West Lothian lies on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and is predominantly rural, though there were extensive coal, iron, and shale oil mining operations in the 19th and 20th centuries which created distinctive red-spoil heaps (locally known as "bings") throughout the council area. The old county town was the royal burgh of Linlithgow, but the largest town (and the second-largest town in the Lothian region after Edinburgh) is now Livingston, where West Lothian Council has been based since 2009 having previously used facilities across three sites. Other large towns in the county include Bathgate (a town with medieval origins that developed extensively during the industrial revolution) and the historic mining settlements of Armadale, Fauldhouse, Whitburn, West Calder, Uphall, and Broxburn.
West Lothian Council is the local authority for the West Lothian area and has 33 elected members. Councillors are generally elected every five years, with the next election falling in Spring 2027.
Following the abolition of West Lothian County Council in 1975, the new West Lothian District Council chose to use the former Burgh Chambers of Bathgate Town Council (built in 1966) as its headquarters, extending the building in 1976 and renaming it Lindsay House.[3][4] The district council retained the county buildings in Linlithgow as additional office space.[5] In November 2009, the new unitary authority, West Lothian Council, centralised its services at the new West Lothian Civic Centre in Livingston.[6]
Parliamentary representation
West Lothian is represented in the Scottish Parliament by two constituency members and seven regional members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs).[7]
The West Lothian question, referring to whether Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish MPs should be allowed to vote on English laws, is so named because it was supposedly first raised by Tam Dalyell while he was MP for West Lothian.[9][10]
The creation of the modern council area in 1975 drastically altered West Lothian's boundaries. Significant towns not included in the modern county are the coastal burghs of Bo'ness and Queensferry and the town of Kirkliston. Large parts of the southern urban area of Livingston which were historically within Midlothian were, however, transferred to West Lothian.
Hopetoun House is a large country house and estate near South Queensferry that was built between 1699 and 1701, and was designed by Sir William Bruce. The house was then hugely extended from 1721 by William Adam until his death in 1748, being one of his most notable projects. The interior was completed by his sons John Adam and Robert Adam.[17]Midhope Castle is a 16th-century tower house on the Hopetoun estate that was used as a location in the Outlander TV series on Starz as the main character, Jamie Fraser's family home called Lallybroch (Broch Tuarach).[18][19]
There are a variety of castles and other historic fortifications in West Lothian, including medieval mottes, tower houses and Renaissance laird's houses, as well as relatively modern castellated mansions.[20] Examples include Cairns Castle, Duntarvie Castle, Midhope Castle and Staneyhill Tower.[20]
Blawhorn Moss is a raised bog located near Blackridge that has been a national nature reserve since 1980 and is the largest and least disturbed raised bog in the Lothians.[24]
West Lothian previously had a psychiatric hospital with general hospital in the Dechmont area called Bangour Village Hospital.[30] The hospital opened in 1904 and eventually had beds for 55 officers and 2571 other ranks.[30] The hospital started closing in the 1990s and closed completely in 2004 after the remaining services were transferred to St John's Hospital.[30][31]
The Linburn Centre is a health centre for blinded war veterans at Wilkieston.[32] The centre is located within the estate of Linburn House, a country house which was demolished in 1955.[33]
Museums
The Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry was created in 1990, to preserve the history of the shale industry in West Lothian and beyond.[34] It is sited on a former mill at Millfield, near Livingston and is attached to the Almond Valley Heritage Centre, a large farm and play area.[35]
In Bathgate, the Bennie Museum is a museum of local history and heritage that is run by volunteers under the management of a charitable trust. It opened in 1989 and is housed used in two former derelict cottages donated by the Bennie family to the local community in 1980.[36][37][38]
The Linlithgow Museum is a volunteer-run local history museum in Linlithgow.[39][40] The museum is housed in the Linlithgow Partnership Centre, along with the West Lothian Family History Society and library.[41]
Five Sisters Zoo is a privately owned zoo located in Polbeth, West Calder opened in 2005. The zoo has grown into one of West Lothian's top visitor attractions and was awarded ‘Best Family Day Out’ at the 2024 Scottish Entertainment and Hospitality Awards.[46]
Economy
Tesco's Distribution Centre for Scotland and Northern Ireland between Livingston and Bathgate
West Lothian has a diverse economy and as of 2020 had approximately 4,500 businesses providing almost 72,000 jobs in the area.[47] In 2014, West Lothian Council reported that the five largest employment sectors in the council area were healthcare, construction, retail, manufacturing, and business administration and support services.[48] While historically, mining and shale oil production were key employers in the region, as of 2014 they only accounted for 0.7% of persons employed in West Lothian.[48] The ten largest private employers in West Lothian are Sky UK, Tesco, Mitsubishi Electric, IQVIA (formerly Quintiles/Q2 Solutions), Asda, Morrisons, Johnson & Johnson, Schuh, Jabil and Shin-Etsu Europe.[48] The two largest public sector employers in the county are West Lothian Council and NHS Scotland.[48]
The Starlaw distillery is a Scotch whisky grain distillery at Bathgate that is owned by French drinks group La Martiniquaise. The distillery opened in 2010 and can produce 25 million litres annually and has 29 ageing warehouses (cellars) across 75 hectares at the distillery to allow for the maturation of over 600,000 barrels.[49][50]Glenmorangie, the whisky distillers have offices and a bottling facility in Livingston that was opened in 2011.[51]
West Lothian has several shopping centres, the largest of which are located in Livingston, including 'The Centre' (comprising more than 1,000,000 square foot of retail space) and Livingston Designer Outlet (the largest outlet mall in Scotland).[52][47] The combined retail spaces of central Livingston form the largest indoor shopping location in Scotland and the 10th largest in the UK.[47]
There are several large scale wind farms in West Lothian, predominantly in the south-west of the county, used to produce electricity across the region, including Pates Hill wind farm, Harburnhead wind farm, and Black Law wind farm.[53][54]
The M8 motorway that connects Glasgow and Edinburgh passes across West Lothian connecting communities including Livingston and Bathgate.
Other principal A roads in West Lothian include the A71 road (which passes through the south of the county connecting settlements including Livingston, Polbeth, West Calder and Breich), the A899 and A705 in Livingston, and the A801 road which runs from east of Polmont to Whitburn.
West Lothian has a number of former, disused and defunct railway lines, principally branch lines that originated in connection with oil, mineral and shale mining activities in the 19th century but were later closed as traffic diminished and industrial operations ceased.[57]
Many of the railways in West Lothian use significant viaducts to cross rivers, ravines and other difficult terrain.[57] One prominent example is the Almond Valley Viaduct built by railway engineer John Miller to carry the Glasgow–Edinburgh via Falkirk line and completed in 1842.[57][58] The viaduct is 1.5 miles long with 36 masonry arches, is Category A listed and features as the logo of West Lothian Council.[58][59]
Air
West Lothian has no airport or airfields in current operation.[60] The county has a few historic airfields, now defunct, including a temporary airfield that once existed in Bathgate.[61] While the village of Kirknewtown is inside West Lothian, the nearby RAF Kirknewton airfield lies inside the boundary of Edinburgh.[62] The nearest airport in operation to West Lothian is Edinburgh Airport.
Education
West Lothian has 11 secondary schools, 12 special schools, 67 primary schools, and 60 nurseries.[63][64][65] While West Lothian has no university, further and adult education facilities are provided at West Lothian College based in Livingston.[66] The college has sports facilities, a library, a training restaurant for hospitality students, and a salon/spa.[66] The college provides educational services to over 8,000 students a year and has 350 staff.[67]
West Lothian has 14 public libraries.[70] A local and regional history library which includes items on the history of West Lothian and Linlithgowshire is located in Linlithgow.[70]
Sports
Almondvale Stadium, the home of Livingston F.C. in Livingston
Swimming facilities are located across West Lothian in most of the towns and Swim West Lothian is an organisation, operating in partnership with West Lothian Council and Scottish Swimming that organises local swimming clubs, training and swimming galas.[75]
West Lothian sports personalities include Dario Franchitti (from Whitburn, four-time Indy Car series champion, and three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500), Paul di Resta (from Uphall, DTM race driver for Mercedes-Benz, and the cousin of Dario Franchitti), and Peter 'Snakebite' Wright (born in Livingston, PDC World darts champion).
Figures from industry and academia include John Fleming (from Bathgate, a naturalist, zoologist and geologist), Sir Charles Wyville Thomson (from Linlithgow, a natural historian and marine zoologist), and James Young Simpson (an obstetrician and significant figure in the history of medicine).
Borrowstounness, commonly known as Bo'ness, is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Historically part of the county of West Lothian, it now lies within the Falkirk council area, 17 miles northwest of Edinburgh and 6+3⁄4 miles east of Falkirk. At the 2011 census, the population of Bo'ness was 15,100.
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.
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.
Linlithgow and East Falkirk was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, created for use in the 2005 general election. It replaced most of Falkirk East and Linlithgow.
Whitburn is a small town in West Lothian, Scotland, halfway between Scotlands's two largest cities, about 23 miles east of Glasgow and 22 miles west of Edinburgh. The nearest major towns are Bathgate, four miles and Livingston, six miles.
Linlithgow was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of elections.
Armadale is a town within the county of West Lothian in the Central Belt of Scotland. It lies to the west of Bathgate and to the east of Blackridge. Armadale, formerly known as Barbauchlaw, is an ex-mining town which was also known for its brick manufacturing. It is named after Armadale in Sutherland, this estate being owned by Sir William Honeyman who later acquired the land of Barbauchlaw. Primarily a residential community, the town has a number of different public places, a central Mains Street and a series of parks, green spaces and nature reserves, many of which lie atop former mines and industrial areas.
Linlithgow is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edinburgh and Falkirk beside Linlithgow Loch. The town is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Edinburgh.
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.
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.
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 2021–22 East of Scotland Football League was the 93rd season of the East of Scotland Football League, and the 8th season as the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. The season began on 16 July 2021.
The County Buildings are in the High Street, Linlithgow, Scotland. The complex, which was the headquarters of West Lothian County Council, is a Category B listed building.
The 2022 West Lothian Council election was held on 5 May 2022, on the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election used the nine wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 33 Councillors elected. Each ward elects either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system - a form of proportional representation.
The 2022–23 East of Scotland Football League was the 94th season of the East of Scotland Football League, and the 9th season with its top division as part of the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. The season began on 30 July 2022 and ended on 27 May 2023. Tranent Juniors were the reigning champions but were unable to defend their title after gaining promotion to the Lowland Football League.
Bathgate and Linlithgow is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election.
West Lothian, also known as Linlithgowshire, is a historic county in the east central Lowlands of Scotland. until 1925. It is bounded geographically by the Avon to the west and the Almond to the east. It was reshaped significantly following local government reforms in 1975, becoming slightly larger but with major territorial changes: some areas in the north-west were transferred to Falkirk; areas in the north-east were transferred to Edinburgh; and some areas in the south that had formerly been part of Midlothian were added to a new West Lothian District within the Region of Lothian. This then became a standalone local authority area in the most recent major reorganisation enacted in 1996, retaining those same boundaries and name.
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