Burgh Beautiful Linlithgow

Rosemount Park – Introduction

Rosemount Park is an attractive, fairly secluded, public park to the south of the Union Canal with little in the way of formality. There are no children’s play equipment but the park is well used for general recreation, walking (including dogs) and sledging in winter, while it lies of the route of the town’s Perambulation of the Marches. It contains three swathes of wildflower meadows laid out some years ago by West Lothian Council with a seed mix selected for being nectar-rich, but the park’s main interest to Burgh Beautiful volunteers is its increasing role as an arboretum. The collection is moving very close towards completion, with Scottish native specimens augmented by naturalised, choice exotic and ancient types of trees, whilst retaining the existing character of the park.

To the left is an up-to-date plan of the park, showing all the recorded tree species currently growing, as well as its other main features. The park is known as a ‘hidden gem’ of Linlithgow and provides both an environmental and educational resource.

Rosemount Park – History

The park was part of the land of Rosemount House with some of the trees dating back to this time. During the 20th century it was part of a dairy farm. Importantly, it also contains the Friars Well, the source for the town’s Cross Well. Nearby there is archaeological evidence of occupation in the Neolithic /Bronze Age period, including the finding of a bronze spearhead. Linked by a footpath to the south is the site of the Carmelite Friary (c1280-c1560). Hidden away on the south side of the Union Canal, the park covers an area of about 3 hectares and contains in the region of 300 trees. Being within the Upper Linlithgow Conservation Area, this gives some legal protection for the trees.

There is a line of mixed conifer and deciduous trees along the western side of the park, with a Sycamore dating back to c1800. Some large old specimens feature in the centre of the park, including Beech, Oak, Sycamore, Ash, Lime, Horse Chestnut and a Field Maple. Also to be found are two small copses containing large conifers and deciduous trees, with attractive Scots pine and Corsican pine as well as tall Silver Birch and Whitebeam. There is an impressive line of pink and white flowering Cherries and a relatively recent planting of Limes, Red Oak and Field Maples. Nearby is the location of the lost arboretum of Rockville but there is still an impressive Cedar of Lebanon, as well as a Swamp Cypress, visible from the park.

Mindful of conserving the character of the park, including the sledging runs, additional planting to complete the park as a community arboretum is nearing completion. This involves planting a small number of primitive and long-lived trees such as the Gingko, Dawn Redwood and Giant Sequoia. Additionally, there is a small number of exotic and ornamental trees being planted which give the park a member of each of the tree families.

Further trees include other long-lived specimens, together with the need for succession planting of trees such as Ash and old Scots Pine which, in time, will be lost. An evergreen Holm Oak, suitable for a changing climate, has been planted to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. This will, in time, replace a nearby Ash which will be lost to disease. We have labelled many of the tree specimens; the labels include both their scientific and common names, together with their origin. Some of the examples carry temporary labels until they are large enough for the standard label.

Supplementing an interpretation board installed by West Lothian Council in relation to the wildflower meadows in the park, Burgh Beautiful has recently installed another board near the Friars Loan entrance, with very welcome funding from the Mushroom Trust, describing the main tree species to be found in the arboretum; below is a full list.

Below the list of the trees in Rosemount Park is information on the recent upgrading of the nearby site of a pre-reformation Carmelite Friary.