North Berwick

For other uses, see North Berwick (disambiguation).

North Berwick
Scottish Gaelic: Bearaig-a-Tuath
Scots: Northbarrick, Northberwykecode: sco is deprecated
West Bay from the harbour
North Berwick  North Berwick shown within East Lothian
Population	6,605
OS grid reference	NT553852
Civil parish	North Berwick
Council area	East Lothian
Lieutenancy area	East Lothian
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	North Berwick
Postcode district	EH39
Dialling code	01620 89xxxx
Police	Scottish
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	East Lothian
Scottish Parliament	East Lothian
List of places UK Scotland

North Berwick (/nɔərθ ˈbɛrᵻk/; Scottish Gaelic: Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles (40 km) east north east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East (or Milsey) Bay and the West Bay, and continues to attract holiday makers to this day. Golf courses at the ends of each bay are open to visitors.

History

North Berwick East Bay

The name North Berwick means North 'barley farmstead' ('bere' in Old English means 'barley' and 'wic' in Old English is 'farmstead'). The word North was applied to distinguish this Berwick from Berwick-upon-Tweed, which throughout the Middle Ages the Scots called South Berwick. It was recorded as Northberwyk in 1250. On the south of North Berwick Law there is evidence of at least eighteen hut circles, rich middens and a field system dating from 2000 years ago.

A view east towards the town centre

The same view in winter

North Berwick Harbour was built in the 12th century, and for 500 years there was a ferry crossing to Earlsferry, near Elie in Fife. This was popular with pilgrims to St Andrews. This ferry was recently reinstated; during the summer a boat travels between North Berwick and Anstruther in Fife, in homage to the original ferry. Excavations have shown there was activity at the harbour area from as early as the 8th century, while the "Auld Kirk Green" at the harbour was used for gatherings by the accused in the North Berwick Witch Trials. Legend has it that "Satan himself" attended a ritual there in 1590, although it is more likely that Satan was "played" by Francis Stewart Hepburn, 5th Earl of Bothwell. During the 16th century at least 70 people were implicated in the Witch Trials, and the events inspired works such as Burns' "Tam o' Shanter" and "The Thirteenth Member" by Mollie Hunter. One of the most famous Witch trials at North Berwick was of the woman named Agnes Sampson. She was accused of making a potion to make the storms rough as King James VI of Scotland was sailing home from Denmark with his new wife, Anne of Denmark. The trial took place in 1591 and King James was there himself. Sampson was tortured to confess and then burned at the stake, like many other innocent people.

Harbour at low tide

English invaders in the Middle Ages led to the construction of nearby Tantallon Castle, and St Mary's Priory, nunnery, was built at North Berwick. The late 19th century saw North Berwick develop golfing and holiday facilities.

The size and population of the town remained fairly steady until the 1970s, at which point housebuilding began in earnest around the periphery of the town, first to the south (1950s–70s), then a series of major expansions to the west (1980s-present) along the line of the railway. There is talk of further developments focussing on "affordable housing" on the south side of the town. While the population might not have truly "exploded", house prices have. North Berwick consistently appears at the top of national house price surveys, and like-for-like prices are comparable to Edinburgh. North Berwick was listed as the most expensive seaside town in Scotland in 2006, and was second to St. Andrews in 2009.

Islands

File:NBharbour.JPG

Harbour and Craigleith

Several of the Islands of the Forth are near the town and visible from it: e.g. Fidra, The Lamb, Craigleith, and Bass Rock; the latter hosts a thriving colony of birds, including puffins, gannets, and other seabirds. The Bass Rock appears white, but this is due largely to the gannets and their guano that cover much of its surface. The seabirds themselves can be observed at close range through remote cameras operated from the recently developed Scottish Seabird Centre near the harbour.

Attractions

File:NBHighTide.JPG

A "spring" tide, West Bay

West Bay front North Berwick

• Boat trips to the Bass Rock, Fidra and other islands.
• Scottish Seabird Centre – Visitor centre about seabirds found on Bass Rock and elsewhere.
• North Berwick Law – A 613-foot (187 m) volcanic hill which rises above the town, with a Napoleonic era signal station. The whale's jawbone "arch" at the summit collapsed in June 2005, and was eventually replaced by a fibreglass replica in June 2008.
  

  North Berwick Law seen from the seafront of North Berwick
• Beaches – One of North Berwick's main attractions, the beaches have golden sands and rocks, and a tide-filled boating pond/paddling pool on the East Sands.
• Seacliff. Just to the east of the town, an entry fee is charged at this private and largely unspoilt beach and estate.
• Golf – There are two golf courses in the town, the West Links and the Glen, or East Links, and numerous others in the surrounding area. There are also two 18-hole putting greens and a Golfing Heritage Trail to follow through the town.
• Tennis – Venue for the annual East Lothian Open Tennis Tournament.
• The East Lothian Yacht Club hosts many national and international sailing events.
• The John Muir Way, the East Lothian coastal path, passes through the town.
• Tantallon Castle, a mostly ruined 14th-century fortress in the care of Historic Scotland, is 3 miles (5 km) east of North Berwick.
• The Fringe by the Sea aims to be the best small scale, multi artform festival in Scotland, during one week in August.

Transport

The town is served by North Berwick railway station. The North Berwick Line has provided a rail link with Edinburgh since the 19th century and the line, now operated by First ScotRail, is still the principal transit link between the town and the capital. The service takes 33 minutes and runs hourly with extra trains during peak commuting periods and on Saturdays. Combination rail-and-entry tickets for the Scottish Seabird Centre are available. There is occasional service through to Glasgow Central station on weekdays although anyone heading for central Glasgow is advised to switch to the Edinburgh – Glasgow Queen St. service. First has a monopoly on public transport between North Berwick and Edinburgh as they also operate the bus route which has a similar frequency and a journey time of about 90 minutes. Edinburgh is the nearest airport, approximately a 45-minute drive or around 80 minutes by public transport.

Within the town there is a half-hourly bus service which runs on a loop from the High Street (Church St. bus stop) to Tesco and back before continuing on to Edinburgh. There is also a seasonal park-and-ride and local services to Haddington, Dunbar and attractions such as the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune.

Literary links

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894), spent many holidays in the town as a child and young man. His father, Thomas Stevenson the famous engineer and lighthouse builder took his family to stay in various locations in the town. The island of Fidra is said to be the original inspiration for Treasure Island, and much of his novel Catriona (the sequel to Kidnapped) is set locally.

The Scottish author William Dalrymple (born 1965), whose work primarily focuses on British India, has roots in the town, with his family having once owned much of the area. William's father Sir Hew Hamilton-Dalrymple is the current and 10th Baronet of North Berwick. William is the youngest of four brothers.

Notable people

• Willie Anderson, golfer, four times U.S. Open Golf Champion, 1901, 1903–05
• William Anderson,(1750–1778), naturalist, who sailed with James Cook.
• Francis Chalmers Crawford FRSE (1851-1908), botanist
• Hew Dalrymple, Lord North Berwick, Lord President of the Court of Session
• David Huish, golfer with several wins on the European Seniors Tour, who once led The Open Championship at the halfway stage
• Charles Dundas Lawrie, (1923–1976), British golfer and golf course architect. Captain of the Walker Cup team in 1961 & 1963. Chairman of the R&A Championship Committee and Selection Committee. Designer of the Duke's and Duchess' courses at Woburn Golf Club.
• Catriona Matthew, golfer with 7 professional victories, including the Women's British Open in 2009, and 5 Solheim Cup appearances
• Ben Sayers, golfer, golf course architect and golf club manufacturer; a statue of Sayers which used to stand outside the Ben Sayers & Son factory is now on Beach Road, near the Tantallon Golf Club. The factory has been turned into a youth facility called theSPACE.
• Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer, (1850-1935), Professor of Physiology at the University of Edinburgh from 1899 to 1933, and Emeritus Professor from 1933 until his death, commissioned the Scottish architect Robert Lorimer to design a substantial family house at North Berwick where he resided until his death.
• Edward Peter Sharpey-Schafer, (1908-1963), grandson of Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer, and Professor of Medicine at St Thomas' Hospital, London, from 1948 to 1963, was born in North Berwick.
• Alec Edmans, graduate of North Berwick High School

Twin town

Since 1999 North Berwick has been twinned with Kerteminde, Denmark.

See also

• List of places in East Lothian
• John Muir Way
• North Berwick Lifeboat Station

References

• Town History

External links

• North Berwick travel guide from Wikivoyage
• North Berwick website