Far up on the South Westerly corner of West Lothian, over the Black Landscape of Polkemmet Moor to the watershed where the County borders North Lanarkshire, lies Fauldhouse. A mining village comprised of Five small villages that eventually conjoined to become the Town that brought the Railway and the age of Steam to West Lothian.
The History of Fauldhouse
Fauldhouse lies at 750 feet above Sea level and sits high up on the moor. At the turn of the 19th century, the area we now know as Fauldhouse was more like a handful of scattered little settlements and farms than it was anything like a Town. Yet, by the end of that century, it had become the largest town in West Lothian.
Early Origins
Before 1830, the land which is now Fauldhouse was mainly all moorland with a handful of settlements. Fauldhouse itself, originally called ‘Fallas’ meaning ‘the house on the fallow’, was just a small hamlet on the old Shotts to Midcalder Turnpike of just a few little cottages. Blackfaulds, Eastfield, Croftfoot and Crofthead were amongst the other nearby Settlements and Farmsteads that now make up modern day town of Fauldhouse.
Riggs & Rows
The area surrounding
A Mining Town
Steam Town
The caledonian Hotel was built in 1895 right next to the Train station
A Modern Town
Today, Fauldhouse has became a dormitory town for commuters or those who work at home. It is no longer the Industrial hub it Once was when it First started. Most Fauldhouse residents will live here but commute into the nearby Cities of Glasgow or Edinburgh for work. This is very accessible due to the One last existing Train line that still runs a busy service in and out of both these cities.