History of Blackburn

06/09/2026

05/09/2026

1974 Blackburn Academy with a little help enhancing the photo. Opened 1972 closed 1992. Open for only 20 years then closed, flattened and sold for housing. Another scandalous decision against Blackburn.

03/09/2026

We have a brilliant piece to share today (ps article we posted a year or two ago but i thought it had to be put with this incredible life story again )

Thanks to William's great granddaughter Caroline McIntosh & family. They have very kindly donated one of William Hannah's melodeon accordion to Blackburn Museum (hopefully we will have it opened before year end). An absolutely fantastic and kind gesture from Caroline. The instrument was made between 1898 - 1905 so makes it over 120 years old and this would have been what William learned / practiced with.

William Hannah (1891–1961)

𝑨 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄, 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚.

William Hannah was born in 1891 in our mining village of Blackburn, West Lothian. He began on the mouth organ, showing an early talent that would grow into a lifelong passion. By the end of the First World War, during which he served with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Hannah had moved on to the melodeon, quickly establishing himself as one of Scotland’s foremost players.

His contribution to Scottish music was immense. By the early 1920s, he had become a prolific recording artist, producing twelve sides for the Winner label in 1920, more for Waverley around 1924, and numerous recordings for Parlophone, Broadcast, and Regal Zonophone between 1925 and 1945. He also published a tutor and collection of tunes for the button accordion around 1925, passing on his skill and style to a new generation of players. On one occasion, Hannah rode all the way to London on his motorcycle, his melodeon strapped securely to his back, to make a recording for Parlophone, an adventurous journey later mirrored by Jimmy Shand, who also had a love of fast motorcycles.

Hannah was not only a soloist but also a celebrated band leader. He often performed with fiddler Paddy Cadden or led his own dance band, filling halls with reels, jigs, and strathspeys. Hannah became a radio star as well. He was a regular on the BBC during the 1930’s, either solo or with his dance band. His lively performances influenced players across Scotland and Ireland and significantly contributed to the development of Jimmy Shand’s style, long before Shand achieved national fame. Through his recordings and public performances, Hannah helped secure the melodeon and button accordion as central instruments in Scottish traditional music.

Just as his music filled dance halls with life, war would soon demand his courage again.

During the Second World War, Hannah once again served his country, rising to the rank of lieutenant in the West Lothian Home Guard. He became known not just for his leadership, but for his remarkable courage.

Lieut. Hannah was in charge of bombing practice at Lochcote on 6th December 1942, live gr***des were being fired from the discharger cup of the r***e when, from some cause or other, a gr***de travelled only a very short distance after leaving the r***e. There were about 50 men in the immediate vicinity and Lieut. Hannah with great presence of mind and a total disregard of personal risk, ran forward and picked up the gr***de and threw it over a nearby wall, where the gr***de exploded.

A week later, Lieut. Hannah met with a serious accident during his Home Guard Duties. On this occasion the throwing of light bombs was being practised and Lieut Hannah went out to investigate a “blind”. Unfortunately, the bomb exploded. As a result, he sustained injuries to the face, leg and hand. He was removed to Bangour Hospital where he underwent treatment for about two months.

For his bravery, he was awarded a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1944.

Outside of music and military service, Hannah was deeply committed to his community. He served as Inspector of Postmen at Bathgate Post Office until his retirement in 1958, he received the imperial service medal. The medal was presented to him by Mr R. P. Gray Head Postmaster, at an assembly of the staff in the Bathgate Post Office where he had been employed for 21 years. Prior to working in Bathgate, Hannah was a postman at Stoneyburn.

William Hannah passed away in 1961 at Carron, Stirlingshire. He was more than a musician; he was a hero. From the dance halls of Scotland to the perilous days of the Home Guard, he inspired through his music and protected through his courage. By saving lives, earning the MBE, and shaping the sound of Scottish traditional music, he left a legacy that Blackburn, and all of Scotland, can be proud of. His talent, bravery, and selflessness ensure that his name will never be forgotten.

29/08/2026

A taster of what will be my own book about my life growing up in Blackburn through the 1970's and 1980's. This book was started in 1994 and was part of my work that got put up the loft. Think i am ready for people to read it now 30+ have passed.

Ladeside Avenue 1970s

As a fairly big family of six kids, mum and dad moved from Tullibody, near Alloa to Blackburn to work in British Leyland probably around 1971 / 72. My childhood years of the 1970s were spent growing up in Ladeside Avenue. We lived in one of the top flats at the highest side of the block of flats that went down the hill - opposite our flats were a row of houses that also ran down the hill, these houses were known as the police houses.

Yes we lived straight across the road from multiple policemen, I mean who in their right mind would stick all the coppers into a single row of houses?...... then put my family straight across the road from them. Madness I tell you, utter madness, and chaos just waiting to happen.
To be honest our entire childhood was unstructured madness and chaos.
Saying all that, one of the coppers kids used to hang out with us. We would hang out everyday playing all different games, I was welcomed into their house and everything was well.
He had this massive wooden fort with loads of toy soldiers, well cavalry and Indians. We spent hours almost every day playing with his fort and soldiers. We would also spend ages playing with my Tonka truck and digger either at the side of his house or in one of the brick planters that were out the back of our flat. We even pitched his army tent and spent hours playing soldiers. He watched football in my house and I in his house.
Basically what you would call your best mate, and his family thought of me as a good friend to their son. This was until we were out robbing rhubarb from a garden on West Main Street, as kids did back then.
I know it wasn’t my idea to go stealing rhubarb but if you fly with the crows and all that.
Anyway to get to the rhubarb there was an element of danger involved. First after leaving Ladside and heading around the corner onto Riddochhill road, take a right turn that sends you onto the road and then onto Old Blackburn Bridge at Mill Road where the cotton Mill once stood in the 19th century. So the first act of danger was to cross the bridge, not on top but across the pipe that still runs the full length of the bridge ( I still don’t know what this pipe is for? )
It’s still there today. Most days it is ok to cross this way, as long as the pipe is dry. If wet that made the pipe extremely slippy so the danger level would go up. Once you navigate this you then have the task of crossing the Main street along the west end. Now this was a hit and miss as traffic could be horrendous or hardly any.
Timing was crucial at this point. Once safely across you then had the steep climb down the side of the single arch bridge.
Again, how the weather had been could dictate whether you made it safely down the steep embankment. One slip and you could go one of two ways, Into the River Almond or the nettles. The nettles were the last thing you wanted to land in, stingy little sh*ts. So there we are safely through all the danger just to get there. We still had the task of getting into the garden that stocked the rhubarb.

This was done in no more than 10/15 seconds.
1. The guy was quick!
2. He had a big dog!
So there we were, grabbing the treasure and jumping back over his fence and then we made for the steep embankment to take us back up to the main street. Then came the barking followed by a few swear words from the guy in his garden.
As we climbed back up the verge to the main bridge to cross the road, all of a sudden I felt this hand grab me and pulled me back.
It was Robert shouting “ Run he’s coming “ As I went flying backwards, yet there was Robert at the top of the verge already. Next thing I remember was hearing the screeching of a car breaking, then a thud! By the time I got to the top of the verge there was Robert lying on the road with this small yellow van next to him. Some guy was shouting ya f*cking idiot. Me, i just stood staring at Robert who by this point was moving a bit.

Thank god he’s not dead I thought standing there still holding my rhubarb. Before I knew it an ambulance was there along with Roberts parents who took one look at me in disgust, it was obviously my fault in their eyes. Robert, the only one I was worried about, had sat up by this point. I heard the guy who was shouting “ ya f*cking idiot to Robert say to the police, who had shown up in numbers very quickly may i add “ I just caught sight of him (Robert) coming out from the side of the bridge so I was already braking “ said the van guy. “ So what speed were you doing on impact? “ said one of the coppers. “ Be lucky if I was going 10 or 15 miles per hour so it was more of a light bump,

It could have been a lot worse. “ I lifted my head at this point only to see a bunch of coppers, Robert's family, the van man and a bunch of local people staring straight at me. Again I could hear the whispering and everyone came to the same conclusion that the wee wild one standing there with his stolen rhubarb must have been the cause of this. No one even bothered to ask me what happened. Robert was ok other than a bruise or two.
As he was walking away with his parents I shouted “ Glad your ok Robert, I will come see you later “ to my surprise his father turned and came straight over to me and let rip with language I won’t repeat even on paper. He told me in no uncertain terms
what he thought of me and my family and that I wouldn’t be seeing Robert again. This was followed by another outburst of him swearing and cursing at me. Every single copper heard and saw him screaming all of this into my face and stood back and did nothing, not a single one intervened.
They all looked at me as if they had trodden on something. It was my first encounter with the police. I said to myself from that day on-wards I would have nothing to do with them (police) and this will always be the case. I was about 6 years old, a child and not responsible for what happened. I didn’t see Robert again as they moved away soon after.

So to this day I don't know if the truth was ever told and that it wasn’t my fault. I don’t think I have ever told anyone about the way I was treated by the police that day, in fact they tried to make mine and my brother's life hell for a while after. Again I said nowt and neither did my brother. We just carried on regardless, even with their constant intimidation. Threatening us and just being absolute dicks every time they saw us. You never grassed, not even on coppers who were way out of line on many occasions so we just took it and carried on regardless. We wouldn’t let them grind us down.
I have always lived my life staying within the boundaries of the law, and always will. But from that day, they turned a 6 year old boy against them.

Like I have said, I was a bit wild running around but I was never a trouble maker, yet that lot had branded me without asking me anything. Straight away it was them and us. I think this attitude doesn’t help with anyone and I mean this from all over the UK. This thinking of them and us needs to be smashed and instead of looking to go against communities the police should be part of the local community, yet they call themselves the police family / police community.
Cutting themselves away from the communities and people they should be working with and not against. Will this ever change, nope because the police don’t want to be part of any community other than the coppers one, and they wonder why there's riots etc. Knock down the wall and get to know the people in the community, and by this I mean the people who live by the laws and not the ones who break the laws, yet they are on first name terms with every copper and vice versa.

Oh! And I kept the rhubarb, just in case you were wondering, it was delicious. I had earned it, especially after taking all of that crap from that lot. Back up to the flat and get a wee bag of the white stuff - sugar lol, to dip the rhubarb in, it was heaven.
I also wondered whatever happened to Robert’s stash, I bet his father took the stolen stash home.

I changed the name of my friend just in case, you never know?. Hey i still have some other belters throughout my book which i hope to finish in the next few months.

27/08/2026

Blackburn Gala 50/50 August draw PRIZE £450… good luck

27/08/2026

Something happy and to rekindle some memories

22/08/2026

The talent from our wee village is growing constantly. We have singers, musicians, authors, actors, artists and so much more. The confidence in the people of Blackburn has really came through, especially these past few years. People from Blackburn believe in themselves and believe they can go after their dreams. Scott Fleming is up there with the best with his writing and now acting. I will leave you to Scott with his latest experience.

On Thursday night, Powder, the first feature film from the West Lothian independent film company, G.T.F Films had it's first screening. The film was well received by the 400 strong audience and will now go on to additional cinemas screenings before finding a streaming home in the future.
The film was written by Ally Robertson and Scott Fleming Actor Writer and multiple scenes were filmed right here in Blackburn.
Extras from Blackburn and beyond also appeared in scenes, including a tense Room at the Top rave scene and Scott has a significant role as an actor as well.

G.T.F Films, and Scott, have plans in place for many more films and documentaries, so keep an eye on their social media pages for updates and opportunities.

19/08/2026

To all on the History of Blackburn page, may i ask you for your help? This Saturday our wee village will once again play in the Scottish Cup. What i am asking is for as many of you as possible to come along to the game and show your support. Its a very long shot but i would love it if we could beat the clubs record attendance of 600. We have a great opportunity to make this happen and who knows it might just be the start of a run in the Scottish Cup where we could meet any of the SPFL clubs including Rangers, Celtic Hibs or Hearts from the 4th round on-wards, Yes i am getting carried away but i believe Blackburn can do something special this season. Yes our wee village really do play in the actual Scottish Cup and with a huge backing who knows what history will be made. So please if can come along on Saturday please do, even if football isn't your thing lets try and make some history.
Here are a few Blackburn snippets from around the time the Scottish Cup was first played.

1871 Blackburn population 954

1872 Police station built at Bathgate Road, near the cross

1873 Church of Scotland gave £5 towards Blackburn Mission

C1873 -7 Livingston school board builds a public school in Kidd Street, Blackburn

1877 Blackburn Cotton Mill destroyed by fire

The Scottish Cup dates back to 1873, and on Saturday we begin what will be our our eighth season in the competition for what is the oldest existing trophy in world football when St Cuthbert Wanderers visit the Purdie Worldwide Community Stadium in the Second Preliminary Round.
There’s something different about a Scottish Cup tie. The history, the occasion and the chance to take another step towards the later rounds.
If you don’t normally make it along to the Burnie, this might be a good one to start with. Get it in your diary! See you all on Saturday "Purdie Worldwide Removals & Storage Ltd