Bo'ness
Bo'ness is a thriving small town nestled on the Firth of Forth. With a population of nearly 14,000, residents have seen an ongoing transformation of the town in recent years. Until the last decade, Bo'ness had suffered a prolonged lack of investment due to the loss of traditional industries and the closure of its harbour and railway. It had many historic and listed buildings of architectural merit that unfortunately were in need of repair, but the cost of converting or renovating them was too great for developers.
However, using funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund's (HLF) Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) the town has been transformed. The centrepiece is the Hippodrome| Cinema, Scotland's first purpose built cinema dating back to 1912, which had been rundown and lain empty for many years before being lovingly restored back to its pre-art deco style. It re-opened to great acclaim in 2009 and now screens a mix of classics and the latest releases.
The re-opening of the Hippodrome, along with the restoration of several other buildings in the town, has rejuvenated the local economy. Two new restaurants have opened, which, combined with the cinema, provide local people with the opportunity to use their town centre by night as well as day. Several new shops and businesses have been started in the restored buildings.
New paving stones, benches, information panels and signage have also been installed in the town, making Bo'ness altogether more attractive to visitors as well as residents. The Bo'ness and Kinneil steam railway re-opened in 1981 and currently attracts 70,000 visitors per year to the town. Until recently visitors would head to the railway then go straight home but now the town is an attractive place for them to visit.
A new, larger town square has been created which provides a fantastic location for the many events (PDF, 478KB)| held in the town, including the Victorian Street Fair, Bo'ness Children's Fair, Farmers markets and Christmas lights switch on.