A Brief History of Brightons & Wallacestone
5 MayBrightons developed around a large sandstone quarry from the 17th century. In 1724 it became part of the Parish of Polmont when it seceded from Falkirk.
When the Union Canal opened in 1822, the sandstone could be transported further afield, and in the 1830s stone from the quarry at Brightons was used in the building of Edinburgh's New Town. The same stone was also used to Falkirk Steeple in 1814 and to build Falkirk's public buildings in the 1850s.
The railway arrived in 1842 and Polmont Station was built just north of Brightons, bringing further prosperity.
Wallacestone, to the southwest of Brightons, has an even older history, taking its name from a stone marking the point from which Willam Wallace is said to have watched the English advancing from Linlithgow towards the Battle of Falkirk. The spot is currently marked with a pillar which replaced the older stone.
Now it's your turn! There's much more to it than that!
That's the briefest of brief summaries and it's full of gaps. But this is where you come in. There's lots of interest in local history and lots of local knowledge out there - so why not share it here?
Perhaps you'd like to start a timeline of key dates or your own article about your favourite aspect of Brightons history? There must also be a wealth of wonderful photographs of Brightons and Wallacestone in years gone by - maybe even some video of more recent events - and those are more than welcome here.
Post it all here, and let's see if we can really chronicle the history of Brightons in a way we can all share!
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