West Calder

West Calder (Scots: Wast Cauder, Gaelic: Calldair an Iar) is a village in West Lothian, Scotland, located four miles west of Livingston. The village was an important centre for the oil shale economy in the 19th and 20th Centuries. West Calder has its own railway station. The surrounding villages that take West Calder's name in their address - Polbeth, Addiewell, Loganlea, Harburn and Westwood - outline the area that this village encompasses, and they all have played an important part in the history of the village as well as West Lothian. It is also the most northerly centre of the Dogs Trust, closely followed by the new centre at Glasgow. The village is a 10-minute drive from Livingston, which is host to two large shopping centres.

West Calder

West Calder Main Street looking towards the West End
West Calder
Location within West Lothian
Population3,130 (mid-2016 est.)[2]
OS grid referenceNT019632
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWEST CALDER
Postcode districtEH55
Dialling code01506
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

History
Further information: Timeline of West Calder history

Burngrange Pit

Burngrange, an area west of the village, was the site of the Burngrange mining disaster in 1947.

Architecture
West Calder Main Street looking towards the East End

Most housing in the village dates from the mid-20th century, though it has a public library built as early as 1903. Funded by Carnegie money this building represents a fine example of the Art Nouveau style and has a decorative interior. The parish church (1643) was abandoned in 1880 and is now roofless.

Culture

The Five Sisters shale bings to the north of West Calder were named by artist John Latham during his time with an Artist Placement Group project with the Scottish Office’s Development Agency in 1975–6.[3], a local landmark and scheduled monument, the bings rise to a height of 720 feet (220 m), some 230 feet (70 m) above the surrounding area, and are the spoil tips from the oil shale industry that was a feature of the area [4]

A description of West Calder written by Rev. Mr. Muckersie appears in the Old Statistical Account of Scotland (1791-1799), Volume 18 No.9 pp. 190–198. The description includes information on the topics such as the character and manners of the people, agriculture and produce, the ecclesiastical state of the parish, diseases affecting the local populace and details of the poor funds.[5]

Notable people

Sport

West Calder is home to the junior football club West Calder United. The 19th century team Mossend Swifts (which provided two Scottish international players) was also based nearby.

Misc

West Calder also has a Masonic Hall which is home to Lodge Thistle number 270 of the Roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. The hall is also home to the West Calder chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.

West Calder has three churches: Our Lady and St. Bridget's R.C. Church;[6] West Kirk of Calder CofS and Limefield U.F. Church.

West Calder is also the home of the West Calder Model Flying Club. The club is run for the enjoyment and promotion of radio controlled model aircraft flying in the area. The club has its own tarmac runway and is maintained by the members for use throughout the whole year.[7]

  • West Calder
  • West Calder and Five Sisters
  • Five Sisters Bing
  • Five Sisters evening

References
  1. Andy Eagle. "The Online Scots Dictionary". Scots Online. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  2. "Mid-2016 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  3. http://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/17/waste-to-monument-john-lathams-niddrie-woman
  4. "Five Sisters". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  5. "The Statistical Account of Scotland" (PDF). www.electricscotland.com. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  6. "West Calder Catholic ChurchParishes of Our Lady & St. Bridget's - West Calder & St. Thomas - Addiewell - Home". West Calder Catholic Church
    Parishes of Our Lady & St. Bridget's - West Calder
    & St. Thomas - Addiewell    . Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  7. West Calder Radio Control Model Flying Club Retrieved 12 December 2018
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