Fauldhouse

At 750 feet above sea level, Fauldhouse is one of the highest villages in West Lothian

History

Until 1830, there was no village in the Fauldhouse area, only moorland and a few farms. Locals worked on the land or in one of the small coal mines. In 1830, ironstone was found below the moors and its exploitation started the development of the village. The Coltness and Shotts Iron Companies built houses in this isolated spot for their workforce, and three settlements developed: Crofthead, Drybridge and Greenburn. A railway was built in 1845 to transport the pig iron, and a second line in 1869. The population expanded rapidly, and the settlements combined to form the town of Fauldhouse.

Coalmining supplanted ironstone in the later 19^th century and Fauldhouse remained a mining village for the next 100 years. Some 20 pits operated in the local area and the last closed in 1974, leaving a legacy of abandoned mine buildings, and coal bings, most of which have now been cleared away, or re-landscaped.

There is little industry in Fauldhouse, so many residents commute to Livingston, Bathgate or Whitburn, Edinburgh and Glasgow. 

Fauldhouse Today

The surrounding moorland has been softened by a great deal of tree planting, and a network of pleasant footpaths has been created around the town.

Famous residents include Stephen Greenhorn, who wrote River City and Marchlands.

Fauldhouse has its own cricket club, Fauldhouse Victoria. They are one of the oldest clubs in Scotland with their 1^st Team playing in the East of Scotland, Division 1.

The Fauldhouse Penguins are a local, successful swimming team and are part of West Lothian’s Swim West Lothian development program.

Golfing fans can enjoy a round golf on Greenburn Golf Course. This is a testing 18-hole mix of parkland and moorland. The village also offers a cycle trail which is suitable for the whole family. The path is also used by walkers and their dog on a daily basis - so you don't even need a bike. The Trail can be started from the community center