Seafield, West Lothian

Last updated

Seafield
Seafield, West Lothian.jpg
New housing in Seafield overlooks the Almond
West Lothian UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Seafield
Location within West Lothian
Population1,350 (2022) [1]
OS grid reference NT007660
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BATHGATE
Postcode district EH47
Dialling code 01506
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°52′37″N3°35′20″W / 55.877°N 3.589°W / 55.877; -3.589

Seafield is a small village in West Lothian, Scotland. Seafield lies 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km) east of Blackburn, 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Bathgate (grid reference NT007660 ) and 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Livingston.

Contents

Geography

The village lies between the River Almond to the south and the M8 motorway to the north. The nearby Seafield Law is 198 metres. [2]

History

Seafield grew initially in the 1870s to 1900s to provide housing for coal and oil-shale mine workers, with three poorer-quality rows north of the road demolished but two later, well-built terraces of miners' rows on the south side now restored in the centre of the village. [3] In the 1970s, new housing was laid out with Scandinavian style houses that have alternating mono-pitched roofs and slender chimneys. [4]

The oil-shale works north of the village were cleared by the 1960s, leaving a large oil-shale bing (tip). The County Council then used the works site and the adjacent peat moss as its main domestic refuse tip until the 1980s. This generated serious water pollution problems, aggravated by outflow being east towards the New Town of Livingston. One of the last large-scale Scottish Enterprise-led land reclamation schemes, in the 1990s, utilised the spent shale (which is inert, having been retorted at high temperature) to blind over the tip, with full pollution control measures.

Seafield Bing itself was remodelled to a design brief by West Lothian Planners, to resemble the natural basalt sills and lava flow landscapes of the Bathgate Hills and Fife, with a serrated crestline, and a proper summit now estimated at 198m asl in height, and renamed with approval of the Community Council "Seafield Law". Together with Easter Inch MosS, Seafield Law has a wooded setting that is designated as a 148 hectare local nature reserve and recreational area. [5]

Notable buildings

Situated just outside Seafield is Blackburn House. [6] This is an A-listed building built in 1772 by George Moncrieff. [7]

Community facilities

Seafield has several community amenities including a primary school, [8] shop, community centre, [9] bowling club and annual Gala day. The community centre is based in the old primary school building of the village, a gift from a private benefactor. [10]

Notably, Seafield was the birthplace of the now-defunct [11] Seafield & District Pipe Band, which for many years focused on teaching children and teenagers to play the pipes and drums. The band was associated with successful solo bagpiper Chris Armstrong, who served as a piping tutor for the band and then as its Pipe Major in 1998; [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Lothian</span> Council area of Scotland

West Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geographically by the Avon to the west and the Almond to the east. The modern council area occupies a larger area than the historic county. It was reshaped following local government reforms in 1975: some areas in the west were transferred to Falkirk; some areas in the east were transferred to Edinburgh; and some areas that had formerly been part of Midlothian were added to West Lothian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livingston, West Lothian</span> New town and administrative centre in Scotland

Livingston is the largest town in West Lothian, Scotland. Designated in 1962, it is the fourth post-war new town to be built in Scotland. Taking its name from a village of the same name incorporated into the new town, it was originally developed in the then-counties of Midlothian and West Lothian along the banks of the River Almond. It is situated approximately fifteen miles (25 km) west of Edinburgh and thirty miles (50 km) east of Glasgow, and is close to the towns of Broxburn to the north-east and Bathgate to the north-west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broxburn</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Broxburn is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is 12 miles (19 km) from the West End of Edinburgh, 5 miles (8.0 km) from Edinburgh Airport and 5 miles (8.0 km) to the north of Livingston. Originally a village known as Easter Strathbock in the medieval period, by 1600, the village had become known as Broxburn. The area developed rapidly during the Victorian era as a result of industrialisation related to shale oil extraction. While much of the industry in the area is now diminished, the town has continued to grow following new residential development, resulting in Broxburn forming a conurbation with neighbouring Uphall. It lies just to the south of Winchburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uphall</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Uphall is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is a swiftly growing village in a conurbation with Broxburn to the east, Dechmont to the west and the major town of Livingston to the south west. Uphall is 30 miles from Glasgow and 14 miles from Edinburgh in the Scottish Lowlands. Uphall Station and Pumpherston are separate villages that lie to the south of Uphall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pumpherston</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Pumpherston is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. Originally a small industrial village housing works for the nearby shale mine and works, it now forms the eastern part of the new town of Livingston, which was constructed to the west of Pumpherston in the late 1960s and quickly grew to incorporate Pumpherston in its wider urban settlement, as defined by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS). The village of Uphall Station lies immediately to the north. It is twinned with the village of Mtarfa, Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bathgate</span> Town in West Lothian, Scotland

Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, 5 miles (8 km) west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Linlithgow, Livingston, and West Calder. A number of villages fall under the umbrella of Bathgate, including Blackburn, Whitburn, Stoneyburn, Armadale,Torphichen and Fauldhouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn, West Lothian</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Blackburn is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, near both Bathgate and Livingston, two of the larger towns in the county. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Edinburgh and 25 miles (40 km) east of Glasgow on the old A8 road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauldhouse</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Fauldhouse is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is about halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The nearest towns to Fauldhouse are Whitburn and Livingston. Other neighbouring villages include Longridge, Shotts and Stoneyburn. At approximately 750 feet above sea level, Fauldhouse is one of the highest villages in West Lothian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchburgh</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Winchburgh is a village in the council area of West Lothian, Scotland. It is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of the city-centre of Edinburgh, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Linlithgow and 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Broxburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid Calder</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Mid Calder is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located on a steep hill overlooking the River Almond and Calder Wood, around 15 miles (24 km) west of Edinburgh. The settlement has been on a major crossroads since its origin some time in the 11th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoneyburn</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Stoneyburn is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. The village was the site of a large coalmine, since discontinued. Nearby towns include Bathgate, Whitburn, Addiewell and Blackburn. Around two thousand people inhabit the village (2022), which is around 1.5 miles in length, clustered around the B7015 to Fauldhouse and Livingston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Calder</span> Human settlement in Scotland

West Calder is a village in the council area of West Lothian, Scotland, located four miles west of Livingston. Historically it is within the County of Midlothian. The village was an important centre in the oil shale industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. West Calder has its own railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Lothian Council</span> Local authority for West Lothian, Scotland

West Lothian Council is the local authority for West Lothian, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deans, West Lothian</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Deans is a small community within the town of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. Deans is situated in the northern part of Livingston, The western area of Deans was formerly known as Livingston Station, as it is the location of former oil works and a railway station. Many people who have lived in this area for a long time often refer to it as such. In 2010 the population of Deans was 3,641.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torphichen</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Torphichen is a historic small village located north of Bathgate in West Lothian, Scotland. The village is approximately 18 miles (29 km) west of Edinburgh, 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Falkirk and 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of Linlithgow. The village had a population of 570 in the and a population of 710 in 2016. Torphichen's placename may be Gaelic in origin, e.g., "Tóir Féichín", Tor Fithichean, or partly from Brythonic "tre fychan" or small hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Calder</span> Human settlement in Scotland

East Calder is a village located in West Lothian, Scotland, about a mile east of Mid Calder and a mile west of Wilkieston. It forms part of 'the Calders, three small neighbouring communities situated west of Edinburgh and south of the "New Town" of Livingston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breich</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Breich is a small village lying in the western part of West Lothian, Scotland. It lies on the A71, the Edinburgh to Ayrshire road, which also goes to the large town of Livingston 7 miles to the east. It is situated at the junction of the A706, to Lanark, Bathgate and Linlithgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellsquarry</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Bellsquarry is a suburban area located in the south-west of Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. Bellsquarry is located to the west of the Murieston area of the town and to the south of the Dedridge area of the town. The Brucefield industrial estate lies on its western edge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn House, West Lothian</span> Historic site in Bathgate, UK

Blackburn House is a category A-listed Georgian house, situated between Blackburn and Seafield near Bathgate in West Lothian, Scotland. The house comprises a compact central Palladian mansion house, with substantial east and west pavilions.

References

  1. ↑ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Seafield Law, West Lothian". Mud and Routes. 19 January 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  3. ↑ "Seafield Rows". Scottish Shale. 25 March 1914. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  4. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Seafield, Housing Develoment (275486)". Canmore . Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  5. ↑ "Easter Inch Moss & Seafield Law". West Lothian Council. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  6. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Blackburn House (214037)". Canmore . Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  7. ↑ Cockburn Conservation Trust Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Seafield Primary". Seafield Primary. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  9. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Seafield. Seafield Community Centre (374812)". Canmore . Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  10. ↑ "Seafield Community Centre". West Lothian Council. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  11. ↑ Seafield & District Pipe Band Archived 2010-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ World Music Central: Chris Armstrong Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.