Bathgate
Encyclopedia
Bathgate is a town in West Lothian
, Scotland
, on the M8 motorway 5 miles (8 km) west of Livingston
. Nearby towns are Blackburn
, Armadale
, Whitburn
, Livingston
, and Linlithgow
. Edinburgh Airport
is 13 miles (21 km) away. Situated 2 miles (3 km) south of the Neolithic
burial site at Cairnpapple Hill
, Bathgate and the surrounding area show signs of habitation since about 3500 BC.
(1141 – 9 December 1165). In royal charters of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, the name of Bathgate has appeared as: Bathchet (1160), Bathket (1250) and Bathgetum (1316). Batket in the 14th century, and by the 15th appeared as both Bathgat and Bathcat. The name is a “manifest corruption” of the original Cumbric derivation meaning Boar Wood (baedd coed).
In 1315, the daughter of King Robert I of Scotland (Robert The Bruce), Marjorie
(alternatively spelt Margery) Bruce, married Walter Stewart
(or Steward) (1293– 1326), the 6th Lord High Steward of Scotland. The dowry to her husband included the lands and castle of Bathgate. Walter died at the castle on 9 April 1326. This Marriage is still celebrated in an annual pageant forming part of the Bathgate Procession & John Newlands Festival
, colloquially known as the Bathgate Galaday (or Gala day)
In the 1846 book A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, Samuel Lewis writes:
Another antiquarian, W. Jardin, in the Statistical Account of Scotland Vol I (1793), referring to Walter Stewart states:
Dating from around the same time the remains of Bathgate's former parish church still stand at Kirkton. The original 12th century construction was absorbed by a later build in 1739 when a new church was erected on the same site. The walls of the church were consolidated in 1846. This simple whitewashed edifice served the community until its last service on 9 April 1882. King Malcolm IV makes reference to the original church in a charter, granting it to the monks of Holyrood Abbey
. Records show that Holyrood Abbey gave the church to the abbot and monks of Newbattle Abbey
in 1327.
was chanced upon at nearby Hilderston, in the shadow of Cairnpapple Hill, by a prospecting collier: Sandy Maund. This accidental discovery began a short-lived crown “project” in the area. Advisors to King James VI of Scotland
became aware how rich in silver the mine may be and in April 1608 repossessed the land for the crown. By December 1608 it was clear that the ore in the mine was of varying quality and by March 1613 all efforts to extract silver from the area were abandoned.
Bathgate remained a very small rural community until the middle of the 19th century with only a foray by Covenanter
s in the 17th century to unrest the populace. Frances Groome, in the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4) writes:
Robert Louis Stevenson
, in the book Lay Morals, Part 2: The Pentland Rising. A Page of History further elucidates upon this night in November 1666:
His depiction goes on to describe how the half the army perished in the freezing weather as they headed towards the Pentland Hills
.
In 1831 Bathgate Academy was built. Designed by the Edinburgh architects R&R Dickson this is Bathgate's only large public building of historic merit. It was endowed by a Jamaican plantation owner, John Newlands.
By the opening of Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway in 1849, local mines and quarries were extracting coal
, lime
, and ironstone
.
James Young’s
discovery of cannel coal
in the Boghead area of Bathgate, and the subsequent opening of the Bathgate Chemical Works in 1852, the world's first commercial oil-works, manufacturing paraffin
oil and paraffin wax, signalled an end to the rural community of previous centuries. When the cannel coal resources dwindled around 1866, Young started distilling paraffin from much more readily available shale
. To this date, the landscape of the Lothians is dotted with the orange spoil heaps (called Bings) from this era. Collieries and quarries and the associated “traditional” industries (brickworks, steelworks) were the main employers in Bathgate as the 19th century drew to a close.
— which consisted of the merged Austin Motor Company
and Morris Motors — located a new Truck & Tractor
plant in Bathgate rather than expanding their Longbridge
plant as originally planned. The plant closed in 1986.
On 24 March 1986, the Bathgate-Edinburgh railway line
was re-opened to passengers for the first time since the 1950s. This railway line was extended as the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
to Airdrie
allowing train services to run between Glasgow Queen Street
and Edinburgh Waverley
via on time & on budget in December 2010.
The world's oldest known reptile fossil, Westlothiana lizziae
(affectionately referred to as Lizzie), was discovered in East Kirkton Quarry
, Bathgate in 1987; it is now in the Museum of Scotland.
Early in 1992, the US company Motorola
opened a mobile phone manufacturing (Personal Communications Sector or PCS) plant at Easter Inch in Bathgate (now the Pyramids Business Park). In 2001, the global market for mobile phones dropped sharply and as a consequence, despite pressure from the highest levels of UK government, on 24 April 2001 Motorola announced the closure of the plant and the loss of 3,106 jobs. The 93 acres (376,358 m²) site is now occupied by HMRC.
Notable Bathgate residents have included David Tennant
(born in Bathgate but raised in Paisley); his father Alexander McDonald
, former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; Sir James Young Simpson
, the discoverer of the anesthetic properties of chloroform; and John Newland, one of the town's major benefactors. Newland emigrated to the West Indies. There he became a rich planter, using slaves to maintain and harvest his sugar-cane crop. His benefaction allowed the establishment of Bathgate Academy
, which was founded in 1833. He is remembered today by an annual pageant (known as the Procession or Newland's day), held on the first Saturday in June.
The local secondary schools are Bathgate Academy and St Kentigern's Academy. The Bathgate primary schools are Balbardie, St Mary's, Boghall, St Columba's, and Windyknowe. A new primary school, Simpson Primary, opened on the site of the British Leyland Factory in August 2007. It serves the new area of town called Wester Inch. The school is named after James Young Simpson
.
, butchery, funeral parlour, grocery store
, clothing
, furniture
and even a dance hall. Even after the closure in the 80s The Co-operative dance hall was used as the "Room At The Top" (RATT.) It caught fire in 1997 but now it has reopened in a new purpose-built venue on Menzies Road
There are chain stores as well such as Greggs
, W.H. Smith, Home Bargains
and many more.
football club Bathgate Thistle
, who won the Scottish Junior Cup in 2008. They play at the Creamery Park
. Their stadium is also used for activities such as football roadshows.
s) and the shape of the surrounding bings. The pyramidic shape of the sculpture gave rise to the name of the nearby Pyramids Business park. In April 2007, a local farmer painted the sheep which graze on the pyramids bright red with a harmless sheep spray.
In 1998 the artist Lumir Soukup built the earth sculpture The Bathgate Face at Wester Inch. By taking facial measurements of more than 1200 Bathgate residents, the artist was able to create an 'average profile' which was the basis for the sculpture.
Development in the area in 2004 threatened to demolish the sculpture; however the artist managed to persuade developers to build around his work.
and as part of West Lothian
with:
West Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, on the M8 motorway 5 miles (8 km) west of Livingston
Livingston, Scotland
Livingston is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is the fourth post-WWII new town to be built in Scotland, designated in 1962. It is about 15 miles west of Edinburgh and 30 miles east of Glasgow, and is bordered by the towns of Broxburn to the northeast and Bathgate to the northwest.Livingston...
. Nearby towns are Blackburn
Blackburn, West Lothian
Blackburn is a town in West Lothian, Scotland next to Bathgate and five miles from Livingston. It is situated about from Edinburgh along the old A8 road between Edinburgh and Glasgow.- History :...
, Armadale
Armadale, West Lothian
Armadale is a town within the district of West Lothian in central Scotland.Armadale, formerly known as Barbauchlaw, is an ex-mining town which is also known for its brick manufacturing...
, Whitburn
Whitburn, West Lothian
Whitburn is a small town in West Lothian, Scotland located halfway between Scotlands's two largest cities being about east of Glasgow and west of Edinburgh...
, Livingston
Livingston, Scotland
Livingston is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is the fourth post-WWII new town to be built in Scotland, designated in 1962. It is about 15 miles west of Edinburgh and 30 miles east of Glasgow, and is bordered by the towns of Broxburn to the northeast and Bathgate to the northwest.Livingston...
, and Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
. Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements...
is 13 miles (21 km) away. Situated 2 miles (3 km) south of the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
burial site at Cairnpapple Hill
Cairnpapple Hill
Cairnpapple Hill is a hill with a dominating position in central lowland Scotland with views from coast to coast. It was used and re-used as a major ritual site over about 4000 years, and in its day would have been comparable to better known sites like the Standing Stones of Stenness. The summit...
, Bathgate and the surrounding area show signs of habitation since about 3500 BC.
Medieval (circa 1100 – 1500)
Bathgate first enters the chronicles of history in a confirmation charter by King Malcolm IV of ScotlandMalcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
(1141 – 9 December 1165). In royal charters of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, the name of Bathgate has appeared as: Bathchet (1160), Bathket (1250) and Bathgetum (1316). Batket in the 14th century, and by the 15th appeared as both Bathgat and Bathcat. The name is a “manifest corruption” of the original Cumbric derivation meaning Boar Wood (baedd coed).
In 1315, the daughter of King Robert I of Scotland (Robert The Bruce), Marjorie
Marjorie Bruce
Marjorie Bruce or Marjorie de Brus was the eldest daughter of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots by his first wife, Isabella of Mar, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty. Her marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland gave rise to the House of Stewart...
(alternatively spelt Margery) Bruce, married Walter Stewart
Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland
Walter Stewart was the 6th hereditary High Steward of Scotland. He was also the father of King Robert II of Scotland.-Biography:...
(or Steward) (1293– 1326), the 6th Lord High Steward of Scotland. The dowry to her husband included the lands and castle of Bathgate. Walter died at the castle on 9 April 1326. This Marriage is still celebrated in an annual pageant forming part of the Bathgate Procession & John Newlands Festival
Bathgate Procession & John Newlands Festival
The Bathgate Procession & John Newland Festival is celebrated every year on the first Saturday in June and commemorates two events in the town’s history....
, colloquially known as the Bathgate Galaday (or Gala day)
In the 1846 book A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, Samuel Lewis writes:
Another antiquarian, W. Jardin, in the Statistical Account of Scotland Vol I (1793), referring to Walter Stewart states:
Dating from around the same time the remains of Bathgate's former parish church still stand at Kirkton. The original 12th century construction was absorbed by a later build in 1739 when a new church was erected on the same site. The walls of the church were consolidated in 1846. This simple whitewashed edifice served the community until its last service on 9 April 1882. King Malcolm IV makes reference to the original church in a charter, granting it to the monks of Holyrood Abbey
Holyrood Abbey
Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by King David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a royal residence, and after the Scottish Reformation the Palace of Holyroodhouse was expanded...
. Records show that Holyrood Abbey gave the church to the abbot and monks of Newbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which has subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.-Monastery:...
in 1327.
17th – 18th century
In 1606 silver oreOre
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
was chanced upon at nearby Hilderston, in the shadow of Cairnpapple Hill, by a prospecting collier: Sandy Maund. This accidental discovery began a short-lived crown “project” in the area. Advisors to King James VI of Scotland
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
became aware how rich in silver the mine may be and in April 1608 repossessed the land for the crown. By December 1608 it was clear that the ore in the mine was of varying quality and by March 1613 all efforts to extract silver from the area were abandoned.
Bathgate remained a very small rural community until the middle of the 19th century with only a foray by Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s in the 17th century to unrest the populace. Frances Groome, in the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4) writes:
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
, in the book Lay Morals, Part 2: The Pentland Rising. A Page of History further elucidates upon this night in November 1666:
His depiction goes on to describe how the half the army perished in the freezing weather as they headed towards the Pentland Hills
Pentland Hills
The Pentland Hills are a range of hills to the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around 20 miles in length, and runs south west from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale.Some of the peaks include:* Scald Law...
.
19th century
Established around 1800, the Glenmavis Distillery in Bathgate was purchased in 1831 by one John McNab, who produced the eponymous MacNab's Celebrated Glenmavis Dew from the site until the distillery's closure in 1910. In 1885, the distillery was producing 80,000 gallons of single malt a year which was transported to Scotland, England and the colonies.In 1831 Bathgate Academy was built. Designed by the Edinburgh architects R&R Dickson this is Bathgate's only large public building of historic merit. It was endowed by a Jamaican plantation owner, John Newlands.
By the opening of Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway in 1849, local mines and quarries were extracting coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
, and ironstone
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
.
James Young’s
James Young
James Young was a Scottish chemist best known for his method of distilling paraffin from coal.-Early life:James Young was born in the Drygate area of Glasgow, the son of John Young, a cabinetmaker and joiner...
discovery of cannel coal
Cannel coal
Cannel coal, also known as candle coal, is a type of coal, also classified as terrestrial type oil shale, with a large amount of hydrogen, which burns easily with a bright light and leaves little ash....
in the Boghead area of Bathgate, and the subsequent opening of the Bathgate Chemical Works in 1852, the world's first commercial oil-works, manufacturing paraffin
Paraffin
In chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...
oil and paraffin wax, signalled an end to the rural community of previous centuries. When the cannel coal resources dwindled around 1866, Young started distilling paraffin from much more readily available shale
Oil shale
Oil shale, an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock, contains significant amounts of kerogen from which liquid hydrocarbons called shale oil can be produced...
. To this date, the landscape of the Lothians is dotted with the orange spoil heaps (called Bings) from this era. Collieries and quarries and the associated “traditional” industries (brickworks, steelworks) were the main employers in Bathgate as the 19th century drew to a close.
20th century
In the mid-20th century, many local industries were closed and West Lothian was designated a 'Special Development Area'. In such areas, extra financial inducements were offered by the British government to assist companies wishing to relocate. As a result, in 1961, the BMCBritish Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
— which consisted of the merged Austin Motor Company
Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
and Morris Motors — located a new Truck & Tractor
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
plant in Bathgate rather than expanding their Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
plant as originally planned. The plant closed in 1986.
On 24 March 1986, the Bathgate-Edinburgh railway line
Edinburgh to Bathgate Line
The Edinburgh to Bathgate Line is a railway line in East Central Scotland. It is also known as the Bathgate branch and the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway.-History:...
was re-opened to passengers for the first time since the 1950s. This railway line was extended as the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
The Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link is a railway in central Scotland.Instigated as part of a round of transport improvement projects proposed by the then Scottish Executive in 2003, the plan was to open up a fourth direct railway link between the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. The project was...
to Airdrie
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
allowing train services to run between Glasgow Queen Street
Glasgow Queen Street railway station
Glasgow Queen Street is a railway station in Glasgow, Scotland, the smaller of the city's two main line railway termini and the third-busiest station in Scotland. It is between George Street to the south and Cathedral Street Bridge to the north, at the northern end of Queen Street adjacent to...
and Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
via on time & on budget in December 2010.
The world's oldest known reptile fossil, Westlothiana lizziae
Westlothiana
Westlothiana lizziae was a reptile-like amphibian or possibly early reptile that bore a superficial resemblance to modern-day lizards. It lived during the Carboniferous period, about 350 million years ago. The type specimen was discovered in East Kirkton Quarry, Bathgate, Scotland, in 1984, and was...
(affectionately referred to as Lizzie), was discovered in East Kirkton Quarry
East Kirkton Quarry
East Kirkton Quarry is a former limestone quarry, now better known as a fossil site known for terrestrial fossils from the fossil-poor "Romer's gap, a 15 million year period at the beginning of the Carboniferous...
, Bathgate in 1987; it is now in the Museum of Scotland.
Early in 1992, the US company Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
opened a mobile phone manufacturing (Personal Communications Sector or PCS) plant at Easter Inch in Bathgate (now the Pyramids Business Park). In 2001, the global market for mobile phones dropped sharply and as a consequence, despite pressure from the highest levels of UK government, on 24 April 2001 Motorola announced the closure of the plant and the loss of 3,106 jobs. The 93 acres (376,358 m²) site is now occupied by HMRC.
Notable Bathgate residents have included David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
(born in Bathgate but raised in Paisley); his father Alexander McDonald
Alexander McDonald (Moderator)
Dr. Alexander "Sandy" McDonald is a retired minister of the Church of Scotland.Dr. McDonald was born in Bishopbriggs, Scotland in 1937, the son of Jessie Helen Low and Alexander M. McDonald. He worked in the timber industry in the 1950s, prior to National Service in the Royal Air Force...
, former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; Sir James Young Simpson
James Young Simpson
Sir James Young Simpson was a Scottish doctor and an important figure in the history of medicine. Simpson discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform and successfully introduced it for general medical use....
, the discoverer of the anesthetic properties of chloroform; and John Newland, one of the town's major benefactors. Newland emigrated to the West Indies. There he became a rich planter, using slaves to maintain and harvest his sugar-cane crop. His benefaction allowed the establishment of Bathgate Academy
Bathgate Academy
Bathgate Academy is a secondary school in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland. Approximately 1,000 students are taught from ages 11–18, serving the needs of several communities including Blackburn and some communities outwith the catchment area such as Livingston....
, which was founded in 1833. He is remembered today by an annual pageant (known as the Procession or Newland's day), held on the first Saturday in June.
The local secondary schools are Bathgate Academy and St Kentigern's Academy. The Bathgate primary schools are Balbardie, St Mary's, Boghall, St Columba's, and Windyknowe. A new primary school, Simpson Primary, opened on the site of the British Leyland Factory in August 2007. It serves the new area of town called Wester Inch. The school is named after James Young Simpson
James Young Simpson
Sir James Young Simpson was a Scottish doctor and an important figure in the history of medicine. Simpson discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform and successfully introduced it for general medical use....
.
Industry and business
Bathgate was a very industrial town in its time. It played host to the Menzies' Foundry (demolished recently due to the railway link construction) and British Leyland was sighted in Bathgate too. It had two train stations, Bathgate North and South. There was a link that ran from the site of the current station, along Menzies Road, at the rear of one side of Mill Road all the way to Easton Road where the station was. This was used for the coal-mining industries and the foundries.Shopping
Bathgate used to and still has a great variety of shopping industries across the town. In the late 1800s The Co-operative Halls were built and the served the community until the closure in the 80s. It provided a bakeryBakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
, butchery, funeral parlour, grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
, clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
, furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
and even a dance hall. Even after the closure in the 80s The Co-operative dance hall was used as the "Room At The Top" (RATT.) It caught fire in 1997 but now it has reopened in a new purpose-built venue on Menzies Road
There are chain stores as well such as Greggs
Greggs
Greggs plc is the largest specialist retail bakery chain in the United Kingdom. It was established in the 1930s as a single shop but has approximately 1,500 outlets....
, W.H. Smith, Home Bargains
Home Bargains
Home Bargains is a chain of discount stores, offering home bargains, operating throughout the United Kingdom, founded by Tom Morris in Liverpool, England approximately 30 years ago...
and many more.
Demographics
| Year | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,827 | 4,991 | 6,425 | 5,786 | 7,549 | 8,226 | 8,504 | 10,127 | 11,291 | not available | not available | not available | 13,819 | 15,068 |
| Sources:Online Historical Population Reports, A Vision Of Britain Through Time and General Register Office for Scotland | ||||||||||||||
Football
Bathgate is home to the juniorScottish Junior Football Association
The Scottish Junior Football Association is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the Junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "Junior" refers to the level of football played...
football club Bathgate Thistle
Bathgate Thistle F.C.
Bathgate Thistle F.C. are a Scottish junior football club, based in the town of Bathgate, West Lothian. They play in the Scottish Junior Football Association's East Region Super League....
, who won the Scottish Junior Cup in 2008. They play at the Creamery Park
Creamery Park
Creamery Park is a football ground located in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland. It serves as the home ground of East Region Super League outfit Bathgate Thistle, as well as serving as the home ground for the Motherwell Under-19 team. Previously it had been home to the Rangers Reserve team, until a...
. Their stadium is also used for activities such as football roadshows.
Land art
Part of the M8 Art Project saw the artist Patricia Leighton's 'Sawtooth Ramps' project being built in 1993. The sculpture is 1000 feet (304.8 m) long and consists of seven 36 feet (11 m) high ramps. The artist based the design on local geographic features (drumlinDrumlin
A drumlin, from the Irish word droimnín , first recorded in 1833, is an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine.-Drumlin formation:...
s) and the shape of the surrounding bings. The pyramidic shape of the sculpture gave rise to the name of the nearby Pyramids Business park. In April 2007, a local farmer painted the sheep which graze on the pyramids bright red with a harmless sheep spray.
In 1998 the artist Lumir Soukup built the earth sculpture The Bathgate Face at Wester Inch. By taking facial measurements of more than 1200 Bathgate residents, the artist was able to create an 'average profile' which was the basis for the sculpture.
Development in the area in 2004 threatened to demolish the sculpture; however the artist managed to persuade developers to build around his work.
Partner towns
- Cran-GevrierCran-GevrierCran-Gevrier is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-Geography:Cran-Gevrier is in the east of Annecy. Part of the city is on a hill . The hamlet of Cran was on the level of the Thiou river...
, France
and as part of West Lothian
West Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
with:
- HochsauerlandHochsauerlandHochsauerlandkreis is a Kreis in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Soest, Paderborn, Höxter, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe, Märkischer Kreis.- History :...
, Germany
Notable people
- Racing driver Dario FranchittiDario FranchittiGeorge Dario Marino Franchitti is a Scottish racing driver. He formerly competed in the CART series before switching to the IndyCar Series where he was 2007 champion, and won the rain-shortened 2007 Indianapolis 500. Franchitti is also a former NASCAR driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, competing...
was born there. He now races in the USA-based IndyCar SeriesIndyCar SeriesThe IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
where he won the 20072007 Indianapolis 500The 91st Indianapolis 500 ran on Sunday, May 27, 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the 12th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and marked the fifth race of the 2007 IndyCar Series season just after the 2007 Kansas Lottery Indy 300 and just before the 2007 ABC Supply...
and 2010 Indianapolis 5002010 Indianapolis 500The 94th Indianapolis 500 was held on Sunday, May 30, 2010, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the 15th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was the premier event of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The race was won by Dario Franchitti, ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco...
s, 2007 Indy Racing League championship. and the 2009 Indy Racing League championship2009 IndyCar Series seasonThe 2009 IndyCar Series season was the 14th season of the IndyCar Series. The 17-race season began on April 5, and its premier event, the 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held May 24. All races were broadcast on ABC or Versus in high-definition...
. - Racing driver Marino FranchittiMarino FranchittiMarino Alessandro Cesare Franchitti is a Scottish race car driver, and the younger brother of Dario Franchitti...
, younger brother of Dario, driving in the American Le Mans SeriesAmerican Le Mans SeriesThe American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
in 2009. - Sir James Young SimpsonJames Young SimpsonSir James Young Simpson was a Scottish doctor and an important figure in the history of medicine. Simpson discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform and successfully introduced it for general medical use....
, discoverer of the anaesthetic properties of chloroformChloroformChloroform is an organic compound with formula CHCl3. It is one of the four chloromethanes. The colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane, and is considered somewhat hazardous...
, was born there. - Actor David TennantDavid TennantDavid Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
, who played Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireHarry Potter and the Goblet of FireHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, published on 8 July 2000.The novel won a Hugo Award in 2001, the only Harry Potter novel to do so...
and the tenth incarnationTenth DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
of The Doctor in Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, was born here. - European Tour golfer Stephen GallacherStephen GallacherStephen James Gallacher is a Scottish professional golfer.Gallacher was born in Dechmont, West Lothian and is the nephew of former European Ryder Cup Captain Bernard Gallacher. He played in a victorious Walker Cup side in 1995 and turned professional later that year.Gallacher first played on the...
- Former Ryder CupRyder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
captain Bernard GallacherBernard GallacherBernard Gallacher, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer.Gallacher was born in Bathgate, Scotland. He took up golf at the age of eleven. In 1965 he won the Lothians Golf Assocation Boys Championship. He won the 1967 Scottish Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship and turned professional the same... - Former Ryder Cup captain Eric BrownEric Brown (golfer)Eric Chalmers Brown was a Scottish professional golfer.Brown was born in Bathgate and played at the local golf course. He represented Great Britain in the Ryder Cup in 1953, 1955, 1957 and 1959 and had a 4-4-0 win-loss-half record. He won all of his four singles matches but lost his four foursomes...
- Director Michael Caton Jones, born in nearby Broxburn, went to St. Mary's Academy here.
- Ian Black, HeartsHeart of Midlothian F.C.Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
football player. - Racing driver Paul di RestaPaul di RestaPaul di Resta is a British racing driver from Scotland, currently competing in Formula One with Force India. He is also a former DTM champion.-Personal life:...
lived in Bathgate and studied at the present Bathgate Academy, situ Edinburgh road. He was the 2010 DTMDeutsche Tourenwagen MastersThe Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters is a touring car racing series based in Germany, but also with rounds elsewhere in Europe....
champion and is the cousin of Dario and Marino Franchitti. In 2011 he is racing for the Force IndiaForce IndiaSahara Force India Formula One Team, the trading name of Force India Formula One Team Limited, is a Formula One racing team based in Silverstone, United Kingdom which currently holds an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 2007 when a consortium led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and...
team in Formula 1.
External links
- Undiscovered Scotland, Bathgate
- www.westlothian.com, Bathgate
- National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE (archive film about Bathgate Festival Week, June 1951)