from 1950 during the Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival. The Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival continues to this day, covered by Valley FM, a local radio station that broadcasts for a limited number of days each year to cover the festival. Bo'ness also has their own theatre name The Barony Theatre, Bo'ness which was transformed into a theatre in the 20th Century, prior to this it was known as a primary school 'Borowstoun Primary'. Annually, their band of players 'The Barony Players' put on acclaimed plays such as The Steamie, Gregory's Girl, Dad's Army and The Crucible. They also host visiting companies who produce in their venue such as the annual pantomime which is always a sell out success. The town's war memorial is on a hill overlooking the Forth on Stewart Avenue. The war memorial is in the form of a large

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

and was unveiled on 12 July 1924, with later plaques added after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The town also has a commemorative

clock A clock or chronometer is a device that measures and displays time. The clock is one of the oldest Invention, human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, a ...

and lantern, erected in 1985 through donations from the Linlithgow and Bo'ness

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

. The current Bo'ness library is in a restored early 18th century building (previously the West Pier Tavern) on Scotland Street. The previous Carnegie library was in the Town Hall but moved to its current home in 1980 once conversions were completed.

Religion

There are a number of churches, including Bo'ness Old Kirk, Carriden Parish Church, St Andrew's Parish Church, Craigmailen United Free Church, St. Catharine's Episcopal Church, Bo'ness Apostolic Church, Bo'ness Baptist Church, The Bo'ness Salvation Army and St. Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church. Rev Albert Bogle, minister at the town's St Andrew's Church, was the

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...

for 2012 to 2013. Craigmailen United Free Church is a

Victorian Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

church constructed between 1883 and 1885 and designed by the architects McKissack & Rowan. Bo'ness Old Kirk is a Victorian church that was completed in the Corbiehall area of the town in 1888 and that replaced a much older church building.

Sport

Bo'ness is home to the football club Bo'ness United, and also to Bo'ness United Ladies and Bo'ness United Under 16s. A large fire damaged Bo'ness United's football ground in June 2019. It was the home to

Bo'ness F.C. Bo'ness Football Club was a association football, football club based in Bo'ness, Scotland. The club was a member of the Scottish Football League from 1921 to November 1932, and played at Newtown Park, Bo'ness, Newtown Park. Their home kit cons ...

until 1932. Bo'ness Academy has a rugby team. Bo'ness RFC has had its first ever rugby club established in September 2011. Bo'ness Cycling Club was reformed in 2010 as Velo Sport Bo'ness. Jim Smellie was 11 times Scottish Cycling Champion, and some of the trophies collected over the years can be viewed at Kinneil House Museum. Bo'ness has also played an important role in British motorsport. Hillclimb events, including the first ever round of the

British Hill Climb Championship The British Hillclimb Championship (BHC) is the most prestigious hillclimbing championship in Great Britain. The British Hill Climb Championship was held every year from 1947 to 2019, and resumed in 2021. The 2020 season was cancelled due to the ...

and several thereafter, were held on a course on the Kinneil estate most years from 1932 until 1966. Since 2008, an annual Revival event for classic road-going and competition cars has been held on approximately the same course. Bo'ness Hill Climb is a

hillclimbing Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the firs ...

course on the Kinneil Estate (site of the historic

Parks

Bo'ness has several community parks and recreation grounds. Douglas Park is one of the largest parks in Bo'ness, it has views looking across the

River Forth The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt. The Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic name for the ...

and includes a children's play area, football fields and a pavilion. The park was the site of a geophysics survey in 2020 that identified two prehistoric round barrows underneath the park. Glebe Park is a small formal park in the town centre adjacent to Bo'ness Town Hall, with a

Bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an ornamen ...

at its centre that was constructed in 1902 by the Walter McFarlane & Co Saracen Foundry and which is now on the

Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland The Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland records buildings of national architectural or historic interest which are considered to be under threat. The list is maintained by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). The register was established in 1 ...

Education

Bo'ness has a single

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

, Bo'ness Academy. There are five

primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

: Kinneil, Deanburn, Bo'ness Public School, St Mary's, and the Grange School.

Notable people

* George Baird, minister * Reverend William White Anderson,

, 1888-1956 * Patricia Bagot, housing specialist *

John Begg John Begg (20 September 1866 – 23 February 1937), was a Scottish architect, who practised in London, South Africa and India, before returning to Scotland to teach at Edinburgh College of Art from 1922 to 1933. Life He was born in Bo'ness ...

, architect * Euan Morton, actor, singer *

Henry Cadell Henry Moubray Cadell of Grange, DL FRSE LLD (1860 – 10 April 1934) was a Scottish geologist and geographer, noted for his work on the Moine Thrust, the oil-shale fields of West Lothian, and his experiments in mountain building published in ...

, geologist * George Denholm, Battle of Britain fighter pilot * George W. Easton, athlete * James Gardiner (British Army officer), redcoat *

Jo Gibb JoAnn Gibb is a Scottish people, Scottish theatre actress best known for her role of Rumpleteazer in Cats (1998 film), the 1998 film of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''Cats (musical), Cats'', and as the replacement Pearl the Observation Car in the orig ...

, actor * Gary Wales (actor), Actor, Grew up in the town. * Christine Grant, athletics director, University of Iowa *

James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, 6th Laird of Cadzow (c. 1415 – 6 November 1479) was a Scottish nobleman, scholar and politician. Early life James Hamilton was the son of James Hamilton of Cadzow, 5th Laird of Cadzow. He was born at Ca ...

* Margaret Kidd, advocate *

Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall (usually credited as H. E. Marshall; 9 August 1867 – 19 September 1941) was a Scottish writer, particularly well known for her works of popular national history for children. She is best known for her 1905 work '' Ou ...

, children's writer *

Michael Potter Michael Potter (born 24 September 1963) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who most recently served as the interim head coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL), and a former professi ...

, minister and prisoner on the

Bass Rock The Bass Rock, or simply the Bass (), is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. Approximately offshore, and north-east of North Berwick, it is a steep-sided volcanic plug, at its highest point, and is home ...

James Brunton Stephens James Brunton Stephens (17 June 1835 – 29 June 1902) was a Scottish-born Australians, Australian poet, and author of ''Convict Once''. Early life Stephens was born in Bo'ness, on the Firth of Forth, Scotland; the son of John Stephens, th ...

, Australian poet * Harcus Strachan, Canadian soldier, and winner of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

William Young (1761–1847) William Young (27 August 1761 – 11 February 1847) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary Wars, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He should not be confu ...

, Royal Navy * Charles Clough, a prominent

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

and mapmaker who was struck by a train to the south-west of Bo’ness; he subsequently died four days later in August 1916Lyell Collection – Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society – CT Clough MA LLD FGS, By E B Bailey MC BA, 192

Retrieved 18 February 2015

References

External links

Bo'ness web site

Website on the historical Kinneil Estate, at the western edge of Bo'ness

Bo'ness Pottery - The Pottery Industry of Borrowstounness 1766 - 1958

Oblique aerial view of Bo'Ness Ship Breakers Yard
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, RCAHMS
National Library of Scotland: Scottish Screen Archive
(selection of archive films about Bo’ness) * {{authority control Ports and harbours of Scotland Towns in Falkirk (council area) Forts of the Antonine Wall Populated coastal places in Scotland Parishes in West Lothian