A Brief History of Winchburgh
5 May, 2010Let's build a timeline for Winchburgh! Here are a few key dates to get things started…
12th Century - Winchburgh is first mentioned in records as Wincelburgh, but the settlement is older.
1314 - Sir James Douglas follows the defeated King Edward I from the Battle of Bannockburn and both armies rest at Winchburgh.
c1500 - Niddry Castle is built by Lord Seton.
1568 - Mary Queen of Scots stays at Niddry Castle after her escape from Loch Leven Castle.
19th Century - Shale oil brings prosperity to Winchburgh.
1862 - Fifteen people are killed in the Winchburgh Rail Crash.
1960 - Niddry Castle Oil Works, the last Scottish shale oil refinery, closes.
2010 - s1winchburgh.com is launched to let residents discuss local issues, place small ads, air their opinions, advertise events and show off pictures and video.
Now it's your turn!
That's the briefest of brief summaries and it's full of gaps. But this is where you come in. There's lots of interest in local history and lots of local knowledge out there - so why not share it here?
Perhaps you'd like to start your own more detailed timeline or an article about your favourite aspect of Winchburgh history? There must also be a wealth of wonderful photographs of Winchburgh in years gone by - maybe even some video of more recent events - and those are more than welcome here. Remember, history doesn't need to be in black and white! It's good to bring back memories of just a few years ago, too.
Post it all here, and let's see if we can really chronicle the history of Winchburgh in a way we can all share!
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