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. It was formerly part of the historic county of West Lothian.
At the 2001 Census Blackness was reported as having a population of around 135 residents.

History

The village originally served as a port for nearby Linlithgow, which was a principal residence of the Scottish monarchs from as early as the 12th century. As a port, Blackness was later superseded by Bo'ness, and fell into decline from the 17th century. Blackness Yacht Club currently use the village as a base for its sailing activities.

Blackness Castle

The small village is dominated by Blackness Castle, situated on a promontory overlooking the bay. The castle was both a residence and a prison before passing to Crown ownership in 1453. The castle is currently under the care of Historic Scotland and has been used as a setting for several films including Hamlet, and the BBC production of Ivanhoe. In addition to the castle and the boat club, the village contains a small variety shop and a pub restaurant. The old smithy has long since shut its doors, as has the dairy which once operated from the village.