Bathgate Procession Arch

Street decorations were part of the first Bathgate Procession in 1844. In the early 1850’s, street decoration evolved further, with the erection of triumphal arches across the principal streets of the town. Arch construction consisted of wood and metal frames covered by evergreen foliage and decorated in a variety of ways. The classic arch photographs, familiar to Bathgate Bairns, date mainly from 1900 onwards. Newspaper reports from the first fifty years give detailed descriptions of a variety of arch shapes and decorative styles. In the modern era, the typical arch was of a three span gothic design, covered with Norway spruce foliage, and decorations formed from thousands of crepe paper roses or dottals. Despite numerous challenges and a few years where no arches were erected, the tradition still survives with one large scale triple span arch erected in George Street each year.

A huge thanks to Colin Peacock for providing us with this history into the Bathgate Procession Arch

Bathgate Procession Arch – A Full History (PDF)
Bathgate Procession Arch – Photo Gallery (Flickr)