Pathhead is a village of around 500 homes situated on the A68, 11 miles south of Edinburgh. The earliest house close to Pathhead is a Pictish earth house or "souterrain" believed to date from some 1500 years ago.  There are several iron age and roman camps in the area and the A68 closly follows the path of the Roman road called Dere Street.  Many of the houses on Main Street date from the 1750s, when the area was closely associated with the production of lime for both agriculture and building work. During most of the 20th Century farming and mining were central to the economy of Pathhead and the surrounding district.

 

The entrance to Pathhead from the north is via the impressive bridge build by Thomas Telford. Pathhead is close to Oxenford, Crichton and Cakemuir Castles, Prestonfield house and the Glenkinchie Distillery. Pathhead has grown in the recent past with additional housing added in the 1970’s and 1990’s. There is a well-respected local Nursery and Primary school, which boasts a full roll. The Pathhead Medical Centre and TyneWater Primary School have both  been recently enlarged to better support the needs of the district.

 

Ford is a small collection of house just north of Pathhead. Ford is much older than Pathhead and is mentionned in the Blaeu Atlas of Scotland, published in 1654 and is known to be on the route of Dere Street.

 

For historic views and other information on Pathhead - see Flickr