Balerno
Encyclopedia
Balerno is a suburb of Edinburgh
, Scotland
situated 12 kilometres south west of the city centre, next to Juniper Green
and Currie
. Administratively, Balerno falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council
.
The 18th Century brought substantial development to the area, with many new flax (evidence of flax production can be seen in Harlaw Woods), snuff and paper mills springing up around the Water of Leith
. These mills were a prominent feature of village life until fairly recently. After the First World War house building began in earnest in the area and since then residential pressures have almost overwhelmed commercial and industrial ones.
(school website) was founded in 1983. Dean Park Primary School is the local primary school.It is located in the south of Balerno.
, who play at Malleny Park. Currie
won the Scottish Rugby Union
Scottish Premiership Division One in 2007 and 2010.
. While the house is not open to the public the gardens are and consist of a 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) walled garden set in approximately nine acres of woodland. The gardens feature four hundred year-old yew trees known as the Four Apostles and is home to Scotland’s National Bonsai Collection.
) and Balerno Parish Church (Church of Scotland
). St Joseph's Catholic Church closed in August 2006, with the building purchased by Balerno Parish Church and renamed "The St Josephs' Centre".
is held in Balerno Main Street on the second Saturday of each month. The Balerno Farmers Market is run by Balerno Village Trust
.
built a spur line from Slateford
, via Colinton
, which connected Balerno railway station
to the centre of Edinburgh. The line saw an upsurge in housebuilding in Balerno. The last passenger train to run on the line was in 1943, and a High School was placed on the site of the goods station in 1983. The line runs adjacent to the Water of Leith river.
runs near the Village. The Village is serviced by the 44 bus route, which is operated by both Lothian Buses
and First Edinburgh
. There is a 44a bus route that goes in a different direction up the Johnsburn Road. The route connects Balerno to Currie
, Slateford
, the City Centre, Brunstane
and East Lothian
. The Village is also served by the Prentice Westwood 424 bus route, which connects it to Juniper Green
in one direction and East Calder
and Livingston, however this only runs every two hours Monday to Friday.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, 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...
situated 12 kilometres south west of the city centre, next to Juniper Green
Juniper Green
Juniper Green is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 9 kilometres south west of the city centre. It bridges the city bypass, and extends along the foothills of the Pentlands. It is bordered by Colinton to the east and Currie to the south-west. Administratively, Juniper Green...
and Currie
Currie
Currie is a civil parish and suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated 10 kilometres south west of the city centre. A former village within the County of Midlothian, it lies to the south west of the city, between Juniper Green and Balerno on the Lanark Road...
. Administratively, Balerno falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council
Politics of Edinburgh
The politics of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, are evident in the deliberations and decisions of the council of Edinburgh, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament, the House of Commons and the European Parliament....
.
History
Its name derives from the Scottish Gaelic Baile Airneach, meaning "townland/town of the hawthorns". The earliest written records of Balhernoch or Balernach are found in the late 13th century.The 18th Century brought substantial development to the area, with many new flax (evidence of flax production can be seen in Harlaw Woods), snuff and paper mills springing up around the Water of Leith
Water of Leith
The Water of Leith is the main river flowing through Edinburgh, Scotland, to the port of Leith where it flows into the sea via the Firth of Forth.It is long and rises in the Colzium Springs at Millstone Rig of the Pentland Hills...
. These mills were a prominent feature of village life until fairly recently. After the First World War house building began in earnest in the area and since then residential pressures have almost overwhelmed commercial and industrial ones.
Education
Balerno Community High SchoolBalerno Community High School
Balerno High School is a six year secondary school located in Balerno, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. The school stands on the banks of the Water of Leith, and serves children from the areas of Balerno, Kirknewton and Ratho, and also hosts pupils from a variety of areas outside the catchment area...
(school website) was founded in 1983. Dean Park Primary School is the local primary school.It is located in the south of Balerno.
Sport
Balerno is home to Currie RFCCurrie RFC
Currie Rugby Football Club are an Edinburgh-based rugby union club in the Scottish Rugby Union, they currently play in Premiership Division One....
, who play at Malleny Park. Currie
Currie RFC
Currie Rugby Football Club are an Edinburgh-based rugby union club in the Scottish Rugby Union, they currently play in Premiership Division One....
won the Scottish Rugby Union
Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
Scottish Premiership Division One in 2007 and 2010.
Malleny House & Gardens
The 17th century Malleny House and its surrounding gardens are owned by the National Trust for ScotlandNational Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
. While the house is not open to the public the gardens are and consist of a 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) walled garden set in approximately nine acres of woodland. The gardens feature four hundred year-old yew trees known as the Four Apostles and is home to Scotland’s National Bonsai Collection.
Churches
Balerno has two churches: St. Mungo's Church (Scottish Episcopal ChurchScottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
) and Balerno Parish Church (Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
). St Joseph's Catholic Church closed in August 2006, with the building purchased by Balerno Parish Church and renamed "The St Josephs' Centre".
Farmers Market
A farmers' marketFarmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
is held in Balerno Main Street on the second Saturday of each month. The Balerno Farmers Market is run by Balerno Village Trust
Music Festival
2008 saw the launch of Balerno's music festival with events held at Balerno Parish Church, Balerno Bowling Club, Balerno Parish Church New Hall, the Grey Horse Inn and the St Joseph's Centre.Red Moss Wildlife Reserve
One of only four raised bogs of sphagnum moss surviving in the Lothian region and a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.
Local newspaper
The Currie and Balerno News is Balerno's community newspaper which also includes coverage of nearby Currie, Baberton and Juniper Green. Published monthly the paper features local news, a monthly police neighbourhood watch update, an SSPCA appeal, school news and coverage of local planning applications and developments.Historical
The Caledonian RailwayCaledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
built a spur line from Slateford
Slateford
Slateford is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is east of the Water of Leith.The former village of Slateford lies on the Lanark Road where it crosses the Water of Leith 1/4 of a mile south west of Slateford Station. The name "Slateford" comes from local rock found in the area and...
, via Colinton
Colinton
Colinton is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 6 kilometres south west of the city centre. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north-east. To the north-west it extends to Lanark Road and to the south-west to the City Bypass...
, which connected Balerno railway station
Balerno railway station
Balerno railway station served the Balerno in the Scottish city of Edinburgh. Services were provided by the Caledonian Railway using the Balerno Loop.-History:...
to the centre of Edinburgh. The line saw an upsurge in housebuilding in Balerno. The last passenger train to run on the line was in 1943, and a High School was placed on the site of the goods station in 1983. The line runs adjacent to the Water of Leith river.
Present day
The A70A70 road
The A70 road is a major road in Scotland, United Kingdom. It runs a total of from Edinburgh to Ayr. It begins in Gorgie, Edinburgh, as Ardmillan Terrace from a junction with the A71 and ends as Holmston Road in Ayr going by but not through Lanark...
runs near the Village. The Village is serviced by the 44 bus route, which is operated by both Lothian Buses
Lothian Buses
Lothian Buses Plc is the only municipal bus company in Scotland and the largest provider of bus services in Edinburgh, Scotland. City of Edinburgh Council own 91.01% of the company with the remainder being owned by East Lothian and Midlothian councils. As well as serving Edinburgh, Lothian Buses...
and First Edinburgh
First Edinburgh
First Edinburgh is a bus operator which operates in the south east and central Scotland, and was created by the merger of three companies: Lowland Scottish, Eastern Scottish and Midland Scottish to form a single company for the area and is part of First Group plc...
. There is a 44a bus route that goes in a different direction up the Johnsburn Road. The route connects Balerno to Currie
Currie
Currie is a civil parish and suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated 10 kilometres south west of the city centre. A former village within the County of Midlothian, it lies to the south west of the city, between Juniper Green and Balerno on the Lanark Road...
, Slateford
Slateford
Slateford is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is east of the Water of Leith.The former village of Slateford lies on the Lanark Road where it crosses the Water of Leith 1/4 of a mile south west of Slateford Station. The name "Slateford" comes from local rock found in the area and...
, the City Centre, Brunstane
Brunstane
Brunstane is a south eastern suburb of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is served by Brunstane railway station on the Edinburgh Crossrail.Much of the area is covered by new housing, such as on the Gilberstoun estate....
and East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
. The Village is also served by the Prentice Westwood 424 bus route, which connects it to Juniper Green
Juniper Green
Juniper Green is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 9 kilometres south west of the city centre. It bridges the city bypass, and extends along the foothills of the Pentlands. It is bordered by Colinton to the east and Currie to the south-west. Administratively, Juniper Green...
in one direction and East Calder
East Calder
East Calder is a small town located in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located about a mile east of Mid Calder and about a mile west of Wilkieston...
and Livingston, however this only runs every two hours Monday to Friday.
Famous residents & Balerno High School Alumni
- Neil AlexanderNeil AlexanderNeil Alexander is a Scottish professional football goalkeeper who is currently playing for Scottish Premier League side Rangers.-Early career:...
- Scottish Footballer (Goalkeeper) - Craig GordonCraig GordonCraig Sinclair Gordon is a Scottish footballer, currently playing as a goalkeeper for both Sunderland and the Scotland national team. He was a nominee for STV's Scotland's Greatest Ever Football Team in 2010....
- Scottish Footballer (Goalkeeper) - Graham MoodieGraham MoodieGraham Thomas Moodie is a Scottish field hockey player, who was a member of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad that finished ninth at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens....
- Scottish field hockey player - Peter HeatlyPeter HeatlySir Peter Heatly, CBE, DL is a retired Scottish diver and former Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation.Born in Leith, Heatly was educated at Leith Academy and studied engineering at the University of Edinburgh. He began his diving career with Portobello Amateur Swimming Club and was...
- Scottish Diver and ex-Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation