Townhill, United Kingdom
Townhill is a town of 1,220 people in Scotland, United Kingdom.
Why visit Townhill
Townapedia lists 18 museums and landmarks, 7 parks and trails, 64 places to eat, 15 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Alhambra Theatre, Carnegie Hall, Fire Station Creative and Abbot House, Dunfermline.
Weather in Townhill
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Townhill
Townhill is a small village that lies just north of Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. The origin of the community is thought to be from the coal-mining industry. There is a Church of Scotland parish church, which shares a minister with nearby Kingseat.
From the Wikipedia article Townhill, Fife (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Alhambra Theatre
Cinema and theater · 1.5 mi
Theatre in Dunfermline, Scotland, formerly also used as a cinema and as a bingo hall
Museums and landmarks18
Abbot House, Dunfermline
Museum · 1.6 mi
Historic house incorporating a heritage centre, in Dunfermline, Scotland
Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Memorial Museum
Museum · 1.7 mi
Museum in Fife, Scotland, UK
Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries
Museum · 1.6 mi
Public library in Fife, Scotland, UK
6 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Pittencrieff Park
Park · 1.8 mi
Public park in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, UK
KDM Group East End Park
Sports field and stadium · 0.9 mi
Halbeath Road, Dunfermline
Restaurants and cafes64
Bob & Berts
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.5 mi
104 -106 High Street, Dunfermline
Mo-Sa 08:00-18:00; Su 09:00-18:00
Costa
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.4 mi
1 East Port
Mo-Fr 08:00-18:00; Sa 08:00-18:00; Su 09:00-17:00
World Booffi
Restaurant · Buffet, International · 1.4 mi
45 Carnegie Drive, Dunfermline
Mo-Sa 12:00-15:45,15:45-22:00; Su 12:30-22:00
Noble Cuisine
Restaurant · 1.4 mi
48 East Port
We-Fr 12:00-14:30, We,Th 17:00-21:30, Fr 17:00-22:00, Sa...
Stephens
Bakery · 1.4 mi
7 Pittsburgh Road, Dunfermline
Mo-Sa 06:30-17:30; Su 08:00-16:00
52 more on the map.
History
There has been references to a village in the area as early as 1322 when the village and nearby loch were known as Monquhir, Moncur or Moncor. The village was renamed Dunfermline Coaltown in the 18th century before the name was changed to Townhill in the early 19th century. The name was changed to Townhill due to the location of the village which is at the top of the hill leading out of Dunfermline. In 1913 the street previously called Old Waggon Road was renamed Moncur Street in acknowledgement of the original name.
Townhill was the site of the gallows serving the Dunfermline district. In September 1709 Janet Mitchell of Saline was executed for murder. They were removed in the middle of the 18th century.
Read more of the history
From 1781 the village had a timber track linked to a horse-drawn wagon system, linking the colliery to the ships at Inverkeithing, the chief pit being the Jessie Colliery to the north-east. Other (linked) industries included a brickworks (commonly using the other materials found alongside the coal) and a sandstone quarry. In 1856 the railway was improved and added to the steam engine mineral railway system, with the main pit then being the Crawford Colliery, which remained operational until 1931. Other pits closed by the 1920s included the Humbug, the Eliza, the Donald and the Cairncubie. The Muircockhall Colliery was not altogether abandoned and was used from training purposes until the 1970s.
Those unfit for further work, including widows and injured persons, were housed in the town's purpose-built Poorhouse which stood around a mile to the south, on the road to Dunfermline. Education was piecemeal and irregular until the Education (Scotland) Act 1872, causing a new school to be opened in 1876 under the Dunfermline School Board. The Townhill Colliery at this time was under the control of John Christie.
Dunfermline Town Council bought land in Townhill and Brucefield in 1919 for a new housing scheme under the Housing, Town Planning, &c. Act 1919. 47 of the 376 houses built were in Townhill. Another housing scheme began construction in 1925.
In June 1900 a bowling green was created and in 1906 the town gained a Carnegie Library. In 1935 the pit bing and lands belonging to the no.8 (Townhill) Pit were levelled and transformed into a public park to the north side of the town (paid for by the Miners Welfare Fund).
From the History section of Townhill, Fife on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Townhill
- Jock GilfillanScottish footballer (1898–1976)
Born in Townhill, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay15
Churches and places of worship18
Green Dome Mosque
Place of worship · Sunni · 1.5 mi
6 Canmore Street, Dunfermline
St Leonard's Parish Church, Brucefield Avenue, Dunfermline
Church · 1.7 mi
St. Margaret's RC Memorial Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.3 mi
East Port, Dunfermline
The Salvation Army Church and Community Centre
Church · Salvation Army · 1.0 mi
Main Road, Dunfermline
Gillespie Memorial Church
Church · Church Of Scotland · 1.5 mi
Chapel Street, Dunfermline
Dunfermline North Parish Church
Church · Church Of Scotland · 1.5 mi
Golfdrum Street, Dunfermline
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Church · Jehovahs Witness · 1.2 mi
Abel Place
St Margaret's Parish Church
Church · Church Of Scotland · 1.2 mi
Abel Place, Dunfermline
Shopping19
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries9
Healthcare8
Queen Margaret Hospital
Hospital · 0.6 mi
Whitefield Road, Dunfermline
Map of Townhill
162 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 10 miles away.
- Dunfermline 1 mi southwest, about 2 min by car
- Rosyth 4 mi south, about 6 min by car
- Cowdenbeath 4 mi northeast, about 6 min by car
- Bo’ness 8 mi southwest, about 14 min by car
- Linlithgow 10 mi southwest, about 16 min by car
- Kirkcaldy 11 mi east, about 18 min by car
- Broxburn 11 mi south, about 17 min by car
- Grangemouth 12 mi southwest, about 20 min by car
- Edinburgh 13 mi southeast, about 21 min by car
- Glenrothes 13 mi northeast, about 20 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Townhill
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Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Townhill Power Station, Paul McIlroy, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Abbot House, Dunfermline Fife, Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, Dunfermline, Kilnburn ( talk ) 15:02, 7 February 2009 (UTC), Attribution
- Carnegie Library, Dunfermline, Kilnburn ( talk ) 20:28, 25 February 2009 (UTC), Attribution
- Gardens in Pittencrieff Park, Dkardokas, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St Leonard's Church, Dunfermline, Kilnburn ( talk ) 20:22, 3 April 2009 (UTC), Attribution
- (looking towards) Albraham Theatre, Dunfermline, Kilnburn ( talk ) 15:18, 4 April 2009 (UTC), Attribution
- Eastendpark, Ian Mitchell, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Fire Station, Carnegie Drive, Dunfermline, Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Carnegie Hall3, Dunfermline, Kilnburn ( talk ) 16:22, 19 February 2009 (UTC), Attribution
- East Port Bar, 5-7 East Port, Dunfermline, Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, thx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ccbb7766, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, thx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ccbb7766, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, thx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ccbb7766, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, thx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, thx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, thx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, thx, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ccbb7766, CC BY-SA 4.0
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