Club Meeting

The speaker at the virtual meeting of the Rotary Club of South Queensferry on 13th May was club member Norman Watson. His subject was 'Rambling about Philpstoun'. Lying on the Union Canal between the A904 and the B9080, Philpstoun, which has sometimes been spelt Phillipstown, Philpston or Philipstone, is a now rural village set in agricultural land, but it was once very industrial with one of Scotland's shale oil refineries situated between the village and the Union Canal. Norman and Sheena moved there several years ago and his well-illustrated talk described walks they did round the area during lockdown and some of the curious and historic places they encountered.  Philpstoun House was built in 1676 for John Dundas. It lies two miles from the village. Travel links from Edinburgh to Glasgow pass through the area. The Union Canal, completed in 1822, passes close to the village. It was reinstated for navigation in 2000. The railway once had sidings into the refinery and the M9 motorway was completed in 1974.  Norman and Sheena have four favourite walks from which they can see historic places such as Castleport House and Champfleurie and remnants of the intriguing industrial past. James Ross & Co, which subsequently became Scottish Oils, operated Philpstoun Crude Oil Works until its closure in 1936. It provided a community centre and a bowling green for the village. The company's concern for the housing and welfare of its employees resembled a miniature version of New Lanark. Ross Petrol was sold across central Scotland from a base in Linlithgow.  There are a few old school and farm buildings which have been turned into flats and dwellings. The cottages at Pardovan were originally built for ex-servicemen and the former shale-miners' cottages in the area have been refurbished and modernised and are much sought after. The village church is now a residential home. Philpstoun also has tourist and sporting facilities nearby. These include the  historic House of The Binns, Blackness Castle, Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow Canal Centre, Parkley Craigs and Fisheries, Kingsfield Golf Club and the Park Bistro.

In proposing the vote of thanks, Jim McCulloch thanked Norman for his talk which mixed information, history, commentary and humour.