West Lothian is a council area in central Scotland, between Edinburgh and Falkirk. It covers 428 square kilometres (165 sq mi) and had a population of 181,278 at the 2022 census, making it one of the fastest-growing parts of Scotland. The council is based at the Civic Centre in Livingston.
Livingston, designated a new town in 1962, is the largest settlement. Bathgate, Linlithgow, Broxburn, Armadale and Whitburn are the other main towns.
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Status | Council area |
| Area | 428 km2 (165 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | 181,278 |
| Population (2011) | 175,118 |
| Largest town | Livingston |
| Administrative centre | Livingston |
| County town (historic) | Linlithgow |
| Council | West Lothian Council |
| Postcode areas | EH27, EH47 to EH55 |
Towns and Villages in West Lothian
West Lothian has 60 named towns and villages. Most sit on two lines: the M8 corridor through Livingston, Bathgate, Armadale and Whitburn, and the older Forth-side route through Linlithgow, Winchburgh and Broxburn. The southern parishes around Fauldhouse, West Calder and Stoneyburn are former shale and coal villages.
- Abercorn
- Addiebrownhill
- Addiewell
- Armadale
- Ballencrieff
- Bathgate
- Belsyde
- Bents
- Blackburn
- Blackridge
- Blackston
- Breich
- Bridge Castle
- Bridgend
- Broxburn
- Camps
- Crofthead
- Dechmont
- East Calder
- East Whitburn
- Ecclesmachan
- Faucheldean
- Fauldhouse
- Grange
- Harburn
- Humbie
- Kingscavil
- Kirknewton
- Linburn
- Linlithgow
- Livingston
- Loganlea
- Longford Crofts
- Longridge
- Meadowbank View
- Mid Calder
- Mossend
- Newton
- Oakbank
- Parkhead
- Philpstoun
- Polbeth
- Pumpherston
- Seafield
- Stoneyburn
- Strathloanhead
- Threemiletown
- Torphichen
- Uphall
- West Calder
- West Harwood Crofts
- West Mains Crofts
- Wester Dechmont
- Wester Orchiltree
- Westfield
- Westrigg
- Whitburn
- Wilkieston
- Winchburgh
- Woodend
Livingston’s districts, among them Craigshill, Dedridge, Knightsridge, Eliburn, Ladywell, Murieston and Almondvale, are parts of the new town rather than separate villages, so they are not listed above.
Geography
West Lothian is rolling farmland and low hills between the Forth and the northern edge of the Pentlands. The Bathgate Hills run through the middle, topped by Cairnpapple Hill at 312 metres, with wide views to both coasts. The Rivers Almond and Avon drain the area northwards into the Forth.
The most distinctive features are man-made. Shale bings, the red spoil heaps of the nineteenth-century oil industry, stand across the centre of the council area; the Five Sisters bing at West Calder is a scheduled monument. Beecraigs and Almondell and Calderwood are the main country parks.
Neighbours are Falkirk to the west, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire to the south-west, Midlothian to the south-east, and the City of Edinburgh to the east.
Demographics
The 2022 census counted 181,278 residents, up 6,160 on 2011 and up more than 22,000 since 2001. Density is about 424 people per square kilometre. Growth has been steady since the 1960s, driven first by the new town and then by housing on the Edinburgh commuter belt.
Winchburgh, East Calder and Calderwood have absorbed the largest recent housing schemes. The age profile is younger than the Scottish average, a lasting effect of the new-town intake, and household numbers are rising faster than population as household size falls.
Economy and Local Life
West Lothian was the birthplace of the commercial oil industry. James Young patented the extraction of paraffin from shale in 1850 and built works at Bathgate and Addiewell; at its height the industry employed 13,000 people and ran until the last works closed in 1962. The bings are what remains.
The British Leyland truck plant at Bathgate opened in 1961 and closed in 1986. Electronics replaced it in the 1980s and 1990s, when Livingston was part of Silicon Glen; the Motorola plant closed in 2001. The economy is now weighted to distribution and logistics along the M8, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, retail at Livingston’s Centre and Designer Outlet, and commuting into Edinburgh, which takes a large share of the resident workforce.
History
Cairnpapple Hill was a ceremonial site from about 3500 BC and was used, altered and reused for some 3,000 years. Torphichen Preceptory, north of Bathgate, was the Scottish headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller from the twelfth century.
Linlithgow was the county town of Linlithgowshire, the historic name for West Lothian, and its royal palace on the loch was a favourite Stewart residence. James V was born there in 1512 and his daughter Mary, Queen of Scots, in December 1542. The palace burned in 1746 and has stood roofless since. The county was renamed West Lothian in 1921, and the modern council area took its present boundaries in 1975 when Bo’ness went to Falkirk.
Getting There
The M8 crosses the council area between Edinburgh and Glasgow, with junctions for Livingston, Bathgate, Whitburn and Armadale. The M9 runs along the northern side past Linlithgow, and the A71, A89, A706 and A801 handle local traffic.
Three rail routes serve West Lothian: the Edinburgh to Glasgow main line through Linlithgow, the Airdrie to Bathgate line calling at Livingston North, Bathgate and Armadale, and the Shotts line through Livingston South, West Calder, Fauldhouse and Breich. Edinburgh Airport sits on the eastern boundary, about five miles from Broxburn.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of West Lothian?
181,278 at the 2022 census, up 6,160 on 2011.
What is the largest town in West Lothian?
Livingston, a new town designated in 1962. Bathgate, Linlithgow, Broxburn and Whitburn follow.
How many towns and villages are there?
60 named settlements, excluding the districts that make up Livingston itself.
What are the red hills in West Lothian?
Shale bings, the spoil from the oil-shale industry that ran from the 1850s to 1962. The Five Sisters at West Calder is the best known and is a scheduled monument.
Was West Lothian once called Linlithgowshire?
Yes. The county was Linlithgowshire until it was renamed West Lothian in 1921, and Linlithgow was its county town.
What postcodes cover West Lothian?
EH47 to EH55, covering Bathgate, Livingston, Linlithgow, Broxburn, Whitburn and the Calders, plus EH27 for Kirknewton.