West Calder (Scots: Wast Cauder, Scottish Gaelic: Caladar an Iar) 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.[3] West Calder has its own railway station.
The surrounding villages that take West Calder's name in their address - Polbeth, Addiewell, Loganlea, Harburn and Westwood - outline the area that this village encompasses, and they all have played an important part in the history of the village as well as West Lothian. The village is a 10-minute drive from Livingston, which is host to two large shopping centres. The village lies along the ridge above the Calder burn.[3]
The original West Calder Church, dates to 1643 but is now a ruin.
Early evidence of settlement in the area of West Calder is indicated by the presence of Castle Greg, a Romanfortlet to the south-east of the village in neighboring Harburn.[4] In the medieval period, the area was part of Calder Comitis, a large parish under ownership by the Earls of Fife.[5] By 1643, the large parish of Calder Comitis was divided into two districts, named Mid Calder and West Calder.[5] The old Parish Church off Kirkgate street dates to 1643 when the area was created a distinct parish.[3][5] The rectangular building, with a square belfry was abandoned in the 1880s following construction of the West Kirk of Calder and is now a roofless ruin.[3] The original church burial ground is intact and the entire site is a scheduled ancient monument.[3][6] By 1755, the population of the parish was recorded as 1294 persons.[5] The population had risen to 1435 persons by 1810 and continued to grow throughout the 19th century.[5]
The Cooperative Building and Burngrange disaster Memorial Clock.
The village has a long association with several Cooperative organisations, now defunct.[13] There were several early cooperative associations in the village, known as friendly societies, which were founded in 1799 and 1812, however they eventually ceased operation.[5] The principal West Calder Co-operative Society (WCCS) was founded in 1875 by a group of shale miners.[13] The former WCCS Co-operative building of the town at 13 to 19 Main Street was built in 1913 to a design by William Baillie. It is Category B listed, stone fronted with an unusual ironwork crown and two crowstepped gables.[3][14] Two previous cooperative buildings existed in the town; the Peoples Palace and clocktower was replaced by the Royal Bank in 1885 to a design by J G Fairley and another building demolished to make way for Union Square.[3][15] The former co-operative bakery building on Society Place was built in 1910.[15] The bakery in Society Place closed in 1982 when WCCS merged with Bathgate Cooperative Society.[13]
In the late 19th century, West Calder was one of the first villages in Scotland to have electric street lighting with electricity supplied by the local Co-operative Society, which had its own generating station.[16] In 1879, William Ewart Gladstone visited the village and made a key speech on foreign policy and free trade.[17][18]
The West Calder Drill hall was a local drill hall built before the First World War and in 1914 was the base for "G" Company, 10th Battalion, Royal Scots.[19] The West Calder War Memorial was unveiled in 1921 by General Sir Francis Davies.[20] It sits opposite the library in a small garden and consists of a square base, with memorial plaques, crowned by a stone obelisk.[21] By the early 20th century, the Shale industry production around the village entered a period of decline.
The Regal cinema was a local cinema that was built in 1938 and served the community, before closing in the 1980s.[22] Most housing in the village dates from the mid-20th century onwards. The population of West Calder and Polbeth was 5,337 in 2020.[23]
Burngrange mining disaster
Burngrange, an area west of the village, was the site of the Burngrange mining disaster in January 1947. At the northeast corner of Union Square in the village, there is a pedimented memorial clock in memory of the 15 men who died in the Burngrange disaster.[15]
Economy
West Calder has a High Street with a selection of pubs, shops, and services. The Railway Inn is a Category C listed public house on the Main Street, with an octagonal corner exterior and preserved late 19th century interior, built circa 1895.[24] On the southern edge of the village, is the most northerly rehoming centre of the Dogs Trust, closely followed by the new centre at Glasgow.[25] The area around West Calder is mostly agricultural but in the 21st century, has seen several Wind farm developments.[26] In March 2021, permission was given for construction of one of the largest subsidy-free onshore wind projects in the UK, at Longhill farm just outside the village and due for completion in late 2022.[27]
Freeport village was a shopping and retail centre to the north of West Calder that was built in 1996 and closed in the early 2000s.[28][29]
Culture
Five Sisters
The 'Five Sisters' group of shale bings to the north of West Calder is a local landmark and scheduled monument.[30] The bings rise to a height of 230 feet (70m) above the surrounding area, and are the spoil tips from the oil shale industry that was a feature of the area.[31] The Five Sisters were named by artist John Latham during his time with an Artist Placement Group project with the Scottish Office's Development Agency in 1975–6.,[32]
The Shale Trail is a 16 mile walking and cycling historical route between West Calder and Winchburgh, via Livingston and Broxburn using the Union Canal.[34] The trail identifies areas of local history, primarily focusing on the extinct oil shale production industry.[35][36][37]
The local primary school in the village is Parkhead Primary School.[41]
Community facilities
West Calder Library was built in 1903 with funds from Andrew Carnegie.
West Calder has a public library that is a Carnegie library and was built in 1903 to a design by William Baillie.[15][42][43] Built of red and grey Ashlar stone, the building is a fine example of the Art Nouveau style, with detailing around the entrance and pedimented Venetian windows.[15] Stone inscriptions include the words science and poetry. The building still includes original tiling and glass.[15] The library is Category B listed.[42] In 2016, the library was refurbished following a £500,000 renovation.[44]
West Calder Medical Practice is a combined medical surgery and pharmacy at the West End of West Calder.[45] The building cost several million pounds and was opened in September 2019.[46] Healthcare in West Calder is administered under NHS Lothian and the nearest hospitals are St John's Hospital, Livingston and Tippethill House Hospital in Armadale.[47]
Polbeth and West Calder Community Garden is a public garden and woodland.[48][49]
There are three cemeteries in West Calder. The historic parish church cemetery is closed to burials and listed. The principal cemetery of the village is West Calder and Burngrange Cemetery on the western edge of the village. Hermand Cemetery is a new public cemetery open for burials on the eastern edge of the village.[50]
West Calder has three churches: Our Lady and St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church, West Kirk of Calder Church of Scotland[53] and Limefield United Free Church.[54][55]
The West Kirk was built circa 1860 and has a tall steeple with a broach spire.[3]
West Calder is also the home of the West Calder Model Flying Club. The club is run for the enjoyment and promotion of radio controlled model aircraft flying in the area. The club has its own tarmac runway and is maintained by the members for use throughout the whole year.[56]
West Calder Bowling Club is a local bowls club in the village.[57]
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.
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.
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 industralisation 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.
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.
Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, 5 miles (8 km) west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, Blackburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, West Calder and Whitburn.
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.
Addiewell is a former mining village in the Scottish council area of West Lothian. Historically it lies within the County of Midlothian. A new prison, HMP Addiewell, opened in 2008.
Balerno is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 8 miles south-west of the city centre, next to Currie and then Juniper Green. Traditionally in the county of Midlothian it now administratively falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council. The village lies at the confluence of the Water of Leith and the Bavelaw Burn. In the 18th and 19th century, the area was home to several mills using waterpower. In the 20th century, the mills closed and the village now forms a residential suburb of Edinburgh.
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.
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.
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.
Polbeth is a former oil shale mining village located about a mile from West Calder, and not far from Livingston, West Lothian, 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.
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.
Ecclesmachan (NT058736) is an historic village in West Lothian. It lies just north of Uphall on the B8046 road and just south of Threemiletown. The village is notable for its medieval origin parish church. As at 2001, the population of the civil parish of Ecclesmachan was 529 and was 811 in 1991.
This article is intended to show a timeline of the history of West Calder, Scotland, up to the present day.
James Graham Fairley FRIBA MSGS (1846–1934) was a 19th/20th century Scottish architect working mainly in the West Lothian area, specialising in churches and schools.
The Almondell Viaduct, also known as the Camps Viaduct, is a viaduct spanning the gorge of the River Almond in Scotland, located in East Calder, West Lothian, as well as the main canal feeder taking water from the Almond to the Union Canal at Lin's Mill near Ratho
Kirk of Calder is a medieval church in Mid Calder, West Lothian. It is listed as a Category A building by Historic Environment Scotland. The church is of Ashlar stone in a Gothic style. The present Kirk dates from 1541 but was built on the site of an earlier 12th century church.
Harburn is a small village and estate in West Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately 2 miles south-east of West Calder and just to the north of the Pentland Hills.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Jaques and McKean (1 September 1994). West Lothian – An Illustrated Architectural Guide. Scotland: The Rutland Press. p.95. ISBN978-1873190258.
↑ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and presen. Sparkford. p.245. ISBN978-1-85260-508-7.
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