Bennie Museum

17/09/2020

We are open again so why not pay us a visit.

16/09/2020

Exhibition of Ian Hossack's Collection of Goss porcelain with Bathgate Crest.

07/03/2020

Coffee Morning

We had a very successful coffee morning on Saturday 22nd February raising in excess of £1100 .Our thanks to all attendees and contributors and in particular to Mrs M Ferrie and her team of helpers who ensured everything went smoothly.

16/01/2020

Christmas Quiz

Here are the answers to Museum Christmas Quiz
There were two winners Lyn Waugh and another who wishes to remain anonymous .
Many thanks to those who participated .
1-Silent night 2-Jingle Bells 3-Fairy 4-9 Ladies Dancing
5-Boxing Day 6-Star 7-Turkey 8-Mistletoe
9-Three wise Men 10-Mince Pies 11- Robin
12-Reindeer 13-Carols 14-Noel 15-Inn 16-Snowmen
17-Three Kings 18-Hamper 19-North Pole 20-Midnight Mass
21-Glad Tidings 22-Crackers 23-Decorations 24-Party Hat
25-Carol Service.

24/12/2019

Please note that the museum will be closed on Monday 23rd Tuesday 24th ,Wednesday 25th,Thursday 26th for Christmas and Monday 30th ,Tuesday31st, Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd January for NewYear holidays.
Additionally we will be closed from Monday 6th January reopening on Monday 13th Januuary for essential Maintenance work.

16/02/2019

Please note Museum Lecture venue is Masonic Lodge ,Jarvey Street ,Bathgate

07/02/2019

Please Note that the Museum will be closed for Maintenance work from Monday 11th February until Thursday 14th February 2019

20/01/2019

Please note that the Museum will be closed for maintenance from Monday 11th February until Thursday 14th February 2019

09/01/2019

11.ch

ANSWERS TO THE MUSEUM FISH QUIZ
Thanks to everyone who took part

1. Cod
2. Lemon Sole
3. Herring
4. Salmon
5. Pike
6. Barracuda
7. Sea Bass
8. Brill
9. Trout
10.Turbot
11.Chinook Salmon
12.Dogfish
13.Eel
14.Haddock
15.Perch
16.Lamprey
17.Flounder
18.Piranha
19.Razor fish
20.Sturgeon
21.Red Snapper
22.Whiting
23.Mullet
24.Minnow
25.Carp

Congratulations to Anne Ballantyne who had the first all correct version opened on 22nd December and won £10.

02/12/2018

Details of Bathgate 1st World War Casualties

03/05/2018

Please note Museum will be closed for one day on Tuesday 8th May 2018 for refurbishment

08/08/2017

The museum is hosting an exhibition of artwork by the Bathgate based Simpson Art Group. A variety of work has been produced on the theme "West Lothian's Heritage" - A wide range of drawings and paintings of various historic buildings and landmarks from around West Lothian.

The exhibition will open at 12 noon on Saturday 19th August and will be open from Monday 21st August to Friday 25th August - 11am to 4pm in the "The Stables" in the courtyard behind the Museum

Some of the artwork will also be displayed in the main museum building. Come and visit to get a glimpse into Bathgate's past

02/06/2017

The Bennie Museum is open on Procession Day - 3rd June. Display of Procession Street Arches and Procession programmes

02/06/2017

Academy Procession, Newland's Day, Bathgate Procession and John Newland Festival....... since 1844 Bathgate has celebrated Newland's gift to Bathgate to build .... " a free school in the Parish of Bathgate" (fees were charged until 1889!!). The 2017 Procession is the 159th. Small selection of Street Arches.....

18/05/2017

Bathgate - Then and Now

Bathgate Procession magazines/programmes down through the years - Part 2

1986, 1996, 2006 and 2016

18/05/2017

Bathgate - Then and Now

Bathgate Procession magazines/programmes down through the years - you had to buy them until the mid 1980s since when delivered to your door free of charge! The 1919 programme cost one penny(old money!!) - the 1976 edition cost 20p(new money!!)

21/02/2017

Bennie Museum Annual Lecture

Salvesen, the Bathgate Connection and the Whales.
Find out the past connection between Bathgate and whale oil production in the Antarctic.

Speaker: Eric Rigg

Wednesday 1st March 2017 7.30 p.m.

This is a free event, but donations will be welcome.
Bennie Museum, Mansefield Street, Bathgate EH48 4HU
01506 634944

15/07/2016

Bathgate - Then and Now

There is one particular surviving - temporary!! - building at Bangour ( are there more?) which is a direct connection to Bangour's specific role as the Edinburgh War Hospital during the Great War - the library building.

A number of temporary timber buildings were erected to serve the war hospital and this building served as the Post Office. When the hospital re-opened as a mental institution in 1922, it was bought from the War Office( with other temporary buildings) and converted to serve as the library for the hospital (The Bangour Story -W F Hendrie and D A D MacLeod - page 37) .

A number of the Bangour buildings are listed - a total of 33 buildings are listed on the Buildings at Risk register( 15 buildings are listed - another 18 are not).- here is the entry for the Library/ Post Office:-
http://www.buildingsatrisk.org.uk/search/keyword/bangour/p/1/event_id/960259/building_name/bangour-village-hospital-library-bangour-village-dechmont

As far as I am aware the old Post Office building will be demolished if the hospital site is developed for residential housing - indeed the planning application includes possible demolition of several of the listed buildings.

Should the Post Office be saved and restored?

30/06/2016

Thiepval Memorial - 72,246 names of the missing from the Battle of the Somme

30/06/2016

On the 1st of July 100 years ago saw the start of the Battle of the Somme - it ended on 18th November - 141 days later. The 1st of July 1916 has gone down in history as the bloodiest day in British military history - nearly 60,000 casualties of whom over 19,000 lost their lives.

During the battle, 34 men from Bathgate lost their lives - 24 have no known grave and are remembered on Thiepval Memorial.

The Bennie Museum remembers with honour those 34 men.

Here is film footage from the Somme compiled for the 90th anniversary of the battle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tv5gBa9DQs

The tune "Battle of the Somme" composed by Pipe Major William Lawrie of the 8th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders - here played by Fairport Convention featuring, on fiddle, Dave Swarbrick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnfR31rKj2o

07/06/2016

Bathgate Procession and John Newland Festival 2016

Bennie Museum - First in Decorated Vehicles Class 2 - winner of the Andy Binning Trophy

Figures of Bathgate's 5 claims to global fame - James "Paraffin" Young, Sir James Young Simpson, Eric Brown, Bernard Gallacher and Princess Marjory & Walter, Lord High Steward

19/03/2016

Easter at the Bennie
Museum of Childhood

20/02/2016

Edinburgh War Hospital - Bangour Village was taken over by the War Department for the purposes of a military hospital - the early capacity was 1,350 beds.
On the 12th June 1915, the first ambulance train steamed into Bangour Station carrying 100 casualties directly from the dockside at Southampton.
Throughout the 4 years of the war hospital the patients were conveyed to the wards by a fleet of ambulances provided by the transport department of the Edinburgh branch of the British Red Cross Society assisted by contingents from the Bathgate, Broxburn and Uphall members of the Society.
By the autumn of 1918 the number of patients had reached 3,036. The capacity was increased by erecting marquees next to the existing wards within the hospital and a Camp hospital for 1,000 patients erected in the field to the west of Bangour Farm steading.

Bangour War Hospital finally closed on 31st December 1921

Source: The Bangour Story by W.F. Hendrie and D.A.D.Macleod 1991

14/02/2016

Bennie Museum Lecture 2016
at the museum on Thursday 25th February 2016 at 7.30pm

Sybil Cavanagh's talk: Bangour War Hospital, 1915-1921

Will also include slides of Hopetoun House and Polkemmet House - Red Cross Auxiliary Hospitals during the Great War

03/10/2015

The Bennie Museum has a 3 star award from VisitScotland

30/09/2015

The museum will be closed on Friday 2nd October 2015 for staff training. Open as usual on Saturday 3rd October.

16/07/2015

In 1979, the cottages at 9-11 Mansefield Street were destined for demolition to widen the road but salvation was at hand...........Bill Millan suggested that the building - stone built with pantile roof - could house a museum of Bathgate history. Bathgate Community Council was asked to consider supporting a project to create a community museum and its "Mansefield Street Project" was born. Bill Millan was co-opted by the community council to manage the project. George Bennie, owner of the building, agreed to transfer ownership to Bathgate Community Council to create a museum and meeting place. Sadly, before this could be done, George died - his wife Elizabeth completed the transfer on 3rd March 1981. The following pictures demonstrate the huge task that lay ahead to fulfil Bill's vision.

15/07/2015

The Bennie Museum opened to the public on Saturday 20th May 1989 and was officially opened by Kathleen Dalyell on 19th May 1990 - first photo was taken in 1980 and the second on opening day 1989. Coming soon!! How we got from 1980 to 1989 - in pictures.

26/10/2013

The Bennie Museum Lecture will take place on 19 November 2013 in the museum building and will be given by Sybil Cavanagh on Mansions of West Lothian and what became of them

20/10/2013

Bennie Museum's cover photo

19/10/2013

The recent word quiz on birds was won by a lady from the Curves Studio Bathgate

19/10/2013

The museum has set up a Museum of Childhood in the Stables Annex.

19/10/2013

Bennie Museum