Armadale, West Lothian
Encyclopedia
Armadale is a town within the district of West Lothian
in central Scotland
.
Armadale, formerly known as Barbauchlaw, is an ex-mining
town which is also known for its brick
manufacturing. It is named after Armadale in Sutherland, this estate being owned by Sir William Honeyman who later acquired the land of Barbauchlaw.
supermarket on West Main Street.
Armadale (Woodend Farm) is officially the site of Ogilface Castle. Woodend Farm has another site nearer Blackridge, marked as 'Ogelface in ruins' on a 1773 map. These sites have been the subject of archaeological geophysics
surveys by the Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society and kite aerial photography
by members of the History of Armadale Association.
, first opened by the defunct Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway
is currently under construction as part of the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
in the south end of Armadale and is due to open on 12 December 2010. Armadale cross in the morning is an example of the rush hour.
features greyhound racing
and speedway
. It was also used in the past for stock car racing. Speedway started in 1997 when the Edinburgh Monarchs
team moved there and has now competed for ten seasons at the venue. The team won the Premier League
in 2003, however Armadale Stadium is soon to be closed and demolised to make way for a new supermarket. The town also has a long-established football team, Armadale Thistle
, whose home, Volunteer Park, is located on North Street.
The Armadale Flute Band, established in 1983, have won competitions all over Scotland.
, was originally built at the site that now plays host to Armadale Primary School. It was rebuilt and opened in 1967, at West Main Street, Armadale, and was again rebuilt and opened in August 2009, immediately behind the 1967 Academy building. The site of the old building will be used for new car parking facilities, and new playing fields. The current headmaster is Campbell Hornell. The old headmaster, Graham Johnstone retired at the end of the 2009/10 term being headmaster there for nearly fourteen years of service.The school has a seasonal magazine named, "Aloha Armadale". The team is made up of pupils in the school.
As a result of a pit accident, he spent three months in the Royal Infirmary. During that time of convalescence, he wrote five stories, which he was able to sell. One of them, Sunday in the Village, won the Arthur Markham Memorial Prize (See Sir Arthur Markham, 1st Baronet), awarded annually by Sheffield University and available to those who were 'manual workers in or about a coal mine, or have been injured when so employed'. Later, he won the Big Ben prize of £500 for his long story, which became his first novel, Once in Every Lifetime. 250,000 copies of the Big Ben paperback edition were sold in England in the first month of publication. A popular book in Europe and Scandinavia, it was translated into more than a dozen languages, and, eventually, was broadcast in a BBC radio version.
Also Ian Ellis, member of pioneering 60s/70s band Clouds
, as well as many other famous bands of that era.
West Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
in central Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Armadale, formerly known as Barbauchlaw, is an ex-mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town which is also known for its brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
manufacturing. It is named after Armadale in Sutherland, this estate being owned by Sir William Honeyman who later acquired the land of Barbauchlaw.
About The Town
The town has a great number of different public places. There are nine public bars in the town - Coppies Bar, The Corrie, Tap o' the Brae, The Cavalier, The Bucks Head Tavern, The Highlander, The Snooker Club (Krossbar), The Regal, and The Goth, which provides the town clock at the front of the building. There are local shops like Coia's Sweet Shop, Coia's Fish and Chip shop, John Dewar and Sons Butchers and more. The main feature of Armadale is The Cross. There is also a small ScotmidScotmid
The Scottish Midland Co-operative Society Limited, trading as Scotmid Co-operative, is an independent retail consumers' co-operative which originated in the Scottish Midlands, particularly Edinburgh and the Lothians. It was formed in 1981 by a merger of the Dalziel Society of Motherwell with the...
supermarket on West Main Street.
Armadale (Woodend Farm) is officially the site of Ogilface Castle. Woodend Farm has another site nearer Blackridge, marked as 'Ogelface in ruins' on a 1773 map. These sites have been the subject of archaeological geophysics
Archaeological geophysics
Geophysical survey in archaeology most often refers to ground-based physical sensing techniques used for archaeological imaging or mapping. Remote sensing and marine surveys are also used in archaeology, but are generally considered separate disciplines...
surveys by the Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society and kite aerial photography
Kite aerial photography
Kite aerial photography is a hobby and a type of photography. A camera is lifted using a kite and is triggered either remotely or automatically to take aerial photographs. The camera rigs can range from the extremely simple, consisting of a trigger mechanism with a disposable camera, to complex...
by members of the History of Armadale Association.
History
The estate comprising the lands of Barbauchlaw was sold to Sir William Honeyman in 1790. A new highway between Edinburgh and Glasgow had been opened in 1786 and a toll house was built where the new road intersected with an existing road in the east of the estate. A coal company was formed in 1819 and began to work the "Woodend Pit" to the north-west of the toll house. A school was first formed in the town also in this year, and it eventually became necessary to build a dedicated school building in 1839 to accommodate the growing number of students.Transport
The station at ArmadaleArmadale railway station, West Lothian
Armadale railway station is a railway station serving Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland. It is served by trains on the North Clyde Line.-History:...
, first opened by the defunct Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway
Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway
The Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway, also known as the "New Monkland Line", was built by Monkland Railways. It opened on 28 July 1863. The line was absorbed into the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway on 31 July 1865...
is currently under construction as part of the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
The Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link is a railway in central Scotland.Instigated as part of a round of transport improvement projects proposed by the then Scottish Executive in 2003, the plan was to open up a fourth direct railway link between the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. The project was...
in the south end of Armadale and is due to open on 12 December 2010. Armadale cross in the morning is an example of the rush hour.
Culture and sport
Armadale StadiumArmadale Stadium
Armadale Stadium is a greyhound racing and motorcycle speedway stadium situated in the town of Armadale, West Lothian in Scotland. Stock car racing has also been held at the venue. It has been home to the Edinburgh Monarchs speedway team since 1997. Armadale is mainly handicap six dog races and...
features greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
and speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
. It was also used in the past for stock car racing. Speedway started in 1997 when the Edinburgh Monarchs
Edinburgh Monarchs
The Edinburgh Monarchs are a Scottish Speedway team, currently based in Armadale. They compete in the Speedway Premier League, racing on Friday nights during the Speedway season. The club is run by a Board of Directors, chaired by Alex Harkess. The team manager is Alan "Doc" Bridgett...
team moved there and has now competed for ten seasons at the venue. The team won the Premier League
Speedway Premier League
The Premier League is the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom and goverened by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The Premier League was founded in 1995 when it replaced the British League as the first division...
in 2003, however Armadale Stadium is soon to be closed and demolised to make way for a new supermarket. The town also has a long-established football team, Armadale Thistle
Armadale Thistle F.C.
Armadale Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from the town of Armadale, West Lothian. Formed in 1936 and nicknamed The Dale, they are members of the Scottish Junior Football Association and presently play in the East Region Premier League....
, whose home, Volunteer Park, is located on North Street.
The Armadale Flute Band, established in 1983, have won competitions all over Scotland.
Education
The local High School, Armadale AcademyArmadale Academy
Armadale Academy is a secondary school in Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland. The Headteacher is Campbell Hornell. The school was opened in 1969 by miss Margaret Herbison MP. She wished all the teachers and pupils well in their new school. The school moved to the new academy building in 2009, forty...
, was originally built at the site that now plays host to Armadale Primary School. It was rebuilt and opened in 1967, at West Main Street, Armadale, and was again rebuilt and opened in August 2009, immediately behind the 1967 Academy building. The site of the old building will be used for new car parking facilities, and new playing fields. The current headmaster is Campbell Hornell. The old headmaster, Graham Johnstone retired at the end of the 2009/10 term being headmaster there for nearly fourteen years of service.The school has a seasonal magazine named, "Aloha Armadale". The team is made up of pupils in the school.
Famous residents
Tom Hanlin was born in Armadale in 1907. He showed promise at school and was interested in becoming a writer from an early age. However, he had to leave school at fourteen years of age to begin work. He worked on a farm for a year, and then he worked down the mines for the next twenty years, from the age of fifteen until 1945. In 1942, he attended a school of journalism in Glasgow, making the fifty-mile weekly journey while still working down the pit.As a result of a pit accident, he spent three months in the Royal Infirmary. During that time of convalescence, he wrote five stories, which he was able to sell. One of them, Sunday in the Village, won the Arthur Markham Memorial Prize (See Sir Arthur Markham, 1st Baronet), awarded annually by Sheffield University and available to those who were 'manual workers in or about a coal mine, or have been injured when so employed'. Later, he won the Big Ben prize of £500 for his long story, which became his first novel, Once in Every Lifetime. 250,000 copies of the Big Ben paperback edition were sold in England in the first month of publication. A popular book in Europe and Scandinavia, it was translated into more than a dozen languages, and, eventually, was broadcast in a BBC radio version.
Also Ian Ellis, member of pioneering 60s/70s band Clouds
Clouds (60s rock band)
Clouds were a 1960s Scottish rock band that disbanded in October 1971. The band consisted of Ian Ellis , Harry Hughes and Billy Ritchie .- Early days: The Premiers :...
, as well as many other famous bands of that era.