Dalmeny
Dalmeny
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 Dalmeny Kirk, one of the finest Norman churches in Scotland |
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 Dalmeny
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| Dalmeny shown within Edinburgh | |
| OS grid reference | NT1477 |
| Civil parish |
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| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area |
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| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | EDINBURGH |
| Postcode district | EH30 |
| Dialling code | 0131 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Dalmeny (Scottish Gaelic: Dail Mheinidh) is a village and parish in Scotland. It is located on the south side of the Firth of Forth, 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of South Queensferry and 8 miles (13 km) west of Edinburgh city centre. It lies within the traditional boundaries of West Lothian, and falls under the local governance of the City of Edinburgh Council.
The name Dalmeny is either of Cumbric origin: deriving from Din Meini, "stony fort" cf. the earlier form Dunmanye (1562), most likely referring to Castle Craig above the town; or potentially of Scottish Gaelic origin, being now Dail Mheinnidh or Dail M'Eithne in the modern language. This may refer to an ancient ecclesiastical settlement, dedicated to an obscure (female) saint Eithne. The local parish church may have been dedicated to her, but is now dedicated to St Cuthbert.
The village has its own primary school, which teaches about a hundred pupils, and a railway station near the south end of the Forth Bridge, which also serves the larger town of South Queensferry. At one time the village had a shop and post office, but these have closed down due to competition from numerous supermarkets in and around Queensferry.
The present church building was built around 1130, possibly by Gospatric, Earl of Dunbar, and is recognised as the finest Norman/Romanesque parish church still in use in Scotland, and one of the most complete in the United Kingdom, lacking only its original western tower, which was rebuilt in a sympathetic style in 1937. The aisleless nave, choir and apse survive almost complete from the 12th century. The refined sculptural detail of the chancel and apse arches is notable, as is a series of powerful beast-head corbels supporting the apse vault. These features are also extremely well preserved, with the original tool-marks still visible. The elaborate south doorway is carved with symbols representing a bestiary and an "agnus dei", enlivened with blind arcading above. The door is comparable to the north door at Dunfermline Abbey. Nearby is a rare 12th-century sarcophagus carved with 13 doll-like figures (possibly Christ and the 12 apostles) in niches (now very weathered). The churchyard also has a number of fine 17th- and 18th-century gravestones. Interments in the churchyard include the advocate and historian John Hill Burton (1809–81).
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Wikipedia