On the A701 lies Penicuik (pronounced 'Pennycook regardless of its spelling), a town in Midlothian, Scotland with a population of around 15,700. Situated in between Edinburgh and Peebles, the settlement was established as a planned village in 1770 by Sir James Clerk of Penicuik, ending up being a burgh in 1867. Its initial regional industry were its well-known paper mills, with the last of these shutting down in 2004. The town name, Penicuik, is originated from 'Pen Y Cog', meaning specifically, 'Hill of the Cuckoo' in Ancient British. The town does have its overseas links, and is twinned with the town of L'îsle-sur-la-Sourge in France. The very first instance of the reference of the town was in 1296. Thomas Rymer's text Foedera calls attention to a 'Walter Edgar a person Penicok south of Edenburgh', and is exactly what the town's name evolved from and into today's spelling. Pennycook, another step on the ladder of Penicuik's spelling progression, appears on John Adair's map from 1862. Nevertheless, in the background of the town itself, full growth commenced when the Cowan family arrived around 1770, and brought the business of their paper mill. This brought the need for homes for workers, triggering general population increasing to 1,700 by 1800. Penicuik was also used as the site of a prison camp for soldiers from the French Napoleonic wars, but in our present day, it is presently the site of a housing development. Nevertheless, a monument dated back to 1830 celebrates the 309 prisoners who died there throughout the years 1811-1814. For all your home upgrades, make sure to make use of trustworthy specialists in Penicuik to make certain of quality.