Ecclesmachan (Old Welsh: Eglwys Machan) (NT058736) is a village 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....

. It lies just north of Uphall on the B8046 road. As at 2001

United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

, the population of the civil parish of Ecclesmachan was 529 and was 811 in 1991

United Kingdom Census 1991

A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 1991, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 21 April 1991. This was the 19th UK census....

.

The name means church of Saint Machan, and is its form is thought to show that a church was present in the area in Sub-Roman

Sub-Roman Britain

Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeological label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity: the term "Sub-Roman" was invented to describe the potsherds in sites of the 5th century and the 6th century, initially with an implication of decay of locally-made wares from a...

 times. The church was once under the care of the Templars via Torphichen receptory and in fact the graveyard contains several examples of Templar symbology.

The medieval church is almost entirely rebuilt but two arched doorways dating from c.1200 survive. A date of 1710 is inscribed on one lintel. The cemetery lies in a hollow at the foot of a fairly steep lane. It contains a large number of war graves given the small size of the village.

In Ecclesmachan there is a village hall, the hall is usually used at Christmas and Galaday times. The hall is also used for OAP and Toddler clubs. Inside the hall there is a plaque that is dedicated to the war heroes that fought in World War I. There is a cemetery near the hall where some of the war heroes are buried.

Ecclesmachan is best known for its countryside views, one being the Binny Craig. One of Ecclesmachans attractions is the bomb hole, it is near the Binny Craig. The bomb was meant to hit the Forth Road Bridge. This was during World War II.

The village is home to Oatridge Agricultural College (built in 1972). It is also home to the Scottish National Equestrian Centre (SNEC)

Notable natives include surgeon Robert Liston

Robert Liston

Robert Liston was a pioneering Scottish surgeon, and the son of the Scottish minister and inventor Henry Liston, whose father was also a Robert Liston, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland....

 and Jacobite poet William Hamilton

William Hamilton (Jacobite poet)

William Hamilton was a Scottish poet associated with the Jacobite movement.He was born at the family seat in Ecclesmachan, West Lothian, Scotland. He began his literary career by contributing verses to Allan Ramsay's Tea Table Miscellany. He joined Charles Edward Stuart in 1745, andcelebrated the...

.

Improvements

Ecclesmachan had some improvements made in 2009. One of them being a refurbishment in the garages. After they were found to contain Asbestos, West Lothian council paid to get them redone. After 2–3 months the garages were finished. The other improvement was getting a Basketball net put in the local park. Another was getting a Rugby field put up. The field it's in is closer to Oatridge college, but was made for the villagers to use.

Scottish National Equestrian Centre

Ever since the arrival of the SNEC in 2007, Ecclesmachan has started to become a well known area. There are regular Horse riding contests every weekend, and even through the week. This leads to Horse boxes going by the village, which has led to controversy. When the SNEC was built, many villagers became concerned about the noise the Horse boxes made when coming through the village. Several complaints were made, but no case was made of it.

The Old school

Around the 19th and 20th century, there was a school in Ecclesmachan. It was a highly populated school, as it was the only one in the Threemiletown area. Not much is known about the school, but a report by the H.M. Inspector on the Public School in Ecclesmachan stated; 'It has been long celebrated as one of the best schools for many miles around, and the large number of children attending it from other parishes, speaks for itself'. The report went on to describe the Schoolmaster (Mr Cunningham), as 'totally devoted to his work and makes his school his first work'. The school was closed in July 1951 by the local authority due to the roll being only 6 pupils. The ‘Old school’ is now used as the Village hall.

External links

• ecclesmachan.org.uk - Local information and history