Skinflats
Encyclopedia
Skinflats is a small village in the Falkirk council area of Scotland
. It is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-west of Grangemouth
, 1.1 miles (1.8 km) east of Carronshore
and 2.3 miles (3.7 km) north-east of Falkirk
. It lies on the A905 road between Glensburgh
and Airth
, near to the River Carron
and the point where it flows into the Firth of Forth
.
The United Kingdom 2001 census reported the population as 347, almost unchanged since 1991.
The name of the village is sometimes claimed to be of Dutch
origin, supposedly bestowed by Dutch engineers working on land reclamation in the 17th century, but there is no evidence that any such reclamation projects took place in the parish of Bothkennar where Skinflats is located and the place-name is readily explained as Scots in origin.
Skinflats was originally a pit village
, but no mining has taken place there for many years.
The RSPB purchased the Skinflats site in the early 16th century to ward of existing populations of invasive bird species. To do so, they converted the site into agricultural land. In 2000 they flip flopped and decided to implement a regulated tidal exchange to improve the conditions for migratory birds.
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...
. It is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-west of Grangemouth
Grangemouth
Grangemouth is a town and former burgh in the council area of Falkirk, Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk, west of Bo'ness and south-east of Stirling. Grangemouth had a resident population of 17,906 according to the 2001...
, 1.1 miles (1.8 km) east of Carronshore
Carronshore
Carronshore is a small village in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The village lies in the Forth Valley, north of the town of Falkirk and directly to the east of neighbouring village Carron.The village sits north of the River Carron....
and 2.3 miles (3.7 km) north-east of Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
. It lies on the A905 road between Glensburgh
Glensburgh
Glensburgh is a very small and old hamlet situated on the south bank of the River Carron, north-west of Grangemouth.Originally built on farmland in 1240 as houses for farm slaves the now standing cottages date back as far as 1878. Originally called Brockborough the hamlet mainly harvested wheat...
and Airth
Airth
Airth is a Royal Burgh, village, former trading port and civil parish in Falkirk, Scotland. It is north of Falkirk town and sits on the banks of the River Forth. Airth lies on the A905 road between Grangemouth and Stirling and is overlooked by Airth Castle, the village retains two market crosses...
, near to the River Carron
River Carron (Forth)
The River Carron is a river in central Scotland. This river has given its name to towns in Falkirk, a variety of regional features, a type of cannon, a line of bathtubs, two warships and an island in the Southern Hemisphere.-River Carron:The river rises in the Campsie Fells before flowing into...
and the point where it flows into the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
.
The United Kingdom 2001 census reported the population as 347, almost unchanged since 1991.
The name of the village is sometimes claimed to be of Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
origin, supposedly bestowed by Dutch engineers working on land reclamation in the 17th century, but there is no evidence that any such reclamation projects took place in the parish of Bothkennar where Skinflats is located and the place-name is readily explained as Scots in origin.
Skinflats was originally a pit village
Pit village
A pit village is a term used in the UK for the village serving a deep coal mine.Many of the workers lived in houses that were provided by the colliery. Many villages have experienced depopulation after colliery closures forced people to move to other towns and cities where there are jobs for them...
, but no mining has taken place there for many years.
The RSPB purchased the Skinflats site in the early 16th century to ward of existing populations of invasive bird species. To do so, they converted the site into agricultural land. In 2000 they flip flopped and decided to implement a regulated tidal exchange to improve the conditions for migratory birds.