Last Friday morning started cold, wet and miserable with a light fluttering of snow.
It did not hold any promise whatsoever and I was not sure if I would actually get the walk I had planned. However, plans sometimes need changing. Therefore, instead of the walk from home to the town of Linlithgow, I decided that I would walk around Linlithgow.
For anyone that does not know Linlithgow and I am sure there are many outside of and maybe some in Scotland, The Royal Burgh of Linlithgow dates back to medieval times and has a good mix of architecture and styles when it comes to buildings. It was heavily redeveloped between the 1950s and the 1960s, but it retains a lot of the charm it use to have. You could say it was a mini version of Edinburgh. It has no castle, but it does have a small loch and a Royal Palace.
It has a main street with some very narrow and sometimes tall buildings. There are a number of alleyways leading off the street into back gardens of joy and wonder and colour, most of these are private but the main one, which is open to the public is the town museum, Annet House, which I will talk about later.
Rather than walking to Linlithgow and getting wetter than I needed to, I drove and parked near the Loch. I then walked the short distance to the Palace to begin the walk to the West Port area and back. It’s not a massive journey, but it is a rather enjoyable one.
I parked my car in the car park near the loch. As I got out, there was a fine rain that threatened to turn into a heavier fall as the day went on. I walked to the water’s edge and watched as people threw bread towards the swans and the ducks. You’re not supposed to feed them, but it doesn’t stop people from doing it. I made my way towards the Palace in order to follow one of the historic routes through the town.
If you go to the palace just take a moment to enjoy the view. Even when it’s cold, wet and miserable. I didn’t go into the palace, that wasn’t the point of the day, but I did admire it. I always do. As you leave the grounds of the palace, you walk through the “Kirkgate” of St. Michaels Parish Church. The road is inclined, but not too steeply and leads down to the main street. Before this I passed by the Burgh Hall, which has been recently renovated. This was built in 1668-70 by John Smith, reputedly based on original designs by John Mylne, Master Mason to Charles I and Charles II.
As you I walked down the road towards the main street I always look at the plaques that list the line of kings and queens of Scotland and Great Britain staring with Mary, Queen of Scots and ending with Elizabeth the Second.
If you have very keen eyes, you may remember this scene from the BBC Television historical legal drama Garrow’s Law starring Andrew Buchan and Alun Armstrong. Some of the buildings doubled for parts of Georgian London and the palace doubled for a prison. I was actually there when they completed certain scenes and it was strange to watch it back later. My wife actually got an apple from one of the prop people. The apple was real by the way. No stunt apples on that day.
At the bottom of the road is the old town well, now no longer in use but spectacular artisanship from the stonemasons who made it. The main street is modern and at after passing a couple of shops I turn to my right, cross the main road and head along the main street.
On my left hand side, I pass the County Buildings, next to this the old sheriff court. The main sheriff court for the region has now moved to the new town of Livingston.
The weather turned slightly worse as I walked, but my heavy jacket, gloves and woolly hat keep out some of the cold.
The houses and some of the shops on this side of the road are nice. Some of the houses have were renovated but some still have their 18th and 19th century façades. I try to avoid the 20th century ones, due to their lack of class, but it’s not easy.
Not far along the road is the local museum Annet House, originally an 18th-century merchant’s house. If you’re ever in Linlithgow I would recommend it. It’s a great look back into the town’s history and it’s free. Another great thing about Annet House is the decorative garden at the rear of the building. The title deeds of this building date back to 1610. Let’s face it, that’s actually older than some countries.
Again, not far along the street is St Peter’s Episcopal Church built in 1928. Churches have a great look about them. Old ones that is, modern ones just do not do it for me. It’s rather narrow in appearance, but nice to look at. This was designed by Dick, Peddie and Todd in a Byzantine style, this architectural treasure of 1928 is tucked behind the tenement façades on the right. It looks slightly out of place, but that makes it even more interesting to look at.
West Port House was on my left and can be seen above a retaining wall created when the road was lowered two centuries years ago. It’s a laird’s (lord of the manor) house dating from 1600, and was built by the Hamilton family. The Hamilton’s were very well connected and owned many houses in many different parts of the country.
I had now reached my turn around point. I kept walking, getting very damp due to the rain. I was enjoying myself, but was now heading back. My in-bound journey was a repeat of the out-bound journey, so I pulled my woolly hat down, zipped my jacket tighter and stuffed my hands into pockets.
I hope I’ve managed to make the walk sound interesting. Maybe on my next day off I’ll try and do something else.
Until then, I bid you farewell.
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