Blackness, Falkirk

Blackness is a small village and harbour at Blackness Bay, an inlet of the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It lies 3.4 miles (5.5 km) east-southeast of Bo'ness, 5.0 miles (8.0 km) west-northwest of South Queensferry and 3.8 miles (6.1 km) north-east of Linlithgow, within the council area of Falkirk. It was formerly part of the historic county of West Lothian.

Blackness

A view of houses in the village of Blackness
Blackness
Location within the Falkirk council area
Population135 [1] (2001 census)
OS grid referenceNT051800
• Edinburgh13.4 mi (21.6 km) SE
• London341 mi (549 km) SSE
Civil parish
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLINLITHGOW
Postcode districtEH49
Dialling code01506
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
Websitefalkirk.gov.uk

At the 2001 Census Blackness was reported as having a population of around 135 residents.[1]

History

The village originally served as a port for nearby Linlithgow, which was a principal residence of the Scottish monarchs from as early as the 12th century. As a port, Blackness was later superseded by Bo'ness, and fell into decline from the 17th century. Blackness Yacht Club currently use the village as a base for its sailing activities.

Blackness Castle

The small village is dominated by Blackness Castle, situated on a promontory overlooking the bay. The castle was both a residence and a prison before passing to Crown ownership in 1453. The castle is currently under the care of Historic Scotland and has been used as a setting for several films including Hamlet,[2] and the BBC production of Ivanhoe.[3] In addition to the castle and the boat club, the village contains a small variety shop and a pub restaurant. The old smithy has long since shut its doors, as has the dairy which once operated from the village.

See also

References
  1. No 3 - 2001 Census Population of settlements and wards Archived 2011-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, www.falkirk.gov.uk. Retrieved 2011-05-17
  2. Scotland: the Movie Location Guide - Hamlet - Blackness Castle, www.scotlandthemovie.com.
  3. Visit Scotland - Blackness Castle Archived July 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, guide.visitscotland.com.
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