No. 2016/2
NEWSLETTER
July 2016
Linlithgow Civic Trust’s 45th Anniversary Cake
Close up view of the anniversary cake unveiled (and partly consumed) at the Trust’s
Annual General Meeting on Saturday, 2 April. This splendid cake, modelled on St Peter’s
Episcopal Church where the event took place, was the work of Margaret Hamilton.
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Linlithgow Civic Trust Newsletter
Contents
Chairman’s Report
Page
Planned New Civic Trust Publication
Events Programme
Doors Open Days Report
Perambulation of the Marches 2016
The John Muir Way
Three Peaks Challenge!
Proposals for the Future of Linlithgow Civic Trust and Burgh Beautiful
Planning Report
Burgh Beautiful News – Behind the Baskets and Beds!
Website and Membership Reports
Executive Committee of Linlithgow Civic Trust
Publications from Linlithgow Civic Trust
2
3
3
4
5
6
9
10
11
14
18
19
20
Images – Thanks to Chris Long, Jim Lonie, Allan Robertson, Ron Smith, Gavin & Averil
Stewart, Jim Walker/Linlithgow Camera Club and St Peter’s Episcopal Church/Grant
Bulloch Architect Ltd for providing, or giving their permission to use images in this issue.
Chairman’s Report
Chris Long, Chairman
It’s one of the most famous quotes in history. At some point around 1789,
when being told that her subjects had no bread, Marie Antoinette supposedly
said, “Let them eat cake.” At the forty-fifth annual general meeting of the Trust
at St Peter’s Church in the High Street, members ate the edible edifice of St
Peter’s, thanks to the cake-making skills of Margaret Hamilton from Lanark.
Members are invited to a meeting to be held at the Low Port Centre on the
evening of Wednesday 17 August, as per the letter to members which
accompanies this Newsletter. The evening is entitled “Times Past, Times
Present and Times Future” and Sybil Cavanagh, the retiring Local History
Librarian, will start the event by giving a short talk describing her view of “Times
Past” in and around Linlithgow. The remainder of the evening will look at
“Times Present and Times Future”, giving consideration as to how the trust can
best be placed to meet future challenges – a number of issues have prompted
the executive committee to examine the working of the trust, including its subcommittee, Burgh Beautiful (see the centre pages of this Newsletter for more
details). Please do come along. Your input would be appreciated. Wine and
nibbles will present members with an opportunity for camaraderie.
I am grateful for all the hard work put in by members of Burgh Beautiful led by
Chris Gunstone, for Allan Robertson’s efficient and effective organisation of the
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third Perambulation of the Marches, and for the efforts of John McGregor and
Marilyne MacLaren in organising the forthcoming Doors Open Days on 10 and
11 September, as well as the endeavours of many others.
Planned New Civic Trust Publication
Chris Long, Chairman
Linlithgow Civic Trust is currently
researching a new book provisionally
entitled ‘Looking at Linlithgow’. The
book will portray the representation of
the town through the eyes of artists,
engravers, photographers, cartographers
and sculptors. It is hoped to publish
later next year. If you are aware of such
uses of the black bitch, the palace
skyline, St Michael’s or other Linlithgow
icons which might be suitable for
inclusion in the publication, then please
contact Chris Long, at [email protected].
Events Programme
Chris Long, Acting Programme Co-ordinator
Forthcoming Events
Saturday 23 July - LCT Canal Cruise to Philpstoun - 7pm at Linlithgow
Canal Centre
As a follow-up to last year's successful canal cruise to the Avon Aqueduct, we
will repeat it this year but will cruise on Saint Magdalene in the other direction
to Philpstoun. Buffet food and refreshments will be served on board. The cost
will be £20 a head. Places are limited to 28. Please let Chris Long know by
email or phone him on 843461 if you'd like to participate.
Wednesday 17 August – Times Past, Times Present, Times Future –
7.30pm in the Lounge, Low Port Centre
Members’ and volunteers’ evening with wine and nibbles, comprising a short talk
by Sybil Cavanagh on times past in and around Linlithgow, followed by an
opportunity to learn about the committee’s proposals for the future of the
Trust.
Other planned events will be added here when details are available. If
you have any ideas for the Programme, please let Chris Long know.
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Linlithgow Civic Trust Newsletter
Recent Events
Friday 13 May - Visit to a Modern,
Sustainable House by the Forth &
Clyde Canal in Falkirk
This was a special visit to view the
sustainable house designed by Adam
Toleman, principal at ARKA Architects
in Falkirk.
Saturday 23 April – A Further
Chance to View the Restoration
Work at Riddles Court
Owing to the popularity of the
February visit a second successful visit
was held.
Saturday 2 April – Annual General
Meeting – St Peter’s Church,
Linlithgow
The 45th Annual General Meeting of
Linlithgow Civic Trust was held in St Peter’s Episcopal Church, a fine and suitable
venue. The formal meeting was followed by the ever popular social and supper,
including the cutting of the anniversary cake (above).
Doors Open Days Report
John McGregor and Marilyne MacLaren, Co-ordinators
This year’s West Lothian Doors Open Days will take place on Saturday, 10
September and Sunday, 11 September. Leaflets will be available at various local
locations such as the library and the Burgh Halls. Canal House and Kingscavil
Church are making a welcome return to the Doors Open programme this year,
while uncertain circumstances have ruled out Burgh Beautiful’s Clarendon Base
and the Local History Library here in Linlithgow, while some would-be
participants cite budgetary and staff constraints as reasons for non-participation.
Despite these disappointments, there is still a programme of breadth and variety.
Venues which joined in last year and have committed again are Duntarvie Castle
and the two Strathbrock churches, while, in Linlithgow itself, Crossview Studios,
popular in 2014 and 2015, are participating for a third time. Canal House, an
adjunct of the Canal Centre but not normally open to the public, is well worth a
visit in its own right. Once the home of canal engineer Hugh Baird, it is
identifiable on the earliest (mid-19th century) Ordnance Survey maps of the
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district. The building had some
management functions. Though
administration was eventually
subsumed into the larger
resources of the Edinburgh &
Glasgow Railway, the Union
Canal, during its years of
independence, had its own not
inconsiderable organisation and
support structures.
Left: Canal House
Perambulation of the Marches 2016
Allan M Robertson
Around 240 of Linlithgow’s “guid folk”, along with a record number of their
four-legged friends, turned out for the Perambulation of the Marches 2016. This
year’s event took place on Wednesday, 8 June on a gloriously sunny evening. It
was Linlithgow’s third Perambulation, and was a fabulous civic occasion with the
Gala Day Queen, Town Crier, flagbearers, halberdiers and the Community
Council amongst others, all in attendance. The proceedings were very ably
assisted by Lewis Russell on the pipes. Refreshments were provided at half time
by the Linlithgow Union Canal Society at the Canal Basin tearoom, where we
were all entertained by Linlithgow Reed Band.
Many thanks to all who participated in the event, and all those willing volunteers
who assisted with the organisation beforehand and stewarding on the night.
Next year’s event will take place on Wednesday 7 June 2017. Put the date in
your diaries now!
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Linlithgow Civic Trust Newsletter
The John Muir Way
Allan M Robertson
“The battle for conservation will go on endlessly. It is part of the
universal battle between right and wrong”. One of the
quotations by John Muir carved into the walls of the Scottish
Parliament in Edinburgh (photograph below).
Many of you will have noticed the small purple signs
marking the route of the John Muir Way through the west
side of Linlithgow, and Linlithgow Bridge. Some of you
might also have wondered who this John Muir was and
what connection he had with the town (if any).
Muir was born in Dunbar, East Lothian in 1838 and died in
Los Angeles, USA in 1914. Muir has long been regarded as
a national treasure in the USA. His importance has, until comparatively recently,
gone unrecognised in the country of his birth.
His early life was not easy. His father, Daniel Muir, was, by all accounts, a harsh
disciplinarian and exceptionally strict parent, even by the standards of early
Victorian times. He strived to live his life according to his religious beliefs and
forced his family to do likewise, sometimes leading to some tension.
Despite this harsh upbringing, Muir was, even at this early stage in life, developing
an interest in the environment. He
attended school in Dunbar and was
particularly interested in natural history
and spent much time wandering the local
East Lothian coastline and countryside.
In 1849, Muir’s father decided to uproot
his family and depart from these shores
to a life in the “New World”. The trip
took six weeks by boat and wagon, and
they eventually settled in an area of
Wisconsin, north-central USA. There the
family adapted to a life of farming.
After emigrating to America, Muir spent
the next 10 years or so working on the
family farm as his father’s unpaid farm
labourer before attending university in
Wisconsin. He embarked on a number of
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adventures in these early years
including a 1,000 mile trek from his
home in Wisconsin to Cuba. No mean
feat in those days.
On his return, he took work in the
High Sierra Nevada of California, and it
was there that he developed his keen
interest in the plants, animals and
rocks; but not just studying – for Muir
being in these mountains was a source
of joy, inspiration and spiritual
refreshment – “When we try to pick out
anything by itself, we find it hitched to
everything else in the Universe.”
He recognised the growing threat to
places such as Yosemite from logging
and over-grazing and, in an age when
Muir (right) with President Theodore
modern “conservation” was an unknown Roosevelt in Yosemite in 1903.
concept, he was the first to call for the
protection of precious wild places. He tirelessly campaigned for the protection
of natural areas by his writings, his lobbying, his tours, and his talks.
“Most people are on the world, not in it, have no sympathy or relationship to anything
about them - undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone,
touching but separate.”
In 1892, he co-founded the Sierra Club "to make the mountains glad" - now a large
environmental lobbying organisation in the USA with a worldwide membership
of about 750,000. He became its President for life.
So what of his legacy? He is regarded as the personification of conservation
focused on preserving wilderness areas. He was a pioneering ecologist, and
America's most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist. His writings
have helped teach people past and present the importance of experiencing and
protecting our natural heritage. He has even been called “the father of the modern
conservation movement”. He was one of the driving forces in the creation of
America’s extensive network of National Parks.
Closer to home, here in Scotland, he was the inspiration behind the creation of
the John Muir Trust (see https://www.johnmuirtrust.org) which was formed in
1983; the John Muir Association in 1994 (now the Friends of John Muir's
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Linlithgow Civic Trust Newsletter
Birthplace - see http://muirbirthplacefriends.org.uk); and the John Muir Birthplace
Trust in September 1998 (see http://www.jmbt.org.uk).
As for Scotland’s own John Muir Way - see http://johnmuirway.org), one might
think that it is rather inappropriate for a long distance footpath through the
heartland of industrialised central Scotland to be named after someone normally
associated with wild places in Scotland and iconic landscapes in the USA.
The John Muir Way stretches 134 miles (215 km) across Scotland’s heartland,
running from Helensburgh in the west through to Dunbar on the east coast and
Muir's birthplace. One of the main motivations for it has been to encourage
Scots to engage with nature on their doorstep and awaken interest in, and
respect for, John Muir's philosophy. The route was opened in 2014, the
centenary of Muir's death, a fitting tribute to that long lasting legacy.
Recent statistics published by Scottish
Natural Heritage suggest that more than
60,000 people visited the John Muir Way
in 2015, with 6,000 walkers completing the
whole route (more than 16 people every
single day). A further 200,000 also made
regular use of a local section for
commuting or some other leisure pursuit.
Whilst these figures probably need to be
treated with caution – the John Muir Way
does after all make use of long established
routes over the vast majority of its length
– it is very encouraging that so many
people are relating to it.
From a local perspective, the Civic Trust
and other community groups lobbied
Scottish Natural Heritage at the time the
route was being planned in the hope that it
would be taken through the centre of the
Fishers Brae - The stretch of the John
town,
rather than around the fringes (it
Muir Way between Linlithgow Bridge
currently runs along the Avon Heritage
and Bo’ness.
Trail, down Mill Road and over Fishers
Brae towards Bo’ness). It is understood that the Way is now to be modified to
pass closer to Linlithgow. The route is covered in the Trust’s publication ‘Walks
round Linlithgow’.
Muir remains today an inspiration for environmental activists everywhere.
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The Three Peaks Challenge!
Cairn Toul from Braeriach.
Sponsor Neil Barnes and Benefit Burgh Beautiful!
Neil Barnes, a public-spirited Linlithgow resident, together with a group of
friends, is planning to tackle the Triple Peaks Challenge – a walk to be completed
in 24 hours on Saturday, 30 July 2016. Starting at midnight on the top of Ben
Nevis, they will then tackle Braeriach and Ben Macdui in the Cairngorm
Mountains – reaching the summits of the three highest mountains in Scotland, all
over 4,000 feet in height.
This time, he is raising sponsorship to help fund Burgh Beautiful’s activities and
the plans for the extension to St Peter’s Church.
You can contribute to Burgh Beautiful directly via PayPal at the following web
page: http://lct.org.uk/lin/17-peaks
If you'd prefer to pay by cheque, please make your cheque payable to "Linlithgow
Civic Trust (Burgh Beautiful)" and post it to:
Mike Vickers, LCT Treasurer
6 Springfield Grange, Linlithgow EH49 7HA.
Contributions to St Peter's Church - To contribute on-line to St Peter's
new church extension, go to: http://www.goldengiving.com/charity/st-peters
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Linlithgow Civic Trust Newsletter
Proposals for the Future of Linlithgow Civic Trust and
Burgh Beautiful Linlithgow
Chris Long, Chairman
A number of issues have prompted the Trust’s Executive Committee to take a
fresh look at the structure and constitution of Linlithgow Civic Trust, which
includes Burgh Beautiful Linlithgow.
A significant issue is revenue. If the Trust becomes a Scottish charity, we could
reclaim 25% gift aid on donations from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and
would be eligible to apply for funding that is only available to charities.
Incorporation is another key issue. Linlithgow Civic Trust is currently an
unincorporated association and cannot enter legal contracts. Financial liability
cannot be limited, although proper governance and insurance mitigates against
most financial risks. Incorporation can take many forms but those that are
relevant are to become a ‘Company Limited by Guarantee’ or a ‘Scottish
Charitable Incorporated Organisation’ (SCIO). The committee believes that
becoming a SCIO, which combines incorporation and charitable status, is
seriously worth considering. Many similar organisations have also applied for
charitable status.
A smaller issue is the financial year. It would suit Burgh Beautiful better if the
financial year ended at the end of August so that a whole year of donations and
planting was included.
Once the preliminary work has been completed, members will be asked to
approve the proposed changes at the next annual general meeting, or at a special
general meeting. It will take a lot of time and effort to draft a new constitution
and get the Office of Scottish Charity Regulator’s (OSCR) approval but we will
now proceed with this task and hope to complete it in time for approval by
members at the next AGM.
Illustrated on the next page is a possible structure under the working title of
‘Linlithgow Civic & Environment Trust’ which would be a SCIO. The committee
considers that a synergy will be evident from the revitalised re-structure.
Examples of possible sub groups, such as ‘Doors Open Days’, are indicated.
As indicated to members in an attached letter, you are invited to attend a
members’ and volunteers’ evening of the Trust on Wednesday 17th August
2016 at 7.30pm, in the Lounge, Low Port Centre. The format will be social
evening with a presentation and with time for questions and answers. Please do
participate in taking the trust forward! If you have views or ideas on what is
needed, then please let us know.
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Possible New Structure of Linlithgow Civic Trust/Burgh Beautiful
including an indication of possible sub-groups
(See opposite page)
“ Linlithgow Civic & Environment Trust ” (Working title)
Comprising a board of trustees
SCIO status
↓
↓
“ Linlithgow Civic Trust ”
↓
↓
Doors
Open
Days
Perambulation
of the
Marches, etc
“ Burgh Beautiful Linlithgow ”
↓
↓
Shared
functions:
website, £££,
newsletter etc.
↓
↓
Planting
groups
Inviting
Gardens,
etc
Planning Report
David Timperley, Linlithgow Civic Trust’s Planning Spokesman
Linlithgow, A Plan for the Future & West Lothian Development Plan
Following the difficulties that the Planning Forum has experienced in undertaking
meaningful discussions with West Lothian Council regarding the ‘Plan for the
Future’ and the ‘Local Development Plan’ it has become clear that a formal
complaint to the Council’s Chief Executive, regarding the lack of proper
community consultation by the local authority, is required before making a
representation to the Local Authority Ombudsman. This letter has been sent
together with supporting evidence detailing the seven points of planning law/
regulations that the Planning Forum believes have been contravened and a table
of responses to the ‘Main Issues Report’ which are considered to have been
ignored.
Meeting with the Scottish Parliament’s Officials - To try and progress the
recognition of the ‘Plan for the Future’, and thanks to a request to Fiona Hyslop,
MSP, a meeting was held with the Scottish Parliament’s Chief Planner (John
McNairney) and Chief Architect (Ian Gilzean) on 4 April. Subjects on the agenda
were:-
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Linlithgow Civic Trust Newsletter
Consultation with the Local Authority/ input from the Community Council;
The part that the ‘Plan for the Future’ would play in the Community
Council’s response to the proposed ‘Local Development Plan’;
The relationship between a plan based on the settlement area of Linlithgow
as per the ‘Plan for the Future’ and the Council’s ‘Local Development Plan’
which considers the whole area of West Lothian; and
The possibility of creating a detailed area plan by means of a ‘charrette’ (a
design workshop) within the context of the ‘Local Development Plan’.
As a result of this meeting it was decided that a charrette would only be
worthwhile if sponsored by West Lothian Council. This appeared unlikely in the
short term but the ‘Plan for the Future’ was considered a good start.
Ian Gilzean suggested that a ‘Place Standard’ tool should be used by the
Community Council as a means of comparing the outcome of the ‘Main Issues
Report’, the ‘Plan for the Future’ proposals, the public response to this and the
Council’s ‘Local Development Plan’. The Planning Form is currently undertaking
this process.
Planning Applications
Proposed Residential Development at Clarendon - Following the overturning
of the appeal against refusal, Gladman Developments has submitted another
application, ‘in principle’, identical to the previous application for the residential
development of this site. It is not clear what their motives are except to keep
the application live. The Civic Trust and Community Council have responded to
West Lothian Council with the view that the application should be refused for
the same reasons of access and education as were previously given and upheld
by the Reporter on appeal. The Council in turn has exercised its right not to
determine the application at all, on the grounds that there had already been a
final decision made with regard to the previous identical planning application.
Victoria Hall - The developers changed their plans for the redevelopment of
this site in response to negative Council comments, and following the Trust’s
objections. The Trust considered that this required a new application and made
this point to the Council’s planners, however the developers have withdrawn the
application. Again the developer’s strategy on the development of this important
site in the town is unclear.
St. Peter’s Church Extension - St Peter’s Episcopal Church has submitted a
listed building consent application to extend the church building to the rear to
provide much needed junior church, minister’s vestry and other facilities. The
Trust considered that this would be of such benefit to the community that a
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Cross-section of St Peter’s Episcopal Church and its proposed extension to the rear. To help
raise funds for the extension (as well as for Burgh Beautiful), see page 9.
response of support has been sent to West Lothian Council. The listed building
consent has been granted.
Land at Drovers Bank, Pardovan Farm Steading, Philipstoun - This
application is for the development of two residential properties within the
steading to which both the Community Council and the Civic Trust have
registered their objection. Although the development is small, it has potential
undesirable impact on the capacity of Linlithgow Academy and would be
development in a rural area not directly associated with an agricultural use.
Flight Path Consultation by Edinburgh Airport
Readers will, no doubt, be aware of the change in the flight paths of aircraft
taking off from Edinburgh Airport and have perhaps received the leaflet from the
airport authority inviting people to participate in the initial consultation
procedure. The Trust will be considering this matter through the Planning
Forum of the Community Council and would encourage all to participate by
submitting comments. If you have not received the leaflet referred to above,
information on the full consultation process can be viewed on the web site
letsgofurther.com which includes a post code checker to see the areas that may
be impacted. Alternatively, a copy of the Consultation Book can be obtained by
writing to: The Consultation Coordinator, Edinburgh Airport, PO Box 17473,
Edinburgh, EH12 1ND. The closing date for replies associated with the initial
consultation is 12 September 2016.
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Linlithgow Civic Trust Newsletter
Burgh Beautiful News – Behind the Baskets and Beds!
Averil Stewart
So much has happened since the March Newsletter. From a factual point of
view, the number of volunteers has increased from around 40 to more than 70,
more organisations have become involved, sponsorships and donations have
increased to just under £13,000, and, as an inevitable consequence of taking on
the additional West Lothian Council flower beds, 18,382 annual bedding plants
have been planted this summer. There is an overall impact from the mass of
colour but don’t forget to look at the wildlife too. And not everything is
beautiful thanks to litter louts and dog poos!
Children and tadpoles at Water Yett.
There are so many people involved and to be thanked, from those dealing with
the logistics of selecting, ordering, collecting and planting the many plants, to
Alex Simpson for coping with taking down and then rehanging the 120 very
heavy hanging baskets and then Alan Agnew and the many volunteers responsible
for regular watering to ensure that all displays look as good as possible.
Horticulturists such as Dougal Philip at New Hopetoun Garden and Billy
Carruthers at Binny Plants inspire us with their wildlife friendly and creative
arrays of plants. However, this year a major success has been the coming
together of several organisations which have taken over the planting and
maintenance of beds previously managed by West Lothian Council: the Rotary
Club of Linlithgow Grange taking responsibility for the bed at West Port with
the theme of Scottish Disability Sport; the River Forth Fisheries Trust working
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Winter baskets, still looking colourful on 4 June … delivery of thousands of plants.
with the River Avon Federation and Linlithgow Anglers in developing the story
of improving river water quality: this is told through imaginative planting and
story boards at the serpentine bed opposite St Peter’s Episcopal Church. This
bed and the Rotary bed by the Four in One, along with Transition Linlithgow’s
bed at the Vennel have been submitted to Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) for
judging under the banner of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’. The message at the
Vennel bed is ‘Healthy Eating, Healthy Planet’, showing various options of local,
seasonal foods, with proportionally more fruit and vegetables than meat and fish,
plus creative recycled wire chickens and floral cheese wedges! Most plants were
either grown from seed in peat-free compost, or are on loan from our own
gardens, reducing environmental impacts. The peat-free compost message is
also promoted in all the hanging baskets.
The other local Rotary Club, of Linlithgow
and Bo’ness, has provided major sponsorship
of the two flower beds in front of Low Port
Primary School and that in front of the Low
Port Centre; these and all our valued
sponsors were listed and thanked in a fullpage article in a recent edition of the Black
Bitch community magazine. Nearly all of the
hanging baskets and tubs/planters and some
of the flower beds have been sponsored this
year which is a considerable achievement, and
one which reflects the value placed by the
local community in maintaining and improving
the appearance and character of our town.
Right: Clearing out the winter/spring baskets at the
Clarendon Base of Burgh Beautiful.
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Linlithgow Civic Trust Newsletter
Clearing of winter daisies from the Vennel bed … and planting up the new tubs by the basket
tree at the Vennel flat.
Burgh Beautiful last won a Silver
Gilt award from Britain in Bloom
in 2014, after having been given a
Gold award and the silver cup for
being the best ‘medium town’ in
Scotland, the previous year. So,
after Linlithgow having taken a
two-year break, perhaps it will be
time next year to commit the
town to entering for the full
Scottish
award
(Beautiful
Scotland) through Keep Scotland
Beautiful. On the basis of team
work and collaboration behind
the scenes this year, we deserve
a Gold once again! But it has to
be a collective decision.
Not only can the vagaries of
weather affect planting schedules,
but at Low Port and Learmonth
Gardens final plantings have been
delayed by major engineering
work.
However, both these
locations should be splendid
Taking a rest during the planting of the
Serpentine Bed.
July 2016
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when finished. Collaboration continues with the Council here and elsewhere;
permanent shrubs were added to beds before the withdrawal of West Lothian
Council and now Burgh Beautiful volunteers plant colourful annuals and tend the
entire planting schemes.
On a less significant scale, thanks are also due to the patient drivers who do not
hoot when traffic is held up by the lorry hanging baskets or on the subsequent
watering. Thanks too, to the teenager who offered to help with new planting
and watering in her local bed; to residents who collect up the unsightly grass
cuttings left by the Council’s new grass cutting regime. Oh what a difference
neatly cut grass and edging makes to fine floral displays lovingly cared for by
volunteers, by residents and now by a subcontractor employed by Burgh
Beautiful for key beds.
Plant Sale at The Cross, early in June.
Thanks to all our donors as well as to our sponsors and to Tesco for the £500
donation from its Fun Day in April; thanks to all who helped at the Plant Sale
which raised £744 and to Inviting Gardens at the end of June which raised an
even more astonishing £1,987. There were many garden gems for the public to
see and the event raises Burgh Beautiful’s profile in the community as well as
very welcome funds.
Looking forward: the next major fund raising event will be the Advent Fayre for
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Linlithgow Civic Trust Newsletter
which seeds have already been planted at Burgh Beautiful’s Clarendon base to
produce flowers for drying. By that time, the summer baskets will be down and
the winter ones already up. Thanks to support from the Town Management
Group there is now a duplicate set of baskets so, as from this year, when one lot
comes down, the newly planted ones can go up.
All of our achievements are dependent on maintaining, if not even increasing, the
number of volunteers: so if you are interested why not join us? Skills are needed
beyond those of gardening: skills which are creative as in making dried flower
arrangements for the Advent Fayre or practical such as in painting or repairing;
we need strong folk, others who are imaginative, or happy to help fund-raise, or
to talk about the work and successes of Burgh Beautiful.
Colourful garden in the rain at the Inviting Gardens event … but not everything is beautiful and
the shed at Clarendon needs a painter or two!
Website and Membership Reports
John Aitken, Webmaster and Membership Secretary
Membership
That time of year is coming round again! A renewal notice is included with this
LCT Newsletter for those of you whose subscription will become due in
September. I know it’s early but it saves postage to send the reminders out with
the newsletter. There is no need to pay it until September.
At the AGM it was agreed to simplify the classes of membership. Apart from
Volunteer Members (who pay no subscription) we now have Members and
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Junior Members, aged 16 to 25. Two Members living at the same address are
classed as Household Members and all children living at the same address are
included. Existing Life Members continue as before but we will not accept any
new applications for Life Membership. The new subscription rates are £10 per
Member and £6 for Junior Members.
During June we conducted a membership drive, via a leaflet distributed in the
Black Bitch community magazine. We welcome those who have joined LCT as a
result. Apart from recruiting new members, the leaflet has helped inform the
Linlithgow community of what we do.
Website
It has been a busy time for me as retiring webmaster. The LCT website had
retained the same format for many years and needed freshening up. A new LCT
website has been set up at www.lct.org.uk and it has been designed so that
convenors can edit their own pages. It is not quite complete yet, but most of it
is in place and accessible. Andrew Taylor has agreed to take over as webmaster
and I hope to hand over the reins during the summer.
Executive Committee of Linlithgow Civic Trust
Chairman
Vice Chairman
DOD Co-ordinator
Hon Secretary
Hon Treasurer
Burgh Beautiful
Newsletter
Membership
also Website
Perambulation
Planning
Publications
Programme
Co-ordinator
DOD Co-ordinator
Chris Long
John McGregor
[email protected]
[email protected]
01506 843461
01506 670229
Shona Reid
Mike Vickers
Chris Gunstone
Ron Smith
John Aitken
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
01506 845348
01506 671307
01506 842582
01506 670758
01506 848258
Allan Robertson
David Timperley
Chris Long
Vacant
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
07730 358543
01506 845623
01506 843461
Marilyne MacLaren
marilynemaclaren@
btinternet.com
[email protected]
01506 845275
Andrew Taylor
01506 201463
If you would like to join the Executive Committee, please contact the chairman.
Page 20
Linlithgow Civic Trust Newsletter
Publications from Linlithgow Civic Trust
Contact: Jean or Chris Long, Linlithgow Civic Trust, 14 Friars Way, Linlithgow, EH49 6AX
Email: [email protected]
Linlithgow - Architecture and History of a Scottish
Royal Burgh Retail price: £8.00
Linlithgow Civic Trust has published a generously illustrated 64-page book,
based on the Architectural and Historical Guide first published by the Trust in
1974, but revised and greatly expanded.
The book contains around 170 photographs, plans and other illustrations,
mostly in colour and never previously published, giving a comprehensive
account of the architecture and history of Linlithgow. It has been produced to
a highly professional standard, with full annotations to each photograph, an
original historical overview and an index.
Walks around Linlithgow Retail price: £7.00
This popular book by local rambler John Davidson covers 27 walks, each of
which has colour illustrations and an Ordnance Survey based map
Linlithgow Street Plan Retail price: £2.00
Ronald P A Smith's excellent street plan of Linlithgow is now available from
Linlithgow Civic Trust.
Street Names of Linlithgow and Linlithgow Bridge
Retail price: £2.00
A fascinating and entertaining account of the origins of Linlithgow’s street
names by local historian Bruce Jamieson.
Teatowel Retail price: £6.00
The quality tea towel is illustrated with key images of Linlithgow. This makes
a good memento or a gift to anyone with a connection with the town.
No part of this Newsletter may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from Linlithgow
Civic Trust. Opinions expressed in this Newsletter are those of the authors of the articles that it contains, and
are not necessarily those of Linlithgow Civic Trust. Copyright © 2016 – Linlithgow Civic Trust
Linlithgow Civic Trust
Web: lct.org.uk
Email: [email protected]