Author : Alex F.Young ISBN : 9781840334821 Cover : paperback Price : £13.95
Bo'ness (or Borrowstounness to give it its full name) lies on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Fourth. Its past includes mining, heavy industry and a busy commercial port. In 1787 the poet Robert Burns described it as ‘A dirty ugly place’ but as a new century dawned, coal mining and the opening of a new dock brought prosperity and investment to the town which transformed it. Photographs of residents at work and leisure show a lively vibrant community. Today it is a pleasant commuter town and in common with many post industrial communities, has a certain faded grandeur. This extensive collection of photographs follows the town and its people through its many stages of development since the late 19th century and includes images of the wide range of architectural styles to be found in the town, as well as pictures of Bo'ness folk, such as a group of Pit Rescue Brigade workers in the early 20th century, Carriden Colliery staff in 1940, the 1938 Co-operative society social evening, officials and employees of the Electricity Works in 1905 and a wonderfully evocative shot of residents of old Beaton’s Vennel in the 19th century before it was demolished and became Market Street.