Editing Bo'ness (section)

==Culture==
[[File:Craigmailen Church, Bo'ness.jpg|thumb|Craigmailen Church, Braehead]]
[[File:St Catharine's, Bo'ness.jpg|thumb|St Catharine's Episcopal church]]
===Community and culture===
Bo'ness is now primarily a commuter town, with many of its residents travelling to work in [[Edinburgh]], [[Glasgow]] or [[Falkirk]]. Present-day attractions in the town include the [[Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway]], the Birkhill Fireclay Mine and the local motor museum. [[Kinneil House]], built by the powerful [[James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton|Hamilton]] family in the 15th century, lies on the western edge of the town. 

Bo'ness is also home to the recently refurbished [[Hippodrome Cinema, Bo'ness|Hippodrome Cinema]], which is the oldest picture house in Scotland. The building, along with many other buildings in Bo'ness, was designed by Matthew Steele, a local resident and architect. The Hippodrome was built in 1912. Some footage of it survives from 1950 during the Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival |url= http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/0336 |website=Moving Image Archive |publisher=Templar Film Studios |access-date=4 April 2017}}</ref> The Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival continues to this day, covered by [[Valley FM (Scotland)|Valley FM]], a local radio station that broadcasts for a limited number of days each year to cover the festival.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of The Fair |url= https://www.thefairday.com/history-of-the-fair/ |website=Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival |access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref>

Bo'ness also has their own theatre name The Barony Theatre, Bo'ness which was transformed into a theatre in the 20th Century, prior to this it was known as a primary school 'Borowstoun Primary'. Annually, their band of players 'The Barony Players' put on acclaimed plays such as The Steamie, Gregory's Girl, Dad's Army and The Crucible. They also host visiting companies who produce in their venue such as the annual pantomime which is always a sell out success.

The town's war memorial is on a hill overlooking the Forth on Stewart Avenue. The war memorial is in the form of a large [[granite]] [[obelisk]] and was unveiled on 12 July 1924, with later plaques added after the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland |num=LB49724 |desc=Stewart Avenue, War Memorial |access-date=26 April 2021 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/73100 |title=Bo'ness |work=[[War Memorials Register]] |publisher=[[Imperial War Museums]] |access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref> The town also has a commemorative [[clock]] and lantern, erected in 1985 through donations from the Linlithgow and Bo'ness [[Rotary Club]].<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland |num=LB49706 |desc=North Street, Clock and Lamp Standard |access-date=26 April 2021 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

The current Bo'ness library is in a restored early 18th century building (previously the West Pier Tavern) on Scotland Street.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.falkirk.gov.uk/places/libraries/boness-library.aspx |title=Bo'ness Library |publisher=Falkirk Council |access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref> The previous [[Carnegie library]] was in the Town Hall but moved to its current home in 1980 once conversions were completed.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland |num=LB22388 |desc=Scotland's Close, Bo'ness Public Library, Former OldWest Pier Tavern |access-date=26 April 2021 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

===Religion===

There are a number of churches, including Bo'ness Old Kirk, Carriden Parish Church, St Andrew's Parish Church, Craigmailen United Free Church, St. Catharine's Episcopal Church, Bo'ness Apostolic Church, Bo'ness Baptist Church, The Bo'ness Salvation Army and St. Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church. [[Albert Bogle (Moderator)|Rev Albert Bogle]], minister at the town's St Andrew's Church, was the [[Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]] for 2012 to 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15451869 |work=BBC News |title=Charity founder to be next Church of Scotland moderator |date=2011-10-25}}</ref> Craigmailen United Free Church is a [[Gothic Revival architecture|Victorian Gothic]] church constructed between 1883 and 1885 and designed by the architects McKissack & Rowan.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland |num=LB22334 |desc=Craigmailen United Free Church |access-date=25 April 2021|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref>{{Canmore |num=48142 |desc=Bo'ness, Braehead, Craigmailen United Free Church |access-date=25 April 2021 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref> Bo'ness Old Kirk is a Victorian church that was completed in the Corbiehall area of the town in 1888 and that replaced a much older church building.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.bokonline.org.uk/about-us/our-history/ |title=Our History |publisher=Bo'ness Old Kirk |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Canmore |num=48148 |desc=Bo'ness, Corbiehall, Panbrae Road, Old Kirk |access-date=26 April 2021 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

===Sport===
Bo'ness is home to the football club [[Bo'ness United F.C.|Bo'ness United]], and also to Bo'ness United Ladies and Bo'ness United Under 16s. A large fire damaged Bo'ness United's football ground in June 2019.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-48526545|title= Bo'ness football ground fire was 'suspicious' |date= 5 June 2019 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref> It was the home to [[Bo'ness F.C.]] until 1932.

Bo'ness Academy has a rugby team. Bo'ness RFC has had its first ever rugby club established in September 2011. Bo'ness Cycling Club was reformed in 2010 as Velo Sport Bo'ness. Jim Smellie was 11 times Scottish Cycling Champion, and some of the trophies collected over the years can be viewed at [[Kinneil House|Kinneil House Museum]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.s1boness.com/memories/boness-cycling-legend.html |title=Bo'ness Cycling Legend |work=s1 Bo'ness |last=Smillie |first=Derek |access-date=4 March 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110715220747/http://www.s1boness.com/memories/boness-cycling-legend.html |archive-date=15 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bo'ness has also played an important role in British motorsport. [[Hillclimbing in the British Isles|Hillclimb events]], including the first ever round of the [[British Hill Climb Championship]] and several thereafter,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://hillclimb.uk/venue/boness/ |title=Bo'ness Statistics |publisher=Hill Climb |access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref> were held on a [[Bo'ness Hill Climb|course on the Kinneil estate]] most years from 1932 until 1966. Since 2008, an annual Revival event for classic road-going and competition cars has been held on approximately the same course. [[Bo'ness Hill Climb]] is a [[Hillclimbing in the British Isles|hillclimbing]] course on the Kinneil Estate (site of the historic [[Kinneil House]]).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bonessrevival.co.uk/ |title=Home Page |publisher=Bo'ness Revival |access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref>

===Parks===
[[File:Douglas Park, Bo'ness.jpg|thumb|Douglas Park in Bo'ness looking west]]
Bo'ness has several community parks and recreation grounds. Douglas Park is one of the largest parks in Bo'ness, it has views looking across the [[River Forth]] and includes a children's play area, football fields and a pavilion.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.falkirk.gov.uk/places/parks-estates/douglas-park.aspx |title=Douglas Park |publisher=Falkirk Council |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref> The park was the site of a geophysics survey in 2020 that identified two prehistoric round barrows underneath the park.<ref>{{Canmore |num=367880 |desc=Douglas Park |access-date=25 April 2021 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref> Glebe Park is a small formal park in the town centre adjacent to Bo'ness Town Hall, with a [[Bandstand]] at its centre that was constructed in 1902 by the Walter McFarlane & Co Saracen Foundry and which is now on the [[Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland]].<ref>{{Canmore |num=48147 |desc=Bo'ness, School Brae, Glebe Park, Bandstand |access-date=25 April 2021 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/details/1089548 |title=Glebe Park Bandstand |publisher=Buildings at risk |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref>