Kirkliston

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Kirkliston is a small village in the unitary authority area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Kirkliston was the location of the first meeting of the Estates of Scotland, the former parliament of Scotland. It sits close to the world-famous Forth Road Bridge and Forth Rail Bridge and is 5 minutes drive away from South Queensferry. Kirkliston is in proximity to Edinburgh Airport and the M9 motorway.

The oldest surviving building in Kirkliston is the church (hence the first half of the village's name). Parts of this building are over 800 years of age.[1]

Kirkliston used to be well-known for its Drambuie Liquor factory but the factory re-located several years ago. There had also been a whisky distillery in the south of the village since 1795. [2] In later years this became a malt factory. However, this too has now been demolished. Kirkliston therefore, may be referred to as a dormitory village.

Kirkliston is often referred to with the nickname "Cheesetown". There are two principle theories for this. One suggestion is that it is due to an inscription mentioning cheese carved by Burns in a window of Castle House (the second oldest building, formerly an Inn). The most widely used explanation however is that when the Forth Bridge was being built, the workers who lodged in Kirkliston often had cheese sandwiches for lunch! An interesting curiosity in the village is the presence of a Gravestone dated 1727 that includes two carved heads wearing glasses. If the date on this headstone is accurate then this is the world's oldest depiction of glasses with sides. [3]