Fauldhouse ( sco, Fauldhoose; gd, Falas)
is a village in
West Lothian
West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...
, Scotland. It is about halfway between
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
. The nearest towns to Fauldhouse are
Whitburn and
Livingston
Livingston may refer to:
Businesses
* Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010)
* Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline
* Livingston International, a North American custom ...
. Other neighbouring villages include
Longridge
Longridge is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of the city of Preston, at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long ridge above the River Ribble. Its nearest neigh ...
,
Shotts
Shotts is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located almost halfway between Glasgow () and Edinburgh (). The village has a population of about 8,840. A local story has Shotts being named after the legendary giant highwayman Bertram de ...
and
Stoneyburn
Stoneyburn is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. Nearby towns include Bathgate, Whitburn, Addiewell and Blackburn.
Geography
Stoneyburn is situated in the Central Belt of Scotland, some 4 miles from Bathgate in the north and 5 from Livin ...
. At approximately 750 feet above sea level, Fauldhouse is one of the highest villages in West Lothian.
History
Settlements and farms within Fauldhouse have existed since, at least, the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, and was known until the 19th century by the names ''Falas'', ''Fallas'', ''Fawlhous'' and ''Falhous''.
The first written mention of Fauldhouse was in 1523.
The seventeenth century
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
mapmaker Willem Blaeu
Willem Janszoon Blaeu (; 157121 October 1638), also abbreviated to Willem Jansz. Blaeu, was a Dutch cartographer, atlas maker and publisher. Along with his son Johannes Blaeu, Willem is considered one of the notable figures of the Netherlandis ...
features Fauldhouse as ''Falas'' on two maps in his ''Atlas Novus'' of Scotland, and there are families with the surname Fallas. The name ''Fallas'' or ''Fauldhouse'' has been translated as "house on the fold", "house in the field", or "house on unploughed (fallow) land".
However, the name may be older than the Middle Ages, and might even be derived from the
Brythonic or Welsh-type language once spoken in the
Lothian
Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Sco ...
region. Historically, Fauldhouse was in the parish of Livingston but in 1730 it was transferred to Whitburn.
Fauldhouse is a former mining community.
A mine existed in the area as early as 1790.
However, the community developed extensively from the 1830s following discovery of coal and iron resources, in particular the discovery of an extractable slatery
ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...
.
Focusing initially around three smaller settlements (Crofthead, Drybridge and Greenburn), the village eventually grew and combined as one settlement, following new mines and the coming of the railway in 1845 (transportation of mine workings) and a second line in 1869.
Some twenty mines were in operation around Fauldhouse, with the last closing in 1974.
Nearby significant local
mines and
quarries
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environ ...
(now closed) included:
* The Greenburn Pit (
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
).
* Crofthead Quarry and mines (
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
and iron ore), below the area now marked by Quarry road.
Crofthead also included a brick works. Operations ceased in 1909 and the area was used as a rubbish dump by West Lothian County Council before returned to private ownership.
* Fauldhousehills and Fallahills quarries (sandstone).
* Braehead quarries (sandstone,
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when dea ...
and other minerals).
* Shotts road colliery, established between 1864 and 1899.
* Bridge-end colliery (coal).
* Eastfield collieries (coal and iron ore).
The central street, Main Street has a number of substantial
ashlar stone cottages. These are known locally as the “Garibaldi Row”.
Those stone houses in the West End were constructed by Thomas Thornton & Co who also owned the miners shop.
In 1895, the Caledonia Hotel was built and served as a station hotel and cultural venue for the village.
The building has
oriel windows
An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window is most commonly found projecting from an upper f ...
.
The hotel was damaged by fire in 1985 and then closed in 1992 when it was converted into flats.
In 1900, Crofthead Primary school was built in the village.
The school was three storeys and has since been converted into a care home, as other new schools have been built.
In 1908, a
drill hall
A drill hall is a place such as a building or a hangar where soldiers practise and perform military drills.
Description
In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, the term was used for the whole headquarters building of a military reserve unit, ...
was built in the village and alter incorporated into the structure of the local mining institute.
The hall had an indoor firing range and in 1914 the hall was base for "F" Company, 10th
yclistBattalion,
Royal Scots
The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...
.
The village previously had a theatre and cinema, the Palace Theatre, which opened in 1914. It later became the Savoy Bingo Club and was then demolished.
Transport
The village is served by the
Fauldhouse railway station
Fauldhouse railway station is a railway station serving Fauldhouse in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located on the Shotts Line
The Shotts Line is a suburban railway line linking and via in Scotland. It is one of the four rail links betw ...
, on the
Shotts Line
The Shotts Line is a suburban railway line linking and via in Scotland. It is one of the four rail links between the two cities.
Between Glasgow Central and , the line is shared with the West Coast Main Line (WCML), before branching off tow ...
between Glasgow and Edinburgh,
McGill's Scotland East
McGill's Bus Services is a bus operator based in Greenock, Scotland.[Lothian Country
Lothian Buses is a major bus operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the largest municipal bus company in the United Kingdom: the City of Edinburgh Council (through Transport for Edinburgh) owns 91%, Midlothian Council 5%, East Lothian ...]
used to operate service 281 between Livingston, Bathgate and Fauldhouse but this was withdrawn in November 2021
Education
The village has two primary schools, Falla Hill and St. John the Baptist RC. The local high school for Falla Hill is
Whitburn Academy
Whitburn Academy is a mixed secondary school in Whitburn, West Lothian
Whitburn (originally Whiteburn) is a small town in West Lothian, Scotland, halfway between Scotlands's two largest cities, about east of Glasgow and west of Edinbur ...
and for St John the Baptist,
St. Kentigern's Academy
St. Kentigern's Academy is a Roman Catholic, comprehensive school in Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland.
The school was built in 1973 and refurbished in 1995/6. An extensive refurbishment of the school was completed in September 2009.
Scottish ...
in
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
.
Religion
There are two churches in Fauldhouse. St Andrew's Kirk on Main Street was built in 1866 and designed by Angus Kennedy.
It is in a
Gothic revival style
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
and has buttresses and a traceried window.
The church of St. John the Baptist was the first Roman Catholic parish in West Lothian and was built in 1873.
Designed by W & R Ingram, it consists of a chapel with corbelled belfry and spirelet above a rose window and contains several fine examples of Stained Glass.
Geography
Sports
Football
The local
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club is
Fauldhouse United, winners of the
Scottish Junior Cup
The Scottish Junior Cup is an annual football competition organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association. The competition has been held every year since the inception of the SJFA in 1886 and, as of the 2022–23 edition, 108 teams compete ...
in 1946, who now play in the
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.
Fo ...
.
In 2001, the Fauldhouse Foxes BC was formed, later known as Fauldhouse FCA. They now operate with teams ranging from Under 9 up to Under 19. The Under 13s won the Scottish Cup in 2011, beating Syngenta Juveniles 3–0 in the final.
Golf
To the south of Fauldhouse is the 18-hole Greenburn Golf Course which was founded in 1892, but has been on its present site for around 50 years. Trains run through the course over a
viaduct
A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
.
Cricket
The local
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
club is Fauldhouse Victoria.
They were established in 1855, and are one of the oldest clubs in Scotland. The 1st team plays in the East of Scotland Division 1.
Swimming
The swimming club in Fauldhouse is called the Fauldhouse Penguins. They are part of the swimming development programme in West Lothian called Swim West Lothian (SWL).
Notable people
Stephen Greenhorn
Stephen Greenhorn (born 5 September 1964 in Fauldhouse, West Lothian, Scotland) is a Scottish playwright and screenwriter. He is the creator of the BBC Scotland soap opera ''River City''.
Theatre
Greenhorn’s plays have been produced by a wide ...
, who wrote ''
River City
''River City'' is a Scottish television soap opera that was first broadcast on BBC One Scotland on 24 September 2002. ''River City'' follows the lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch. In November 2017, a s ...
'' and ''Marchlands'', is from Fauldhouse. In 2013, Greenhorn adapted his musical ''
Sunshine on Leith'' for the big screen. The film was shot in Glasgow and Edinburgh in late 2012; it stars
Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan (; born 2 November 1959) is a Scottish actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his role in Ken Loach's ''My Name Is Joe'' (1998), for which he won Best Actor Award at 1998 Cannes Film Festival, 2000's '' The Claim'' and all thr ...
and
Jane Horrocks
Barbara Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is a British actress. She portrayed the roles of Bubble and Katy Grin in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous''. She was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the title role in th ...
, and is directed by
Dexter Fletcher
Dexter Fletcher (born 31 January 1966) is an English film director and actor. He has appeared in Guy Ritchie's ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'', as well as in television shows such as the comedy drama '' Hotel Babylon'' and the HBO series ...
.
John McLaren, won the title Scottish Junior Cross Country Champion in 1954, and then retained the title. In 1955, McLaren won the English title and came in 12th in the
1956 International Cross Country Championships. He represented Scotland six times throughout his career.
Paige Turley, winner of the TV show ''
Love Island''.
Jack Aitchison football, former ''
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
'' player.
Neil Findlay
Neil Findlay (born 6 March 1969) is a Scottish politician who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Lothian from 2011 to 2021. A member of Scottish Labour, he was previously a councillor in West Lothian from 2003 to 2012.
Early l ...
Former Member of the Scottish Parliament.
Craig Robertson International badminton, now badminton coach.
Reese Lynch Boxing, won gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Paul Clark High jump, won silver at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
See also
*
Fauldhouse and Crofthead railway station
References
External links
Undiscovered Scotland - Fauldhouse
{{Authority control
Villages in West Lothian