North Berwick, E Lothian - Yachting - Whiteholme postcard c.1970s

• Postcard

   

• Picture / Image:  Yachting at North Berwick [East Lothian]
• Publisher: Whiteholme 'Hail Caledonia' 
• Postally used: yes
• Stamp:  17p Machin
• Postmark(s): Edinburgh [date unclear]
• Sent to:  Bournemouth
• Notes / condition: 

Please ask if you need any other information and I will do the best I can to answer.

Image may be low res for illustrative purposes - if you need a higher definition image then please contact me and I may be able to send one. No cards have been trimmed (unless stated).

------------------------------------------------

Postage & Packing:

Postage and packing charge should be showing for your location (contact if not sure).

No additional charges for more than one postcard. You can buy as many postcards from me as you like and you will just pay the fee above once. Please wait for combined invoice. (If buying postcards with other things such as books, please contact or wait for invoice before paying).

Payment Methods:

UK - PayPal, Cheque (from UK bank) or postal order

Outside UK: PayPal ONLY (unless otherwise stated) please.   NO non-UK currency checks or money orders (sorry).

NOTE: All postcards are sent in brand new stiffened envelopes which I have bought for the task. These are specially made to protect postcards and you may be able to re-use them. In addition there are other costs to sending so the above charge is not just for the stamp!

I will give a full refund if you are not fully satisfied with the postcard.

----------------------------------------------

Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

*************

North Berwick (/ˈbɛrɪk/; Scottish Gaelic: Bearaig a Tuath)[1] 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 20 miles (32 km) east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the nineteenth century because of its two sandy bays, the East (or Milsey) Bay and the West Bay, and continues to attract holidaymakers. Golf courses at the ends of each bay are open to visitors.

The name Berwick means "barley farmstead" (bere in Old English means "barley" and wic means "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 18 hut circles, rich middens and a field system dating from 2,000 years ago.

Excavations have shown that from as early as the eighth century, a ferry crossing to Earlsferry, near Elie in Fife was in existence, serving pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Saint Andrew.[2] North Berwick Harbour was built in the twelfth century to meet the demands made of the existing ferry trade. This ferry was recently reinstated; during the summer, a boat travels between North Berwick and Anstruther in Fife, in homage to the original ferry.

Around 1150, Duncan, Earl of Fife of the Clan MacDuff[3] founded an influential Cistercian nunnery (whose power continued until the Scottish Reformation, and its dissolution in 1588). Duncan's family shortly afterwards, at the start of the thirteenth century built North Berwick Castle[4] erecting a wooden motte and bailey on the site of what is now Castle Hill in the East end of the town at the start of Tantallon Terrace. This castle was attacked and held by the Earl of Pembroke around 1306; the English abandoned it by 1314, during the aftermath of the Battle of Bannockburn. In the late-fourteenth century, the Lauder family (owners of the Bass Rock castle) erected a stone tower with a barmkin on the site; however they abandoned it by 1420 in favour of the Bass, possibly as a result of conflict with the then owners of nearby Tantallon Castle.

In the fourteenth century, the town became a baronial burgh under William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, who then built nearby Tantallon Castle to consolidate his power.

Later during the fifteenth century, the town became a royal burgh in the reign of James I of Scotland.

The "Auld Kirk Green" at the harbour was used for gatherings by the accused in the North Berwick Witch Trials (1590–92). 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 sixteenth 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 a 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 himself, was present. Sampson was tortured to confess and then burned at the stake, like many other innocent people.

Whaling in the eighteenth century. Local lore, place names, and the jawbone arch atop the Law erected in 1709,[5] suggest that the port was involved in the whaling industry though there is little written evidence left to prove it. In any event it would have been overshadowed by nearby Leith.[6] Certainly whales have been known to have washed ashore here; regularly over the years, even in recent times.[7]

Despite the railway arriving in 1850, the Industrial Revolution bypassed the town. The late-nineteenth century saw North Berwick develop golfing and holiday facilities. The town soon became popular as a home for Edinburgh commuters and retirees.

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.[8][9]