Rosyth
Encyclopedia
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth
, three miles (4.8 km) south of the centre of Dunfermline
. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790.
The town was founded as a garden city
and was built to form the coastal port of Dunfermline
which began in 1909. Rosyth is almost continuous with neighbouring Inverkeithing
, separated only by the M90 motorway
. Rosyth railway station
is on the Fife Circle Line
.
constituency of the Scottish Parliament
, currently held by Helen Eadie
of the Labour Party
, as well as the Mid Scotland and Fife
electoral region. For the UK Parliament, Rosyth is located in the Dunfermline and West Fife
Westminster constituency, currently held by Thomas Docherty of the Labour Party.
Rosyth has three representatives on Fife Council: Keith Legg (Scottish Liberal Democrats), Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party
) and Pat Callaghan (Labour Party
).
The area is best known for its large dockyard, formerly the Royal Naval Dockyard Rosyth
, construction of which began in 1909. The town was planned as a garden city
with accommodation for the construction workers and dockyard workers. Today, the dockyard is almost 1,300 acres (5 km²) in size, a large proportion of which was reclaimed during construction.
Rosyth and nearby Charlestown
were major centres of shipbreaking activity, notably the salvage of much of the German fleet scuttled at Gutter Sound
, Scapa Flow
.
The associated naval base closed in 1994, and no Royal Navy
ships are permanently based at Rosyth, though there are frequent visitors.
Rosyth's dockyards became the very first in the Royal Navy
to be privatised when a company named Babcock International acquired the site in 1987. The privatisation followed almost a century
of contribution to the defence
of the United Kingdom
which spanned two World Wars and the Cold War
with the Soviet Union
, during which Rosyth became a key nuclear submarine
maintenance establishment. When the final submarine refit finished in 2003, a project to undertake early nuclear decommissioning
of the submarine refit and allied facilities - Project RD83 - began pre-planning. The project was funded by MoD, in accordance with the contractual agreement in place following the sale of the dockyard, but management and sub-contracting is the responsibility of the dockyard owner, Babcock Engineering Services , a member of the Babcock International Group. The main decommissioning sub-contractor is Edmund Nuttall, and work began in 2006. It is expected to complete in 2010, when most of the areas occupied by the submarine refit facilities will have been returned to brownfield status and be ready for redevelopment. The dockyard is the site for final assembly of the two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy's which are the outcome of the Royal Navy's CVF (future carrier) project.
The fifteenth century Rosyth Castle
stands on the perimeter of the dockyard complex, at the entry to the ferry terminal and was once surrounded by the Firth of Forth on almost all sides, until land reclamation by the docks in the early 1900s.
service has linked Rosyth with Zeebrugge
in Belgium
. This service was discontinued by Superfast Ferries
in September 2008, but recommenced in May 2009 under the new operator Norfolkline
. The service ran three sailings a week in both directions.
As of 1 January 2011, Norfolkline (now DFDS) now runs four freight-only sailings a week in each direction. They now have two ships running the eight sailings a week.
and beyond.
Three areas around the port of Rosyth are being developed:
Surplus land and buildings owned by engineering giant Babcock, which operates the naval dockyard, is being offered to external companies.
The main dock area – operated by Forth Ports – is ripe. Since opening in 1997, the port has seen rising timber and cargo vessels use the facility. Its warehouse and logistics facilities make an ideal choice for exporters and importers.
A private developer owned site is being developed into an £80 million business park – called Rosyth Europarc. More than 13,000 square meters of office and hi-tech manufacturing have already been developed. Companies like Intelligent Finance and Bank of Scotland
are on site. To complement these developments, a new £8.4 million road is being built to provide an enhanced link to the nearby M90 motorway
. Work began on the new road early in 2006, and it was completed in spring 2007.
Local company Cameron Harris Design & Build are currently developing prestigious office pavilions to the North of Rosyth at Masterton and are about to bring to the market industrial premises at Admiralty Park, where they have previously constructed premises for IDS and also Acorn Pets. Cameron Harris have lodged planning permission for the next phase of works at Admiralty Park, Rosyth which will home up to 60 jobs, the first company to relocate there is a well established European company who will use Rosyth as their UK headquarters
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...
, three miles (4.8 km) south of the centre of Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790.
The town was founded as a garden city
Garden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
and was built to form the coastal port of Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
which began in 1909. Rosyth is almost continuous with neighbouring Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing is a town and a royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. According to population estimates , the town has a population of 5,265. The port town was given burgh status by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century and is situated about 9 miles north from...
, separated only by the M90 motorway
M90 motorway
The M90 is a motorway in Scotland. It runs from Inverkeithing, at the north end of the Forth Road Bridge, to Perth, passing Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Kinross on the way...
. Rosyth railway station
Rosyth railway station
Rosyth railway station serves the town of Rosyth in Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and lies on the Fife Circle Line, north of .- 2011 :...
is on the Fife Circle Line
Fife Circle Line
The Fife Circle is the local rail service north from Edinburgh. It links all the towns of south Fife and the coastal towns along the Firth of Forth before heading to Edinburgh.-Service:...
.
Governance
Rosyth is within the CowdenbeathCowdenbeath (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Cowdenbeath is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
constituency of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, currently held by Helen Eadie
Helen Eadie
Helen Eadie is a Scottish Labour Co-operative politician and has represented Dunfermline East in the Scottish Parliament since 1999.-Background:...
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, as well as the Mid Scotland and Fife
Mid Scotland and Fife (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
Mid Scotland and Fife is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
electoral region. For the UK Parliament, Rosyth is located in the Dunfermline and West Fife
Dunfermline and West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)
Dunfermline and West Fife is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election from all of the old Dunfermline West and parts of the old Dunfermline East constituencies...
Westminster constituency, currently held by Thomas Docherty of the Labour Party.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Rosyth has three representatives on Fife Council: Keith Legg (Scottish Liberal Democrats), Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
) and Pat Callaghan (Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
).
Docks
Rosyth Dockyard
Rosyth Dockyard is a large naval dockyard on the Firth of Forth at Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, owned by Babcock Marine, which primarily undertakes refitting of Royal Navy surface vessels.-History:...
, construction of which began in 1909. The town was planned as a garden city
Garden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
with accommodation for the construction workers and dockyard workers. Today, the dockyard is almost 1,300 acres (5 km²) in size, a large proportion of which was reclaimed during construction.
Rosyth and nearby Charlestown
Charlestown, Fife
Charlestown, Fife is a town in Scotland on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, adjoining Limekilns and Rosyth. Like Rosyth, Charlestown was home to a sizable shipbreaking industry in the mid twentieth centuryCharlestown is home to the The Scottish Lime Centre Trust which was established in 1994...
were major centres of shipbreaking activity, notably the salvage of much of the German fleet scuttled at Gutter Sound
Gutter Sound
Gutter Sound is an inlet of the vast anchorage of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Gutter Sound was the site of the mass-scuttling of the interned German Imperial High Seas Fleet in 1919.-Scuttling of the fleet:...
, Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
.
The associated naval base closed in 1994, and no Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships are permanently based at Rosyth, though there are frequent visitors.
Rosyth's dockyards became the very first in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
to be privatised when a company named Babcock International acquired the site in 1987. The privatisation followed almost a century
Century
A century is one hundred consecutive years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages .-Start and end in the Gregorian Calendar:...
of contribution to the defence
Defense (military)
Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
which spanned two World Wars and the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, during which Rosyth became a key nuclear submarine
Nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
maintenance establishment. When the final submarine refit finished in 2003, a project to undertake early nuclear decommissioning
Nuclear decommissioning
Nuclear decommissioning is the dismantling of a nuclear power plant and decontamination of the site to a state no longer requiring protection from radiation for the general public...
of the submarine refit and allied facilities - Project RD83 - began pre-planning. The project was funded by MoD, in accordance with the contractual agreement in place following the sale of the dockyard, but management and sub-contracting is the responsibility of the dockyard owner, Babcock Engineering Services , a member of the Babcock International Group. The main decommissioning sub-contractor is Edmund Nuttall, and work began in 2006. It is expected to complete in 2010, when most of the areas occupied by the submarine refit facilities will have been returned to brownfield status and be ready for redevelopment. The dockyard is the site for final assembly of the two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy's which are the outcome of the Royal Navy's CVF (future carrier) project.
The fifteenth century Rosyth Castle
Rosyth Castle
Rosyth Castle is a fifteenth century ruined tower house on the perimeter of Rosyth Naval Dockyard, Fife, Scotland.It originally stood on a small island in the Firth of Forth accessible only at low tide, and dates from around 1450, built as a secure residence by Sir David Stewart, who had been...
stands on the perimeter of the dockyard complex, at the entry to the ferry terminal and was once surrounded by the Firth of Forth on almost all sides, until land reclamation by the docks in the early 1900s.
Ferry to Zeebrugge
Since 2002 an overnight ferryFerry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service has linked Rosyth with Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.-Location:...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. This service was discontinued by Superfast Ferries
Superfast Ferries
Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopulos. Superfast Ferries is a member of Attica Group and operates 5 ultra-modern car-passenger ferries, offering daily connections between Ancona and Bari and Patras and Igoumenitsa...
in September 2008, but recommenced in May 2009 under the new operator Norfolkline
Norfolkline
Norfolkline was a European ferry operator and logistics company owned by Maersk. It provided freight ferry services on the English channel, Irish Sea, and the North Sea; and passenger ferry services on the English channel and Irish Sea; and logistics services across Europe...
. The service ran three sailings a week in both directions.
As of 1 January 2011, Norfolkline (now DFDS) now runs four freight-only sailings a week in each direction. They now have two ships running the eight sailings a week.
Redevelopment
Scottish Enterprise Fife is now working in partnership with various private sector organisations to explore the future development of Rosyth. The agency is looking at ways to expand the ferry services to other European and domestic ports. It also wants to help create new business infrastructure in and around Rosyth – which in turn will bring economic benefits to FifeFife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
and beyond.
Three areas around the port of Rosyth are being developed:
Surplus land and buildings owned by engineering giant Babcock, which operates the naval dockyard, is being offered to external companies.
The main dock area – operated by Forth Ports – is ripe. Since opening in 1997, the port has seen rising timber and cargo vessels use the facility. Its warehouse and logistics facilities make an ideal choice for exporters and importers.
A private developer owned site is being developed into an £80 million business park – called Rosyth Europarc. More than 13,000 square meters of office and hi-tech manufacturing have already been developed. Companies like Intelligent Finance and Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
are on site. To complement these developments, a new £8.4 million road is being built to provide an enhanced link to the nearby M90 motorway
M90 motorway
The M90 is a motorway in Scotland. It runs from Inverkeithing, at the north end of the Forth Road Bridge, to Perth, passing Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Kinross on the way...
. Work began on the new road early in 2006, and it was completed in spring 2007.
Local company Cameron Harris Design & Build are currently developing prestigious office pavilions to the North of Rosyth at Masterton and are about to bring to the market industrial premises at Admiralty Park, where they have previously constructed premises for IDS and also Acorn Pets. Cameron Harris have lodged planning permission for the next phase of works at Admiralty Park, Rosyth which will home up to 60 jobs, the first company to relocate there is a well established European company who will use Rosyth as their UK headquarters
Famous people
- Stevie Crawford, professional footballer; former Dunfermline and Scotland striker