Linlithgow
Encyclopedia
Linlithgow (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Iucha, Scots
Lithgae) is a Royal Burgh
in West Lothian
, Scotland
. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace
and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal
.
The town's coat of arms
shows a black dog, chained to an oak tree, which grows on an island. Linlithgow's patron saint
is Saint Michael and its motto
is St. Michael is kinde to straingers.
, which was also known as Linithgowshire, the town lies some 20 miles (32.2 km) west of Edinburgh along the man railway route to Glasgow
. Before the construction of the M8 & M9 motorways and the opening of the Forth Road Bridge
, the town lay on the main road from Edinburgh
to Stirling
, Perth
and Inverness
while the canal system linked the burgh to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The nearby village of Blackness
once served as the burgh's port.
, the birthplace of James V
and Mary, Queen of Scots, and probably Scotland's finest surviving late medieval secular building. The present Palace was started (on an older site) in 1424 by James I of Scotland
. It was burnt in 1746, and, whilst unroofed, it is still largely complete in terms of its apartments (though very few of the original furnishings survived).
Linlithgow was also the site of the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge
at the western edge of the town. The bridge no longer stands today. The roadway to Linlithgow over the River Avon is described by scholars as a lifted road.
Apart from the Palace, a second attraction, standing adjacent, is 15th century St. Michael's Church, the most complete surviving example of a large late medieval 'burgh kirk' in Scotland. Its western tower originally had a distinctive stone crown spire, of the type seen also on St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, or Newcastle Cathedral
, which was removed in the early 19th century. In 1964 a replacement, and at the time controversial, spire in aluminium
in a modern style by the prominent Scots architect Sir Basil Spence, representing Christ's crown of thorns, was added.
Many historic buildings line the High Street. On the south side ground levels rise and several historic "wynds" and "closes" as found in Edinburgh
still exist. The most prominent space is on axis with the road to the Palace. This contains the Cross Well of 1807 which proclaims itself to be a replica of its 1628 predecessor. To its north stands the Town House of 1668 by the master mason John Smith. This replaced a previous hall demolished by Oliver Cromwell
's army in 1650. Much of its original interior was removed in a modernisation project of 1962. The High Street is particularly noted for its high number of ancient taverns.
James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh carried out the first assassination with a firearm, when he shot James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
, the Regent of Scotland, on 11 January 1570 in Linlithgow.
A more recently recorded legend holds that this was a black greyhound
whose master was sentenced to starve to death on an island in Linlithgow loch. She used to swim from the town every day with food for him. When this was discovered the dog was chained to a different island to suffer the same fate as its master. The townspeople took the symbol of the dog's loyalty and bravery as their own. The local pub named "The Black Bitch" is reputed to be one of Scotland's oldest pubs.
Today the town is especially popular with middle classes and commuters, not only because of its excellent transport links with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling, but also because of the perceived quality of its schooling. Its size grew considerably during the 1990s with the completion of several housing developments on the east side of the town. There is little scope for the town to grow further as it is now bounded by green belt to the south and east, the M9 to the north, the river Avon and county boundary to the West and with the east side of the town having limited access to the M9. The town also now suffers from parking problems with the local schools running to full capacity due to the massive increase in population over the last ten years.
Linlithgow is also home to a major computing centre owned by Oracle. Former industries include the St. Magdalene's distillery
, the Nobel explosives works, paper mills and many tanneries.
and latterly the main Edinburgh-Glasgow railway line, and today the limited crossings of both cause problems with modern traffic as there are only three places where each can be crossed in the town.
To the west, Linlithgow Bridge used to be a somewhat distinct village with its own identity, but in the latter half of the 20th century it was enveloped in the expansion of the main town and today the distinction between them is hard to make out.
, who has been an MP since 1992, but has only represented Linlithgow since 2005 when major boundary changes redrew the constituency of the long-serving member Tam Dalyell
, who retired on that occasion after over 40 years in parliament.
In Holyrood, Linlithgow is a Labour-SNP marginal as of the 2011 elections. The town is currently represented by the SNP's Fiona Hyslop
, the Scottish Culture Secretary, who defeated the Labour incumbent Mary Mulligan
by 12 percentage points. It is part of the Lothian electoral region, which in 2011 elected 3 Labour, 2 Conservative, 1 Green and 1 Independent MSP.
, Edinburgh
or Stirling
, made relatively easy by the town's railway station
and proximity to both the M8 & M9 motorways.
The town is served by three supermarkets and a retail park situated in Linlithgow Bridge hosting a Homebase and an Argos
Extra among its five units. However, the town continues to support a diverse range of local retailers in the High Street. There are controversial proposals for a new retail development to the east of the town. These are being opposed by a local lobby group.
Linlithgow is of sufficient size that facilities for most common participitation sports can be found in or around the town. BFC Linlithgow was formed in 1992 and is a youth football team with over 200 players in the community club. Linlithgow is also host to Linlithgow Rose Football Club
and Linlithgow Rugby Football Club, as well as West Lothian County Cricket Association and Amateur league winners Linlithgow Thistle AFC. Linlithgow also hosts two main Scotland Supporters Clubs for the Scottish National football team, they are named Linlithgow & District Tartan Army and (LADTA) and the Young Linlithgow Tartan Army (YLTA). Both of which are registered Scotland Supporters Clubs.
A number of local parks, including play areas for children, are spread throughout the burgh, with the tract of land surrounding the palace known as The Peel being particularly popular in summer. Low Port Outdoor Education Centre is situated next to the loch
and provides facilities for many outdoor activities, many based on the adjacent loch. Nearby country parks include Beecraigs
and Muiravonside.
Educational establishments within the town include Linlithgow Academy
, which regularly appears close to the top of the school league tables in Scotland and is one of the main reasons for the demand for housing in Linlithgow, and five primary schools; Linlithgow Primary School, St Josephs Primary School, Linlithgow Bridge Primary School, Low Port Primary School and Springfield Primary School.
Donaldson's College
- Scotland's national school for the deaf - relocated from Edinburgh to a new building in Linlithgow in 2008.
The Riding of the Marches, held in one form or another since the mid-16th century and nowadays celebrated on the first Tuesday after the second Thursday in June, involve young and old in the tradition of checking the burgh's perimeter, including the town's historic port of Blackness. Although today's activities are centered more on the colourful parades through the town that involve bands and floats decorated by local groups, the more ceremonial duties of the Marches are still adhered to and a variety of local groups ensure that the traditions, old and new, are maintained.
There are many other events during the year such as the Children's Gala Day, the Linlithgow Folk Festival
and a pre-Christmas Victorian Street Fayre, and the sense of community is enhanced by many active local groups such as Linlithgow Amateur Musical Productions (LAMP) http://www.linlithgow-musicals.co.uk/, Lithca Lore, The Linlithgow Players http://www.linlithgowplayers.org.uk/ and The 41 Club. The town also has its own weekly local newspaper, the Linlithgow Gazette.
The Linlithgow Union Canal Society
run a canal museum and operate narrowboat
tours from Manse Road basin.
The town has two Church of Scotland
parish churches - St Michael's
and the smaller St. Ninian's Craigmailen. There are also churches of other denominations, including a Methodist chapel (now an evangelical church, St. Johns, which meets in Linlithgow Academy on a Sunday morning), an architecturally distinctive Scottish Episcopal church, and a Roman Catholic church, also called St Michael's, which was used as an ambulance depot by Polish servicemen during the second world war.
Mary, Queen of Scots, was born and christened in Linlithgow.
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
was assassinated in the town in 1570.
A monument on the ridge 2 km north of the town commemorates the Hon. Adrian Hope, killed in the Indian Mutiny in 1858, ancestor of the current Adrian Hope, 4th Marquess of Linlithgow
Linlithgow was the childhood home of the current First Minister of Scotland
, Alex Salmond
.
In September 2007, a plaque and exhibition commemorating the fictional Star Trek
character Scotty
, the Enterprise
's chief engineer, who will be born in Linlithgow in 2222.
and, as part of West Lothian, with Grapevine, Texas
in the USA.
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
Lithgae) is a Royal Burgh
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
in West Lothian
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....
, 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...
. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace
Linlithgow Palace
The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although maintained after Scotland's monarchs left for England in 1603, the...
and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal
Union Canal
Union Canal is a placename:* Union Canal , a canal in Scotland between Edinburgh and Falkirk* Union Canal , a nineteenth century canal in Pennsylvania, United States, closed in 1880...
.
The town's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
shows a black dog, chained to an oak tree, which grows on an island. Linlithgow's patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
is Saint Michael and its motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
is St. Michael is kinde to straingers.
Location
Formerly the principal town of West LothianWest 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....
, which was also known as Linithgowshire, the town lies some 20 miles (32.2 km) west of Edinburgh along the man railway route to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Before the construction of the M8 & M9 motorways and the opening of the Forth Road Bridge
Forth Road Bridge
The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting the capital city Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry...
, the town lay on the main road from Edinburgh
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...
to Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
, Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
and Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
while the canal system linked the burgh to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The nearby village of Blackness
Blackness, Falkirk
Blackness is a small village and harbour at Blackness Bay, an inlet of the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It lies east-southeast of Bo'ness, west-northwest of South Queensferry and north-east of Linlithgow, within the council area of Falkirk....
once served as the burgh's port.
History
The chief historic attraction of Linlithgow is the remains of Linlithgow PalaceLinlithgow Palace
The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although maintained after Scotland's monarchs left for England in 1603, the...
, the birthplace of James V
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
and Mary, Queen of Scots, and probably Scotland's finest surviving late medieval secular building. The present Palace was started (on an older site) in 1424 by James I of Scotland
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
. It was burnt in 1746, and, whilst unroofed, it is still largely complete in terms of its apartments (though very few of the original furnishings survived).
Battle of Linlithgow Bridge
The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge is a battle that took place on 4 September 1526 in the village of Linlithgow Bridge, outside the Scottish town of Linlithgow. It was fought between a force of 10,000 men led by the Earl of Lennox and a force of 2,500 led by James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran...
at the western edge of the town. The bridge no longer stands today. The roadway to Linlithgow over the River Avon is described by scholars as a lifted road.
Apart from the Palace, a second attraction, standing adjacent, is 15th century St. Michael's Church, the most complete surviving example of a large late medieval 'burgh kirk' in Scotland. Its western tower originally had a distinctive stone crown spire, of the type seen also on St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, or Newcastle Cathedral
Newcastle Cathedral
St Nicholas's Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Its full title is The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas Newcastle upon Tyne...
, which was removed in the early 19th century. In 1964 a replacement, and at the time controversial, spire in aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
in a modern style by the prominent Scots architect Sir Basil Spence, representing Christ's crown of thorns, was added.
Many historic buildings line the High Street. On the south side ground levels rise and several historic "wynds" and "closes" as found in Edinburgh
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...
still exist. The most prominent space is on axis with the road to the Palace. This contains the Cross Well of 1807 which proclaims itself to be a replica of its 1628 predecessor. To its north stands the Town House of 1668 by the master mason John Smith. This replaced a previous hall demolished by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's army in 1650. Much of its original interior was removed in a modernisation project of 1962. The High Street is particularly noted for its high number of ancient taverns.
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray , a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V, was Regent of Scotland for his nephew, the infant King James VI of Scotland, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570...
, the Regent of Scotland, on 11 January 1570 in Linlithgow.
Coat of Arms
The town's coat of arms features a black bitch dog against an oak tree, and townsfolk are known as "black bitches". In his account of a 1677 tour of Scotland, a Thomas Kirk described the arms of the town as "a black bitch tied to a tree, in a floating island. We enquired for a story about it, but could meet with none: their schoolmaster told us it proceeded from the name of the place. Linlithgow, in Erst, is thus explained: Lin signifies Lough; Lith, black; and Gow, a hound." [suggesting Scottish Gaelic origins]A more recently recorded legend holds that this was a black greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
whose master was sentenced to starve to death on an island in Linlithgow loch. She used to swim from the town every day with food for him. When this was discovered the dog was chained to a different island to suffer the same fate as its master. The townspeople took the symbol of the dog's loyalty and bravery as their own. The local pub named "The Black Bitch" is reputed to be one of Scotland's oldest pubs.
Development
Two large tracts of the northern side of the High Street were demolished in the 1960s and replaced by flats and public buildings in a modernist style. Although these buildings were no doubt welcomed at the time as being a vast improvement on what must have been cramped and dilapidated traditional accommodation, they were poorly conceived and constructed and have required extensive maintenance and renovation over the years. Many locals lament the brutal effect these buildings have had on the character and appearance of the town's main thoroughfare, and indeed such a dramatic remodelling of buildings forming such a central part of the town would be unthinkable nowadays.Today the town is especially popular with middle classes and commuters, not only because of its excellent transport links with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling, but also because of the perceived quality of its schooling. Its size grew considerably during the 1990s with the completion of several housing developments on the east side of the town. There is little scope for the town to grow further as it is now bounded by green belt to the south and east, the M9 to the north, the river Avon and county boundary to the West and with the east side of the town having limited access to the M9. The town also now suffers from parking problems with the local schools running to full capacity due to the massive increase in population over the last ten years.
Linlithgow is also home to a major computing centre owned by Oracle. Former industries include the St. Magdalene's distillery
St. Magdalene (whisky distillery)
The St. Magdalene distillery was a producer of single malt Scotch whisky that operated between 1798 and 1983.-History:St. Magdalene was established at least by 1798 . During its early life, it was known as "Linlithgow" after the town in which it was built, and was originally located at Bonnytoun....
, the Nobel explosives works, paper mills and many tanneries.
Geography
The town has a generally east-west orientation and is centred on what used to be the main Edinburgh-Stirling road; this now forms the main thoroughfare called the High Street. Plots of farmed land, known as rigs, ran perpendicular to the High Street and comprised much of the town's development until the 19th century. Growth was restricted to the north by Linlithgow Loch, and by the steep hill to the south, but, in the late 19th & early 20th centuries, development began to take place much further south of the High Street. In the late 20th century, demand for housing saw many residential developments take place much further south, as well as spreading into new areas. This southward development was bisected by the Union CanalUnion Canal (Scotland)
The Union Canal is a 31.5-mile canal in Scotland, from Lochrin Basin, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh to Falkirk, where it meets the Forth and Clyde Canal.-Location and features:...
and latterly the main Edinburgh-Glasgow railway line, and today the limited crossings of both cause problems with modern traffic as there are only three places where each can be crossed in the town.
To the west, Linlithgow Bridge used to be a somewhat distinct village with its own identity, but in the latter half of the 20th century it was enveloped in the expansion of the main town and today the distinction between them is hard to make out.
Politics
In Westminster, Linlithgow has long been a Labour stronghold, with the SNP regularly finishing in second place. The town of Linlithgow is currently represented by Michael ConnartyMichael Connarty
Michael Connarty is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Linlithgow and Falkirk East since 2005, and a variation of the same seat since 1992.-Early life:...
, who has been an MP since 1992, but has only represented Linlithgow since 2005 when major boundary changes redrew the constituency of the long-serving member Tam Dalyell
Tam Dalyell
Sir Thomas Dalyell Loch, 11th Baronet , known as Tam Dalyell, is a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005, first for West Lothian and then for Linlithgow.-Early life:...
, who retired on that occasion after over 40 years in parliament.
In Holyrood, Linlithgow is a Labour-SNP marginal as of the 2011 elections. The town is currently represented by the SNP's Fiona Hyslop
Fiona Hyslop
Fiona Hyslop is the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Linlithgow.-Family life and background:...
, the Scottish Culture Secretary, who defeated the Labour incumbent Mary Mulligan
Mary Mulligan
Mary Mulligan is a Labour politician, and formerly Member of the Scottish Parliament for Linlithgow constituency from 1999-2011. She lost her seat to the Scottish National Party's Fiona Hyslop in the 2011 Scottish Parliament election..She was appointed Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care...
by 12 percentage points. It is part of the Lothian electoral region, which in 2011 elected 3 Labour, 2 Conservative, 1 Green and 1 Independent MSP.
Facilities and leisure
Linlithgow's rich history and central location make it a popular tourist destination, while a significant proportion of the local population make the daily commute to GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Edinburgh
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...
or Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
, made relatively easy by the town's railway station
Linlithgow railway station
Linlithgow railway station is a railway station serving the town of Linlithgow in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line and is also served by First ScotRail services from to , and the daily train between and the Fife Circle Line.- History :Linlithgow...
and proximity to both the M8 & M9 motorways.
The town is served by three supermarkets and a retail park situated in Linlithgow Bridge hosting a Homebase and an Argos
Argos (retailer)
Argos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 800 stores. It is unique amongst major retailers in the UK in that it is a catalogue merchant...
Extra among its five units. However, the town continues to support a diverse range of local retailers in the High Street. There are controversial proposals for a new retail development to the east of the town. These are being opposed by a local lobby group.
Linlithgow is of sufficient size that facilities for most common participitation sports can be found in or around the town. BFC Linlithgow was formed in 1992 and is a youth football team with over 200 players in the community club. Linlithgow is also host to Linlithgow Rose Football Club
Linlithgow Rose F.C.
Linlithgow Rose F.C. are a Scottish junior association football club from Linlithgow, West Lothian who play in the East Region Super League...
and Linlithgow Rugby Football Club, as well as West Lothian County Cricket Association and Amateur league winners Linlithgow Thistle AFC. Linlithgow also hosts two main Scotland Supporters Clubs for the Scottish National football team, they are named Linlithgow & District Tartan Army and (LADTA) and the Young Linlithgow Tartan Army (YLTA). Both of which are registered Scotland Supporters Clubs.
A number of local parks, including play areas for children, are spread throughout the burgh, with the tract of land surrounding the palace known as The Peel being particularly popular in summer. Low Port Outdoor Education Centre is situated next to the loch
Linlithgow Loch
Linlithgow Loch is a lake situated in Linlithgow, to the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is to the north of the town centre, and next to Linlithgow Palace.The loch is ¾ of a mile long and covers half a square kilometre.-Fishing and boating:...
and provides facilities for many outdoor activities, many based on the adjacent loch. Nearby country parks include Beecraigs
Beecraigs
Beecraigs is a country park located in West Lothian, approximately south of the town of Linlithgow and north-east of Bathgate. The park comprises around of upland forest, woodland and open country, and offers a range of amenities including outdoor pursuits, camping and caravanning site, sawmill,...
and Muiravonside.
Educational establishments within the town include Linlithgow Academy
Linlithgow Academy
Linlithgow Academy is the only secondary school in Linlithgow, West Lothian. The Academy was founded in 1894 and replaced an earlier kirk institution known as "Sang Schule"...
, which regularly appears close to the top of the school league tables in Scotland and is one of the main reasons for the demand for housing in Linlithgow, and five primary schools; Linlithgow Primary School, St Josephs Primary School, Linlithgow Bridge Primary School, Low Port Primary School and Springfield Primary School.
Donaldson's College
Donaldson's College
Donaldson's School, in Linlithgow is Scotland's national residential and day school, providing education, therapy and care for pupils who are deaf or who have communication difficulties.-Headteacher and management team:...
- Scotland's national school for the deaf - relocated from Edinburgh to a new building in Linlithgow in 2008.
The Riding of the Marches, held in one form or another since the mid-16th century and nowadays celebrated on the first Tuesday after the second Thursday in June, involve young and old in the tradition of checking the burgh's perimeter, including the town's historic port of Blackness. Although today's activities are centered more on the colourful parades through the town that involve bands and floats decorated by local groups, the more ceremonial duties of the Marches are still adhered to and a variety of local groups ensure that the traditions, old and new, are maintained.
There are many other events during the year such as the Children's Gala Day, the Linlithgow Folk Festival
Linlithgow Folk Festival
Linlithgow Folk Festival is an annual folk music festival held in Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland.The first festival was held in 1999 as part of a renaissance of interest in folk music within West Lothian...
and a pre-Christmas Victorian Street Fayre, and the sense of community is enhanced by many active local groups such as Linlithgow Amateur Musical Productions (LAMP) http://www.linlithgow-musicals.co.uk/, Lithca Lore, The Linlithgow Players http://www.linlithgowplayers.org.uk/ and The 41 Club. The town also has its own weekly local newspaper, the Linlithgow Gazette.
The Linlithgow Union Canal Society
Linlithgow Union Canal Society
The Linlithgow Union Canal Society is a waterway society and a Scottish registered charity based at Linlithgow Canal Centre on the Union Canal at Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland...
run a canal museum and operate narrowboat
Narrowboat
A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of Great Britain.In the context of British Inland Waterways, "narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow canals...
tours from Manse Road basin.
The town has two 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....
parish churches - St Michael's
St. Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow
St. Michael's Parish Church is one of the largest burgh churches in the Church of Scotland. It is one of two parishes serving the West Lothian county town of Linlithgow, the other being St. Ninian's Craigmailen...
and the smaller St. Ninian's Craigmailen. There are also churches of other denominations, including a Methodist chapel (now an evangelical church, St. Johns, which meets in Linlithgow Academy on a Sunday morning), an architecturally distinctive Scottish Episcopal church, and a Roman Catholic church, also called St Michael's, which was used as an ambulance depot by Polish servicemen during the second world war.
Notable people
King James V was born in Linlithgow Palace.Mary, Queen of Scots, was born and christened in Linlithgow.
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray , a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V, was Regent of Scotland for his nephew, the infant King James VI of Scotland, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570...
was assassinated in the town in 1570.
A monument on the ridge 2 km north of the town commemorates the Hon. Adrian Hope, killed in the Indian Mutiny in 1858, ancestor of the current Adrian Hope, 4th Marquess of Linlithgow
Adrian Hope, 4th Marquess of Linlithgow
Adrian John Charles Hope, 4th Marquess of Linlithgow , styled Viscount Aithrie until 1952 and Earl of Hopetoun between 1952 and 1987, is a British aristocrat...
Linlithgow was the childhood home of the current First Minister of Scotland
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
, Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
.
In September 2007, a plaque and exhibition commemorating the fictional Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
character Scotty
Montgomery Scott
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a Scottish engineer in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original Star Trek series, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", and in numerous...
, the Enterprise
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
's chief engineer, who will be born in Linlithgow in 2222.
Twin towns
Linlithgow is twinned with the French town GuyancourtGuyancourt
Guyancourt is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris from the center, in the "new town" of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.-Geography:...
and, as part of West Lothian, with Grapevine, Texas
Grapevine, Texas
Grapevine is a city in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States located within the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census the city population was 46,334. The city's moniker is derived from the native grapes prevalent in the area. In recent years several wineries have...
in the USA.