Fauldhouse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fauldhouse | |
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| OS grid reference: | NS929606 |
| Population: | 4,730 (2004 est) [1] |
| Council area: | West Lothian |
| Constituent country: | Scotland |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom |
| Police force: | Lothian and Borders Police |
| Lieutenancy area: | West Lothian |
| Former county: | West Lothian |
| Post town: | FAULDHOUSE |
| Postal: | EH47 |
| Telephone: | 01501 |
| Scottish Parliament: | Linlithgow |
| UK Parliament: | Linlithgow and East Falkirk |
| European Parliament: | Scotland |
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Fauldhouse is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, lying roughly half way between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Fauldhouse is known since the Middle Ages, and was known until the 19th century by the names "Falas" or latterly "Fallas." The seventeenth century Dutch mapmaker Willem Blaeu features Fauldhouse as "Falas" on two maps in his Atlas Novus of Scotland. There are families with the surname Fallas, who obviously had ancestors who came from Fauldhouse. 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 region.
A desolate location on the edge of a moor, the decline in its mining and other industries and a general reputation for being quite tough have made it a rather neglected place in recent times, though relatively cheap property prices and its proximity to the two major Scottish cities are now stimulating signs of regeneration. The population is currently increasing with hundreds of homes being built.
To the south of Fauldhouse is the 18 hole Greenburn Golf Club which was founded in 1892, but which has been on its present site for around 50 years. The village also has two primary schools, which have both been expanding over recent years. Fauldhouse once boasted a cinema but it was closed many years ago.
The town has an hourly service at Fauldhouse station on the Edinburgh-Glasgow via Shotts line; the next stop along the line to the east is technically Breich, however as most services skip Breich it is Addiewell station, and travelling west is Shotts station.
The local football team are Fauldhouse United who play in Eastern Region and won the Scottish Junior Cup in 1946. Neighbouring villages include Longridge, Shotts and Stoneyburn. The nearest town to Fauldhouse is Bathgate followed by Livingston.
- Map sources for Fauldhouse
