On the A701 lies Penicuik (pronounced 'Pennycook irrespective of its spelling), a town in Midlothian, Scotland with a population of around 15,700. Situated in between Edinburgh and Peebles, the settlement was created 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 popular 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 small town does have its worldwide links, and is twinned with the town of L'îsle-sur-la-Sourge in France. The very first occasion of the reference of the town was in 1296. Thomas Rymer's text Foedera points 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 development, appears on John Adair's map from 1862. Nevertheless, in the background of the town itself, full expansion commenced when the Cowan family arrived around 1770, and brought the industry of their paper mill. This brought the necessity for homes for workers, causing 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 current day, it is presently the site of a housing development. However, a monolith dated back to 1830 commemorates the 309 prisoners who died there through the years 1811-1814. For all your home upgrades, make sure to make use of reliable experts in Penicuik to make certain of quality.