DOCSLIB.ORG

Site Report Kinneil House Estate

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Site Report Kinneil House Estate WRESTLING WITH SOCIAL VALUE: AN EXAMINATION OF METHODS AND APPROACHES FOR ASSESSING SOCIAL VALUE IN HERITAGE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION Case Study Report: Kinneil House and Estate, Bo’ness Date: 16 June 2020 Researcher: Elizabeth Robson, University of Stirling Full acknowledgement and grateful thanks are given to all the individuals who participated in this study. Image 1: The main ‘Tower’ section of Kinneil House Image 2: Logo for the Estate cycle trails Image 3: Bo’ness Hill Climb 2019. Looking down the main drive towards the House Image 4: Communion Cup, Bo’ness Old Kirk. Inscribed “This cup pertaineth to the Church of Kinneel 1660” [sic] Oh! nature, the charms that thy beauties impart Far outstrip a’ the gloss an’ the tinsel o’ art. Oh! Give me content and a heart that can feel The endearments o’love mang the woods O’Kinneil. - verse 6, The Woods O’Kinneil (undated), “the famous song written by Dr Young” (unpublished papers of the Friends of Kinneil) All images © Elizabeth Robson. The Kinneil Trails logo is the property of The White Lady Mountain Group, designed by pupil at Bo’ness Academy. Image 5: The back pond on the Estate Contents 1. Summary 2 2. Description of Site 3 3. Research Process 4 4. Communities 4 5. Findings 5 6. Implications 7 Annex I: Statement of Social Value 8 Annex II: Comparators and References 11 Annex III: List of Contributors 13 Annex IV: Map of Location 14 1. Summary The research informing this site report was conducted primarily over a period of ten months (November 2018 to August 2019). The total amount of time spent on the study was approximately four weeks FTE. This case study used an extended, participatory approach, trialling multiple methods in order to identify the variety of communities and range of social values associated with Kinneil House, a property in care of the state. Kinneil House is located within a 200-acre Estate, which is a place of recreation, education, employment and residence. This research identified a variety of wide-ranging and diverse communities, based on interest, identity, and location, for whom the House and Estate were of significance, encompassing people resident in the local area and those living further afield, including elsewhere in the UK and abroad. Kinneil House and Estate is a complex site associated with multiple social values. Key findings: • The values of Kinneil House are inextricably tied up with the wider Estate. It is experienced and framed by the landscape and setting, of which it is a part. • For many people the House is the lynchpin of the wider Estate. However, the formal conservation priority (the painted rooms) is not necessarily of primary importance to communities. • The House is an impressive and familiar symbol, mobilised when representing and asserting membership of different communities. • The site is connected with the formation or origins of many of these communities. • There is a sense of ownership over the House and of the Estate as public space. This is not about proprietorial ownership but a broader sense of it belonging to the community. • It is valued as a constant presence, linking communities across time and space. • However, memories and stories about Kinneil also reveal it to be a dynamic landscape. • The House and the Estate have spiritual values through connections to formal religion (practices and objects linked with the site of Kinneil Church), informal spirituality, the supernatural and nature. • The Estate is valued as a place of peace and reflection. Implications for future consideration and management of the site include: • The social values of the site derive from a combination of location, history, use and ‘feeling’. • The House is a constant feature, but there is a tolerance (and desire) for certain changes. Whether a change is felt to be detrimental varies according to people’s interests and values. Changes that were consulted on, well-communicated and understood were generally more acceptable. • There are conflicting perspectives on balancing human activities and ‘natural’ aspects of the Estate. • The range of communities identified potentially requires multiple engagement strategies that can reach beyond regular users, formally constituted groups, and locality. 2 2. Description of Site The House: The structure standing today was constructed principally during the 16th- and 17th-centuries (see timeline in the Statement of Significance for phases of development). It is best known for the painted interiors in the ‘Palace’ section of the House (see image 6), described in the Statement of Significance as “some of the finest Renaissance painted interiors in Britain” (Historic Environment Scotland 2017: 4). It was the discovery of the paintings in the 1930s that halted the demolition of the House and ultimately resulted in it receiving formal heritage status (for a full description of the paintings see Richardson 1941). In the 18th- century, a workshop to the rear of the main House was used by engineer James Watt to work on the improvements to steam engine technology for which he would become famous (the unroofed walls of ‘Watt’s Cottage’ are still standing). The House is unfurnished but medieval gravestones and a carved-stone Cross from Kinneil Church have been moved into the House and are displayed in the old kitchens, together with architectural fragments from other parts of the building. The House is open Image 6: detail from The Arbour Room showing two to visitors on specific days (around once per phases of painted decoration: naturalistic foliage and month March-October and for special events). animal scenes (1550s) and imitation oak panels (1620s) The Estate: Kinneil House is set within the 200-acre Kinneil Estate, which encompasses buildings and archaeological remains that evidence human settlement over a period of more than 2000 years. These include a section of the Roman Antonine Wall, with visible remains of a fortlet, the ruins of Kinneil Church (built in the 12th-century), and the site of the medieval Kinneil village. Today the Estate includes a number of privately occupied houses, reinstated gardens/orchards, as well as extensive park and woodland. The John Muir Way, a long-distance walking trail, cuts through the Estate and it is a short walk from Kinneil Halt, a stop for steam trains run on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway. There is a small Museum located in a 17th-century stable block to the front of the House, which opens most days (12:30-16:00). The grounds are permanently accessible and known to be well visited. The surrounding area: Kinneil Estate is located on the edge of the town of Bo’ness, a couple of miles from the main town centre (see map in Annex IV). It is bordered by residential areas to the East and farmland to the South and West, with the Firth of Forth a short distance to the North. Borrowstounness (now commonly known as Bo’ness) grew up around the new port in the early 17th-century, gradually drawing the population from Kinneil Village. The remaining population was moved following the suppression of the church in 1669 and the buildings were cleared so the area could be incorporated into the pleasure grounds of the House. One of the first areas in Scotland to be developed for coal mining and with links to the Carron Ironworks, Bo’ness has a proud industrial heritage. Today Bo’ness is perhaps best known for its Children’s Fair, which can trace its origins back to its burgh status and the workers holiday/miners’ gala. In the past, the event concluded with the crowning of the Fair Queen at Kinneil House (ceremony held today at the Town Hall). Formal heritage status: Kinneil House (with the associated gardens and ‘Watt’s Cottage’), the Cross (now in the House) and section of the Antonine Wall are properties in care of the state, under the guardianship of 3 Historic Environment Scotland. The Antonine Wall forms part of the multi-country Frontiers of the Roman Empire UNESCO World Heritage site. Managing partners: Kinneil Estate is managed by Falkirk Community Trust on behalf of Falkirk Council, with the properties in care of the state managed by Historic Environment Scotland. The Kinneil Estate Masterplan (2015-2025) provides “a framework to conserve, enhance and develop the estate”, which is classified as a ‘Strategic Park’, with potential to support a range of national and regional strategies and local economic development (see section C of the Plan). A multi-stakeholder Advisory Group meets regularly to discuss progress and actions under the Plan. Historic Environment Scotland works in partnership with The Friends of Kinneil. Established in 2006 to campaign against the closure of the museum, the Friends work to promote and develop the Estate and neighbouring Kinneil Nature Reserve. The members provide volunteer support for House open days, including guided tours, and are involved in a range of other activities on the Estate. Membership is drawn principally, though not exclusively, from among the residents of Bo’ness. 3. Research Process The research informing this report was conducted over 10 months from November 2018 to August 2019. This case study used an extended, participatory approach, trialling multiple methods. The total time taken equates to approximately four weeks of FTE. Activities carried out were: • Structured interviews (17); • Semi-structured interviews (8); • Transect walks (5); • Focus group with the Friends of Kinneil committee members and attending a Kinneil Estate Advisory Group meeting; • Attending community gatherings/meetings (4) – The People’s Story Project meeting and film launch, community consultation on walking trails, Friends of Kinneil Annual General Meeting (this included an arts-based activity, designing postcards to promote the Estate and the Friends); • Participation in events (6) – House open days, launch of the Kinneil Trails cycle track, Bo’ness Revival Classic Car show and Hill Climb; and • Monitoring public participatory media - images and comments linked to the Kinneil House and Estate on Facebook, in particular the Friends of Kinneil page (around 2000 followers) and other Bo’ness related groups, or posts tagged to #KinneilHouse or #KinneilEstate on Instagram or Twitter.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Blackness and Bo'ness Path Network
    Discover the path networks in and around Discover the path networks in and around Bo’ness and Blackness Bo’ness and Blackness Getting There : Get your copy of For more information about the the Green Travel Map at history and local facilities in www.falkirk.gov.uk/services or call Bo’ness and Blackness contact: 01324 504977. Tourist information centre, Bo’ness 08452 255121 By Foot: If you live nearby. Bo’ness Library 01506 778520 Kinneil Museum 01506 778530 By Cycle: Sustrans National Cycle Network Route 76. Cycle route or visit: information available from www.boness.org.uk www.sustrans.org.uk 0845 www.kinneil.org.uk 1130065. www.falkirk.gov.uk www.falkirk.gov.uk/hippodrome By Rail: Nearest train stations are www.falkirkonline.net 9 at Linlithgow and Polmont. Also www.historic-scotland.gov.uk 0 0 2 stations at Falkirk High and Falkirk . l www.srps.org.uk i c Grahamston. If you are planning n www.visitscotland.com u o to visit Birkhill Clay Mine you can C k www.antoninewall.org r i k get the SRPS train from Bo’ness. l www.forthestuaryforum.co.uk a F , s e c By Bus: For further information on i v r For more information about your e bus times, numbers, routes, etc S paths and countryside access d o call Traveline on 0871 200 2233 o h please contact Falkirk Council’s r or visit www.traveline.org.uk. u o Access Officer, Development b h g i Services on 01324 504721 e By Car: See location maps.
    [Show full text]
  • Kinneil: Fortlet
    KINNEIL: FORTLET Kinneil offers the only visible example of an Antonine Wall fortlet, in a field to the west of Kinneil House. The fortlet is marked out by original stone kerbing of its ramparts and part of the Antonine Wall’s Rampart (which served as the fortlet’s north rampart), with stone paving filling out the areas where original stonework has not survived. Timber posts mark out the location of Roman period post-holes, which give an indication of the fortlet’s gateways and internal buildings. The Antonine Wall Ditch can be partially (but not easily) traced in the fields between Kinneil House and the fortlet. Exhibits covering Kinneil’s history, including Roman artefacts from the fortlet, are located in the Kinneil Museum. HISTORY OF DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION: Kinneil had long been suspected as the site The Roman fortlet was first discovered in 1978, of a Roman fort, though antiquaries were following the discovery of Roman pottery not all in agreement. Confusion may have during fieldwalking by the Cumbernauld arisen because of a long-standing medieval Historical Society. Two sets of excavations village that occupied the fields known as were carried out in 1978-79 and then again in “the Meadows” to the west of Kinneil House, 1980-81, revealing the remains of the fortlet near the site of the ruined medieval church. and portions of the Antonine Wall Rampart This village extended over both sides of the and Ditch; the entire interior of the fortlet was Antonine Wall and may have been in existence excavated, but the ditches were only explored from the early medieval period, as suggested through several sample trenches.
    [Show full text]
  • Antonine Wall Rough Castle Statement of Significance
    Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC175 Designations: Scheduled Monument (SM90013) Taken into State care: 1953 (Guardianship) Last Reviewed: 2019 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ANTONINE WALL – ROUGH CASTLE We continually revise our Statements of Significance, so they may vary in length, format and level of detail. While every effort is made to keep them up to date, they should not be considered a definitive or final assessment of our properties. Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH © Historic Environment Scotland 2019 You may re-use this information (excluding logos and images) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Any enquiries regarding this document should be sent to us at: Historic Environment Scotland Longmore House Salisbury Place Edinburgh EH9 1SH +44 (0) 131 668 8600 www.historicenvironment.scot Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ANTONINE WALL – ROUGH CASTLE CONTENTS
    [Show full text]
  • Kinneil House Statement of Significance
    Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC152 Designations: Scheduled Monument (SM2210); Listed Buildings (LB22358; LB52435; LB50490) Taken into State care: 1937 (Guardianship) KINNEILLast reviewed: 2017HOUSE STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE KINNEIL HOUSE We continually revise our Statements of Significance, so they may vary in length, format and level of detail. While every effort is made to keep them up to date, they should not be considered a definitive or final assessment of our properties. Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH © Historic Environment Scotland 2019 You may re-use this information (excluding logos and images) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/version/3/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Any enquiries regarding this document should be sent to us at: Historic Environment Scotland Longmore House Salisbury Place Edinburgh EH9 1SH +44 (0) 131 668 8600 www.historicenvironment.scot You can download this publication from our website at www.historicenvironment.scot Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office: Longmore House,
    [Show full text]
  • Management Plan 2007-12
    FRONTIERS OF THE ROMAN E M P I R E WORLD HERITAGE SITE PROPOSED EXTENSION THE ▲ANTONINE▲ WALL MANAGEMENT PLAN 2007-2012 The nomination documents for the proposed extension of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site through the addition of the Antonine Wall (UK), including this Management Plan, are published in 2007 by Historic Scotland, Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Executive charged with safeguarding the nation’s historic environment on behalf of Scottish Ministers, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. www.historic-scotland.gov.uk © Crown Copyright Historic Scotland. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical or photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express permission of the publisher ISBN-13 978 1 904966 39 5 2 THE ANTONINE WALL Foreword by Ms Patricia Ferguson, MSP, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport In January 2003 Scottish Ministers marks the beginning of a new chapter in the proposed that the Antonine Wall should history of the Wall and is necessarily focussed go forward as a future UK World Heritage on work which lies ahead. Nevertheless, it Site nomination. In January 2007, the builds on previous plans and upon the work nomination, supported by maps and and commitment of my officials in Historic this Management Plan, was submitted Scotland and of that of colleagues in the to UNESCO for consideration as an five local authorities along the line of the extension to the new World Heritage Site, Antonine Wall, East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
    [Show full text]
  • 2020 Visit Falkirk Area Guide
    visit falkirk Sponsored by visitfalkirk.com Welcome to Falkirk, Scotland! The Falkirk area sits at the very heart of Scotland, midway between Edinburgh and Glasgow with excellent motorway and rail links and two international airports close by. Falkirk is home to two of the world’s Heritage most unique attractions which are The Falkirk area is rich in history, with World transforming the Scottish landscape: Heritage UNESCO site the Antonine Wall, • The Falkirk Wheel including Rough Castle, one of the best preserved Roman Forts; baronial mansion • The Helix Park ‘Home of the Kelpies’ 5 star Callendar House, home to a working The Falkirk area is also home to a great Georgian Kitchen; the Falkirk Trinity Church range of further attractions including; & the Faw Kirk Graveyard including the Tomb the historic Callendar House and Park, of Sir John de Graeme (William Wallace’s right a large section of the John Muir Way, hand man); The Steeple; Dunmore Pineapple; the Antonine Wall (a UNESCO World Kinneil House and Museum featuring Heritage Site), Bo’ness & Kinneil excellent examples of renaissance art; The Hippodrome in Bo’ness; 4 star Bo’ness & Railway, Blackness Castle, Museum of Kinneil Railway a working steam railway Scottish Railways, Kinneil House and including Scotland’s largest Railway museum; Museum and much much more. and the ship that never sailed Blackness Why not Visit Falkirk today? Castle. Immerse yourself in 2000 years of heritage. Further details on the Falkirk area and attractions can be found in this leafet, at www.visitfalkirk.com or you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter @Vfalkirk, Instagram and YouTube.
    [Show full text]
  • Antonine Wall – Castlecary Fort
    Property in Care (PIC) ID: PIC170 Designations: Scheduled Monument (SM90009) Taken into State care: 1961 (Guardianship) Last Reviewed: 2020 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ANTONINE WALL – CASTLECARY FORT We continually revise our Statements of Significance, so they may vary in length, format and level of detail. While every effort is made to keep them up to date, they should not be considered a definitive or final assessment of our properties. Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH © Historic Environment Scotland 2020 You may re-use this information (excluding logos and images) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Any enquiries regarding this document should be sent to us at: Historic Environment Scotland Longmore House Salisbury Place Edinburgh EH9 1SH +44 (0) 131 668 8600 www.historicenvironment.scot You can download this publication from our website at www.historicenvironment.scot Historic Environment Scotland – Scottish Charity No. SC045925 Principal Office: Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH HISTORIC
    [Show full text]
  • May 2016 Suzanne Burgess
    May 2016 Suzanne Burgess Saving the small things that run the planet Summary The John Muir Way, opened in 2014, stretches 134 miles through nine local authority areas including Falkirk. This B-lines project, the first in Scotland, has identified new opportunities for grassland habitat creation, enhancement and management along the route of the John Muir Way as it passes through Falkirk as well as 1.86 miles either side of this. Through this mapping exercise a number of sites have been identified including 49 schools and nurseries; 19 hospitals and care homes; 64 places of worship and cemeteries; 5 historic landmarks and buildings; and 5 train stations. Additionally, 4 golf courses (215.84 ha), 172 public parks and play spaces (681.36 ha) and 1 country park (64.83 ha) were identified. There are a number of sites within this project that have nature conservation designations, including 50 Local Nature and Conservation Sites and Local Wildlife Sites (1,089.17 ha), 5 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (675.84 ha) and 2 Local Nature Reserves (83.93 ha). A further 2 sites are managed as Scottish Wildlife Trust reserves totalling 7.59 ha and 9 have previously been identified as having an Open Mosaic of Habitat on Previously Developed Land with a total of 36.52 ha. By mapping new opportunities this will aid in the future development of projects that will provide real benefits to our declining populations of pollinating insects of bees, wasps, hoverflies and butterflies as well as other wildlife that these habitats support. 1 Contents Page Page Number 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Local Authority Index No Scheduled Monument Case Ref Proposed
    List of SMC Applications lodged in financial year 2013-14 Local Index No Scheduled Case Ref Proposed Works Date of Decision Decision Authority Monument Application Date Aberdeenshi 988 Kincardine Castle 201300604 Kincardine Castle - Hand excavation of 26/04/13 07/06/13 Granted With re Council trench in kitchen area Conditions 7882 Kincardine Deer Dyke 201300606 Kincardine Deer Park and settlement N 26/04/13 07/06/13 Granted With and settlements N of of Burn of Garrol - Hand excavation of Conditions Burn of Garrol 2 trenches 8444 Leith Hall, two symbol 201301633 Leith Hall, two symbol stones - 12/06/13 15/07/13 Granted With stones Conserve and relocate two pictish Conditions stones to niches by the garden gate at Leith Hall 2583 Kindrochit Castle 201302440 Kindrochit Castle, Aberdeenshire: 12/07/13 22/07/13 Granted With Consolidation and conservation of all Conditions upstanding walls, improved site access, fencing and interpretation. 986 Dunnottar Castle 201302578 Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven: 19/07/13 07/08/13 Granted With Removal of 2 No damaged stair treads Conditions and replacement with new materials to match existing. 986 Dunnottar Castle 201302615 Dunnottar Castle - Removal of existing 22/07/13 07/08/13 Granted With ticket kiosk and replacement with a Conditions new slightly larger insulated unit 986 Dunnottar Castle 201304719 Dunnottar Castle, Aberdenshire - 05/11/13 18/11/13 Granted With replacement of old information signs. Conditions 986 Dunnottar Castle 201305208 Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, 27/11/13 19/12/13 Granted With Aberdeenshire - Fitting of safety Conditions handrail above gatehouse wall. 6645 Banff, St Mary's parish 201306131 St Marys Church, Banff, Aberdeenshire 15/01/14 19/02/14 Granted With church and burial ground - To take down and reconstruct the Conditions defective area of masonry identified on the gate entrance into the kirkyard.
    [Show full text]
  • A Walk Along the Antonine Wall in 1825: the Travel Journal of the Rev John Skinner
    Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 133 (2003), 205–244 A walk along the Antonine Wall in 1825: the travel journal of the Rev John Skinner Lawrence Keppie* ABSTRACT In 1825 the Rev John Skinner, an Anglican clergyman from Camerton in Somerset, walked the length of the Antonine Wall from east to west, as part of an extensive Scottish tour. He recorded his observations at length in a journal and prepared daily a series of pencil sketches which constitute an invaluable record of the monument at a fixed date. His sketches include sculptures and inscriptions subsequently lost, and a few sites otherwise unrecorded. He also visited the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow in order to view its collection of Roman stones. INTRODUCTION After his return to Camerton, the journals were transcribed by his brother, in a neat hand Over a five-day period in September 1825 the that can be easily read today (in contrast to Rev John Skinner of Camerton in Somerset, Skinner’s own handwriting which can be near Bath, traversed the Antonine Wall on ffi foot from east to west, as part of an extensive di cult to decipher). Sometimes the seeming ‘northern tour’ which took him as far north as peculiarities of punctuation result from clauses Inverness. Skinner had travelled from the being associated with the wrong sentence, south-west of England with his son Owen, perhaps by his brother when the journals were whom he left in Edinburgh owing to illness. transcribed. His brother mistranscribed indi- On completing his Highland peregrination, he vidual words, especially proper names, or left was reunited with his son, now restored to gaps where the handwriting had defeated him.
    [Show full text]
  • Kinneil Park
    Falkirk Local History Society the Courts are Magnificent, and the Echo from the Trees repeating many times some Syllables, is most delightful KINNEIL PARK Geoff B Bailey Falkirk Local History Society 1 Falkirk Local History Society KINNEIL PARK Geoff B Bailey CONTENTS: Page No. Introduction 3 Prehistoric 3 Roman 4 Dark Ages 5 Medieval 6 16th Century 7 17th Century 9 18th Century 20 19th Century 23 20th Century 26 Appendix 30 Kinneil Fortlet 30 Deer Park Dyke 31 Ice-House 32 Coachhouse 32 Dean Bridge 34 Kirk Bridge 35 Roman Bridge 35 The Piers 36 Bibliography 37 2 Falkirk Local History Society Introduction Kinneil lies on the southern shore of the Forth Estuary at the western edge of the sprawling town of Bo’ness (NS 983 806). The ground dips from 80m OD at the back of the wood to 35m at Kinneil House and the main parks where a steep escarpment rapidly takes it down to 5m. At the foot of the escarpment is the A904 road to Falkirk, which more or less defines the shoreline for much of the historical period. Three moderately sized streams run south to north from the high ground at the back of the wood to the shore, having carved out deep gullies on the way. These are, from west to east, the Deil’s Burn, the Gil Burn (also known as the Kirk Burn) and the Dean Burn. The area covered by the Park has changed over the centuries, but throughout most of its history has comprised of a large wood on the free draining land to the south and fields on the flatter plateau beside the House.
    [Show full text]
  • The Eastern Terminus of the Antonine Wall: a Review G B Bailey* and D F Devereux*
    Proc SocAntiq Scot, 117 (1987), 93-104 The eastern terminus of the Antonine Wall: a review G B Bailey* and D F Devereux* ABSTRACT In the light of negative evidence from excavation this paper questions whether Bridgeness was the eastern terminus Antoninethe of Wall. A terminus Carridenat fort preferredis from practical considerations evidencethe and earlier of antiquaries. INTRODUCTION Ever sinc publicatioe eth 191n ni f Macdonald'1o s classic Antonine studth f yo e Walle Th , Roman Wall Scotland,n i bees ha nt i generall y accepted tha eastere tth n terminut a Wale s th f lwa s o Bridgeness, about 2 km east of the town of Bo'ness. Recent studies of the frontier have tacitly concurred with this view without discussin poine gth detain i t Robertsog (e l n 1979; Breeze 1982; Hanso Maxweln& l 1983). Since 1913 Ordnance th , e Surve alss yha o endorsed Macdonald's align- Walfinae s menit th n f lli to easter n eves stageha nd inferresan existence dth terminaa f eo l fortlet ta Bridgeness for which there is no evidence. At the time, Macdonald's view was a departure from general opinion which had placed the terminus at Carriden, where the existence of a Roman site had been known since before the early 18th century (Sibbald 1707). Aerial photography in this century showmajos a e ha b site nro th e t Roma n fort wit hlarga e easter s vicuit n so n sid t Josepe(S h 1949). Macdonald, however, took the 1868 discovery of a 'terminal' distance tablet at Bridgeness, apparently in situ, to be convincing proof of the location of the eastern terminus.
    [Show full text]