59-461: Whitburn (originally Whiteburn) is a small town in West Lothian , Scotland, halfway between Scotlands's two largest cities, about 23 miles (37 kilometres) east of Glasgow and 22 miles (35 kilometres) west of Edinburgh . The nearest major towns are Bathgate , four miles (six kilometres) and Livingston , six miles (ten kilometres). Originally a small farming & weaving community centred around
118-533: A community hospital in Linlithgow . West Lothian previously had a psychiatric hospital with general hospital in the Dechmont area called Bangour Village Hospital . The hospital opened in 1904 and eventually had beds for 55 officers and 2571 other ranks. The hospital started closing in the 1990s and closed completely in 2004 after the remaining services were transferred to St John's Hospital. The Linburn Centre
177-631: A dominating position in central lowland Scotland with extensive views. Torphichen Preceptory is a 12th-century church in the village of Torphichen . It comprises the remains of the preceptory (headquarters) of the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in Scotland. Historic houses in West Lothian include Linlithgow Palace , a ruined palace that was one of the principal residences of
236-576: A field in 1845 but there is no other evidence of Roman occupation. During the Age of Enlightenment the community was trading cotton, pig iron and coal. "Old quarries" can be seen dotted over the area on the Ordnance Survey 1st Edition map, presumably from the days of clay, sandstone and iron ore extraction. The majority of farmers rented agricultural land because of the Lowland Clearances and most of it
295-615: A golf course, cafe, and play area. The park is also locally famous for the Polkemmet Horn which can be seen from the M8 motorway which runs to the north of the country park. There is also a disused steam locomotive from Polkemmet Colliery on display. Since 2012 Polkemmet Park has also been the site of the Scottish Owl Centre. The town was once the site of Levi Strauss & Co. , the clothing manufacturer. The plant opened in 1969, employing
354-505: A large farm and play area. 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. The Linlithgow Museum is a volunteer-run local history museum in Linlithgow . The museum
413-549: A visitor centre and a loch), Polkemmet Country Park (a 68 hectare park near Whitburn with woodlands, river walks and outdoor facilities), and Almondell and Calderwood Country Park along the Almond river valley near Mid Calder. 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. Public healthcare in West Lothian
472-574: A work force of over 500 local people. At its height, the plant was producing 4 million pairs of jeans in a year. The plant shut its doors in December 1999. The Whitburn Band is a brass band formed in 1870. The band has been successful on the contest stage and competes at the British Open, National Final and European Championships, and has been Scottish Champion on 19 occasions. In 2017, the Whitburn Band
531-641: Is Edinburgh Airport . East of Scotland Football League The East of Scotland Football League ( EoSFL ) is a senior football league based in the east and south-east of Scotland . The league sits at levels 6–9 on the Scottish football league system , acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League . Founded in 1923, it is currently composed of 58 member clubs competing in four divisions. Traditionally clubs were located in Edinburgh , Lothians and
590-491: Is Category A listed and features as the logo of West Lothian Council. West Lothian has no airport or airfields in current operation. The county has a few historic airfields, now defunct, including a temporary airfield that once existed in Bathgate. While the village of Kirknewtown is inside West Lothian, the nearby RAF Kirknewton airfield lies inside the boundary of Edinburgh. The nearest airport in operation to West Lothian
649-568: Is a health centre for blinded war veterans at Wilkieston . The centre is located within the estate of Linburn House, a country house which was demolished in 1955. 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. It is sited on a former mill at Millfield, near Livingston and is attached to the Almond Valley Heritage Centre,
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#1733085695673708-468: 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. West Lothian has a diverse economy and as of 2020 had approximately 4,500 businesses providing almost 72,000 jobs in the area. In 2014, West Lothian Council reported that
767-651: Is administered by NHS Lothian within NHS Scotland . The main hospital for West Lothian is St John's Hospital in Livingston. The hospital has a dedicated Accident and Emergency department with 550 beds and opened in 1989. St Johns is a teaching hospital for the University of Edinburgh Medical School . Other public hospitals include Tippethill House Hospital a community hospital in Armadale and St Michael's Hospital ,
826-737: Is housed in the Linlithgow Partnership Centre, along with the West Lothian Family History Society and library. Military Museum Scotland is a military history museum in Wilkieston that covers Scottish military history from the First World War to the present day. The Museum of Scottish Railways is a railway museum located within the station yard of Bo'ness at the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway . Five Sisters Zoo
885-467: Is regarded as a Catholic school. Burnhouse school is for children with behavioural difficulties who cannot be placed in mainstream schools. The local secondary school is Whitburn Academy . It is a state run non-denominational secondary school serving pupils aged 11 to 18. Its catchment area is the town of Whitburn and the surrounding villages of Fauldhouse , Longridge, East Whitburn , Stoneyburn , and Greenrigg. There are approximately 1000 pupils at
944-789: Is represented in the Scottish Parliament by two constituency members and seven regional members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). In the Parliament of the United Kingdom West Lothian is represented by two members of Parliament. Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) Gregor Poynton represents the Livingston constituency . Kirsteen Sullivan represents the Bathgate and Linlithgow (UK Parliament constituency) Until 2024,
1003-556: The 2005–06 season . In 2006, Peebles Rovers merged with several local amateur sides to become Peebles , who took Rovers' place in the league. At the 2007 AGM, agreement was reached to admit the reserve side of Berwick Rangers as the twelfth member of the First Division. They also entered the League Cup, but no other cups during the 2007–08 season . However, the reserves lasted only one season following Berwick Rangers' relegation to
1062-624: 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. Several railway routes run through West Lothian. These include: 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
1121-617: The B8084 road was completed in 2021 following an investment of £1.2 million, providing an off-road cycle route and enabling pedestrian access to Armadale . Lothian Country operate Services: West Lothian West Lothian ( Scots : Wast Lowden ; Scottish Gaelic : Lodainn an Iar ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland , bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area , Scottish Borders , South Lanarkshire , North Lanarkshire and Falkirk . The modern council area
1180-459: The City of Edinburgh District. In 1996 West Lothian became a unitary authority area, using the same name and territory as in 1975. 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
1239-557: The Early Modern period and appears on a manuscript authored by Scottish map maker John Adair in 1680. The earliest documented reference to Whitburn is dated 26 September 1363 and can be found in the Index of Charters by King David II of Scotland . It grants William de Carnys and his heir Duncan a concession to the terms upon which they held the baronies of Easter and Wester Whitburn. There were also two gold pieces of Roman coin discovered in
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#17330856956731298-607: The Scottish Borders however the league has now expanded and also includes clubs from Clackmannanshire , Falkirk , Fife , Stirling , and Perth . Since 2014–15 it has featured in the senior pyramid system . The winners take part in an end of season promotion play-off with the South of Scotland Football League and West of Scotland Football League champions, subject to clubs meeting the required licensing criteria. An earlier East of Scotland League existed between 1896 and 1906, when
1357-585: The Scottish Junior Cup . The town holds its annual gala day on the fourth Saturday in June; there is a parade through the town, followed by games and races at King George V Park. The gala day is part of a week of activities known as the "Civic Week"; this also includes a fairground and a fireworks display in King George V Park. Polkemmet Country Park is located to the west of the town, and incorporates woodland,
1416-559: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms , and Sir Tam Dalyell , a member of the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005. 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
1475-476: The burn that runs through, it was once a district of Linlithgow until 1973 and a parish of Livingston until 1730 when it established into its own as the population began to rise. When reliable statistics began with the Statistical Accounts of Scotland the population was counted at 1,121 in 1755 followed by a more accurately count of 1,322 in 1795. Whitburn has appeared on maps since the 17th century of
1534-459: The fourth tier of Scottish football . They were replaced by Stirling University , but returned for the 2010–11 season . Gretna 2008 entered the league in 2008, formed in the wake of the financial disaster that befell Gretna's former club, Gretna F.C. They initially had to play home matches in the nearby town of Annan , the club that took their place in the SFL. The admission of Duns prior to
1593-700: The supplementary Edinburgh Football League changed its name, after accepting Dundee as a member. There is no connection between the two incarnations of the league. The forerunner of the EOSL was the amateur Eastern League, one of two such leagues this season that had the name, the other being professional and based in the North-East of Scotland. The membership would include subsequent EOSL members; Gala Fairydean, Peebles Rovers, Vale of Leithen, Edinburgh Civil Service, Selkirk and Civil Service Strollers. Gala were league champions with 17 points from their 10 matches. The EoSFL
1652-560: The 19th century but were later closed as traffic diminished and industrial operations ceased. Many of the railways in West Lothian use significant viaducts to cross rivers, ravines and other difficult terrain. 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. The viaduct is 1.5 miles long with 36 masonry arches,
1711-654: The 2011–12 season, and then Burntisland Shipyard in 2012–13 brought the number of sides in the EoSFL to 26, the highest it had ever been up to that point. In 2013, the Lowland Football League was formed to act as a direct feeder to the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), covering an area of Scotland south of the Tay Road Bridge . Nine EoSFL clubs gained entry to the Lowland League, reducing
1770-544: The East of Scotland (City) Cup. Berwick Rangers, Hibernian, and The Spartans have all previously fielded reserve teams in the EoSFL. The EoSFL and EoSFA are full members of the Scottish Football Association . The EoSFL's two-tier format, which began in 1987–88, was abolished for the 2015–16 season due to dwindling numbers and replaced with a single division. To cope with the influx of new members in 2018–19 ,
1829-549: The East of Scotland Football Association (EoSFA) is a technically independent body, which organises all of the other cups. It was founded in 1875 as the "Eastern Branch of the Scottish FA", a title that was vetoed by the Scottish FA. Taking the title Edinburgh FA, it was renamed the East of Scotland FA in 1889. Most of the officials sit on both bodies, and the Executive Committee is a joint organisation. The current President of
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1888-649: The EoSFA is Andy McDonald (of Edinburgh City ), while the President of the EoSFL is John Greenhorn (of Ormiston ). There are 71 members of the East of Scotland Football Association (EoSFA). The first teams of the members in the SPFL have little involvement in EoSFA competitions. Youth teams of Hearts and Hibernian formerly contested the East of Scotland Shield , while Bonnyrigg Rose, Edinburgh City, Kelty Hearts and The Spartans participate in
1947-477: The EoSFL to 20 teams. Hibernian entered a reserve team into the league at the start of the 2013–14 season , but withdrew after one season due to their first team being relegated. Further departures saw the league merged into a single division of 16 teams in 2015–16 , which was then reduced to just 11 teams during 2016–17 as more clubs moved to the Lowland League, back to the Juniors or resigned. Beginning in 2017
2006-451: The area included the Linlithgow and East Falkirk (UK Parliament constituency) . 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. The creation of the modern council area in 1975 drastically altered West Lothian's boundaries. Significant towns not included in
2065-470: The burgh of Bo'ness and the district of Bo'ness to Falkirk District of Central Region , and the burgh of Queensferry and the district of Kirkliston plus part of Winchburgh to the Edinburgh district of Lothian Region. It gained East Calder and West Calder districts from Midlothian. The two-tier system was abolished by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 , and the district of West Lothian
2124-460: 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
2183-412: The county are West Lothian Council and NHS Scotland . 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. Glenmorangie ,
2242-602: The five largest employment sectors in the council area were healthcare , construction , retail , manufacturing , and business administration and support services. 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. 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 . The two largest public sector employers in
2301-417: The former Burgh Chambers of Bathgate Town Council (built in 1966) as its headquarters, extending the building in 1976 and renaming it Lindsay House. The district council retained the county buildings in Linlithgow as additional office space. In November 2009, the new unitary authority , West Lothian Council, centralised its services at the new West Lothian Civic Centre in Livingston . West Lothian
2360-438: The industrial revolution) and the historic mining settlements of Armadale , Fauldhouse , Whitburn , West Calder , Uphall , and Broxburn . In 1975, as a result of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 , the boundaries of West Lothian were adjusted: the 1973 Act abolished the traditional counties and burghs, instead creating a system of Regions and Districts . West Lothian was made a district of Lothian Region but lost
2419-540: The infamous burning bing, started in August 2006 and was completed by February 2008. The last major outbreak of burning occurred in 1998. As of 2017 the bings have been flattened and it is now a large housing estate as a result from the Heartlands Project. There was a Scottish Police College located on the current site of Townhead Gardens in the 1940s, before it moved to the old mansion at Polkemmet. The town's population
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2478-468: The largest indoor shopping location in Scotland and the 10th largest in the UK. 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. The main trunk roads in West Lothian are: Other principal A roads in West Lothian include
2537-518: The league consisted of three conferences running in parallel. For 2019–20, the EoSFL was reorganised back into a two-tier setup, with a 16-team Premier Division and two First Division conferences. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , no relegation took place in 2020 meaning the Premier Division was temporarily increased to 18 clubs. It reverted back to 16 clubs following the 2021–22 season while the top 7 in
2596-659: The league experienced a resurgence with SJFA East Superleague champions Kelty Hearts joining from the Juniors. In April 2018, thirteen clubs—most of them from the East Juniors—were accepted into the league for the 2018–19 season, doubling the league's membership. When the window for applications was extended to the league's AGM in June, even more clubs quit the Junior grade, bringing the total membership up to 39 clubs, split over three conferences. The following season Glenrothes made
2655-441: The league to concentrate their efforts on the South of Scotland Football League . This left the league with an uneven number of clubs, and they were expected to fill the vacancy in the summer of 2005, with Gala Rovers widely touted as likely candidates. However, this did not happen. The only change that happened at that year's AGM of the league, was that Tollcross United announced that they would be competing as Tynecastle from
2714-484: 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. Largest settlements by population: 56,840 23,600 15,970 12,840 12,720 11,490 6,430 5,730 4,900 3,840 Cairnpapple Hill is a scheduled ancient monument and hill with
2773-509: The monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries and is the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots . It is now a visitor attraction in the care of Historic Environment Scotland . The House of the Binns is an early 17th century historic house and estate near Philpstoun . The house is the historic home of the Binn family whose owners included Sir Thomas Dalyell a Scottish Royalist general in
2832-404: The same switch. In 2020 a further ten clubs, including the return of Eyemouth United after a year out, boosted the league's membership to 49 clubs ahead of the 2020–21 season. The remaining East Region junior clubs south of Tayport (most from West Lothian ) joined the league for 2021–22, giving the league a total of 59 members. While the EoSFL oversees the leagues and League Cup competitions;
2891-507: The school. Whitburn has a King George's Field in memory of King George V which was opened in 1955 by Queen Elizabeth II. On 16 January 2012, a planning application was submitted regarding the rebuild of the swimming pool; drawings of the new facility were posted on the Xcite Leisure Website. Whitburn is home to Whitburn Junior F.C. who play at Central Park and compete in the East of Scotland Football League . In 2000 they won
2950-706: The two First Division conferences formed a First and Second Division, with Conference X being renamed the Third Division below. Listed below are the 58 clubs in the EoSFL for the 2024–25 season. Since 2022–23 the EoSFL setup has featured Premier, First, Second, and Third Divisions, with three clubs promoted and relegated between each division. 2023–24 winners unless stated. to 1944–45 Conference A: Penicuik Athletic Conference B: Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic Conference C: Broxburn Athletic Conference B: Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale Conference B: Null and void Conference B: Oakley United * Team promoted to
3009-458: The whisky distillers have offices and a bottling facility in Livingston that was opened in 2011. 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). The combined retail spaces of central Livingston form
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#17330856956733068-442: Was boosted by the 1960s Glasgow overflow. The town's Murraysgate and surrounding areas north-west of the cross were established to deal with the overflow. The town has 5 primary schools, 4 of which have nurseries within. These five schools are known as Croftmalloch Primary School, Polkemmet Primary School, Burnhouse, St Joseph's Primary School and Whitdale Primary School. Whilst four of the schools are non-denominational, St Joseph's
3127-857: Was completed by his sons John Adam and Robert Adam . 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). 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. Examples include Cairns Castle , Duntarvie Castle , Midhope Castle and Staneyhill Tower . There are several public country parks in West Lothian, including Beecraigs Country Park (a 370 hectare park between Bathgate and Linlithgow with forests,
3186-522: Was formed in 1975 when the historic county of West Lothian , also known as Linlithgowshire, was reshaped substantially as part of local government reforms; some areas that had formerly been part of Midlothian were added to a new West Lothian District within the Region of Lothian , whilst some areas in the north-west were transferred to the Falkirk District and areas in the north-east were transferred to
3245-477: Was made into a unitary council area named West Lothian Council . 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. The current council composition is: Following the abolition of West Lothian County Council in 1975, the new West Lothian District Council chose to use
3304-468: Was owned by Esquires . Between the 18th and 20th century the town was dominated by mines with the largest being Polkemmet Colliery – a large coal mine, discovered in the town in the late 1800s – but this was closed in the 1980s as a result of damage by underground flooding during the 1984–85 miners' strike and never re-opened. The colliery buildings have gone, and the coal bings that once were prominent have now been removed. Work to dismantle Bing No 3,
3363-428: Was ranked 6th in the world in the 4barsrest rankings. Whitburn Flute Band was formed in the town in 1962, although it is thought the band may have existed in some form before this. The band host their annual parade through the town on the first Saturday in April. The parade attracts bands from all over the UK who come to compete. The M8 motorway passes to the north of the town. A shared cycle and pedestrian path along
3422-646: Was still regarded as being stronger than the South of Scotland League. Some SoSFL clubs opted to join the EoSFL, including Annan Athletic before they were elected to the SFL in 2008. Dalbeattie Star and Threave Rovers also joined however both subsequently left to rejoin the SoSFL and then later the Lowland League. A number of the sides in the EoSFL have applied to join the SFL in the past, with Annan Athletic applying in (2000, successfully in 2008), Edinburgh City (2002, 2008), Gala Fairydean (1994, 2000, 2002), Preston Athletic (2000, 2002, 2008) and The Spartans (2008). In 2004, Threave Rovers pulled out of
3481-399: Was traditionally one of Scotland's three "senior" non-leagues which sat outside the Scottish Football League (SFL), the other two being the Highland Football League and the South of Scotland Football League (SoSFL). It was generally viewed as being weaker than the Highland League (with fewer of their club sides defeating SFL sides in the Scottish Cup competition as opposed to the HFL), but
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