Harburn is a small village and estate in

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 ...

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 ...

. It lies approximately 2 miles south-east of

West Calder West Calder (, ) is a village in the council area of West Lothian, Scotland, located four miles west of Livingston. Historically it is within the County of Midlothian. The village was an important centre in the oil shale industry in the 19th a ...

and just to the north 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 hills take their name from the hamlet of Pe ...

. The Harburn estate is a 19th century landscaped park and country house estate, primarily laid out in 1808. Harburn House is a Category B listed 18th century country-house that was built in 1804 for Alexander Young (1757-1842), factor to the

Duke of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Duke of Rothesay, Dukedom of Rothesay held by the sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the pr ...

. It replaced an early property, Hayfield House and there are also records of a Harburn Castle, recorded as being fortified during Cromwell's invasions. The stables are also early 19th century and are Category B listed. In 1832, King

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

of France visited Harburn and a monument to his visit, in the form of a stone column was erected.

Culture

Harburn village hill is a local community facility that was built in 1923 as a gift to the community from King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

for the villages contribution to the war effort at the nearby gunpowder mill. Harburn golf course is an 18 golf course on the western edge of Harburn that was created in its present location in 1932.

Camilty

Camilty is a plantation and forest area on the southern and eastern edge of Harburn. The area produces trees for sale as

christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...

s. Permission was given in 2021 for a six large wind turbines to be built on the plantation. Camilty Gunpowder mill is a large ruined

powder mill A powder mill was a mill where gunpowder is made from sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal. Milling steps Crude grinding and mixing operations such as the Frankford Powder-Mill of Philadelphia were a cottage industry until the Industrial Revolution ...

on private land near the Harburn estate that produced explosives, primarily for blasting in the local shale industry. In the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the facility produced munitions and armaments. The mill was in production from 1890 to 1929 and was operated by Midlothian Gunpowder Company. It was later owned by Curtis and Harvey and then passed to

Nobel Enterprises Nobel Enterprises () is a chemicals business that used to be based at Ardeer, in the Ayrshire town of Stevenston, in Scotland. Specialising in nitrogen-based propellants and explosives and nitrocellulose-based products such as varnishes and inks. ...

before being closed following a period of decline in shale mining. The mill was powered by a weir built at the end of the 19th century. Castle Greg is located on the southern edge of Harburn. The castle is the archaeological remains of a

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 ...

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

let.

Transport

The Caledonian Railway line, built circa 1850, cuts through the north-west boundary of the Harburn Estate. The nearest railway station is West Calder railway station. The B7008 forms the south-west boundary of Harburn. The

A70 road The A70 road is a major road in Scotland, United Kingdom. It runs a total of from Edinburgh to Ayr. It begins as Dalry Road at the Haymarket, Edinburgh junction with the A8 road (Scotland), A8, passing near but not through Lanark and ending as ...

connecting

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 ...

with

Lanark Lanark ( ; ; ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a populatio ...

lies to the south-east of Harburn.

References

{{coord, 55.8375, -3.5310, display=title Villages in West Lothian Parishes formerly in Midlothian