Livingston, Scotland
Encyclopedia
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 (25 km) west of Edinburgh
and 30 miles (50 km) east of Glasgow
, and is bordered by the towns of Broxburn
to the northeast and Bathgate
to the northwest.
Livingston is the biggest town in West Lothian. It was built around a collection of small villages, Livingston Village
, Bellsquarry
and Livingston Station (now known as Deans). It has a number of residential precincts or areas. These include Carmondean, Craigshill
, Howden
, Dedridge
, Ladywell
, Knightsridge
, Murieston
, Adambrae
, Deans
, Deer Park and Eliburn
. The core locality of Livingston is defined by the General Register Office for Scotland
(GRO) as including Uphall Station
and Pumpherston
. The wider urban Settlement area also includes Mid Calder
and East Calder
. Other neighbouring villages include Kirknewton
, Polbeth
and West Calder
. The 2001 census showed the town had a locality population of 50,826 (24,451 male and 26,375 female) and an urban settlement population of 59,511. The town's current locality population is estimated to be 54,740 and the urban settlement population is 63,160 (2008 GRO Mid Year estimates released in 2010).
Livingston is also the second biggest settlement in the Lothians after Edinburgh. Until 1963 the area surrounding the ancient village of Livingston was open farm land and the ancient village is now called Livingston Village
. The name was taken from this village which dates back to 12th Century when a Flemish entrepreneur called De Leving was granted land in the area. He built a fortified tower which is long since gone and the settlement that grew up around it became known as Levingstoun, Layingston and eventually Livingston.
, in part to ease overcrowding in Glasgow. Livingston was the fourth new town of five. The others were East Kilbride
, Glenrothes
, Cumbernauld
and Irvine.
In order to build, manage and promote Livingston a quango
organisation was formed, the Livingston Development Corporation.
The corporation guided Livingston until the middle of the 1990s when its mandate expired and the town was transferred to West Lothian Council. The last major construction operation carried out by the LDC was the Almondvale Stadium, which was to become the home to the renamed Livingston FC. A new purpose built campus for West Lothian College
and other major developments have also taken place in Livingston over the last 10 years.
Construction in Livingston has continued under the management of West Lothian Council.
In 1979, an employee of the LDC claimed he was knocked unconscious after an alleged conflict with activities from a UFO. Robert Taylor, who was in his sixties at this point in time, was working as a farmer near Dechmont Law when the supposed incident took place. The incident was reported to the police, but nearly 40 years after taking place, the incident has never been resolved. It does, however, remain as one of The UK's
most notable UFO sightings.
.
, which is evident from the bings which still exist on much of the surrounding landscape. The designation of Livingston in the 1960s attracted new light industries to the area, with high technology and pharmaceutical companies in particular moving into the town. Livingston formed a major hub in Scotland's Silicon Glen
. Like most other areas this went into a slow decline with the closures of companies including Motorola
and NEC
. Several multi-national companies however still have factories in the town and BSkyB has its main call centre in Livingston and is the largest private sector employer in West Lothian. Other large employers include those in the retail sector and the National Health Service
.
sits on the southern edge of the Almond Valley. It is bounded by a ring road and has been purposely planned, distinguishing it from West Lothian's other town centres. Howden Park is located immediately north of the town centre.
Livingston is the sub-regional centre serving West Lothian. It features one of the largest indoor shopping and leisure complexes in Scotland, The Centre (formerly Almondvale Shopping Centre) and the Livingston Designer Outlet
(formerly McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Centre).
The Centre, was completed in its current guise on October 16, 2008. The total development has around 155 shops and eating establishments. The Centre has a wintergarden, an outdoor restaurant area, and several famous shopping names. Major shops include Asda Wal-mart Supercentre
, Next, Topshop
, M&S
, River Island
, Debenhams
and with a Primark
under construction plus more..
The designer outlet mall contains a VUE multiplex cinema, a gym, bars, restaurants and cafes as well as around 100 outlet stores.
Livingston town centre has an abundance of car parking. The south western edge of the town centre is dominated by retail parks. These contain a number of well known retailers such as Toys 'R' Us, PC World
& Currys
as well as fast food outlets like KFC
and Frankie & Benny's
.
There is also a large B&Q
in the south-west of the town centre as well as a large Morrisons
supermarket. The Homebase
store closed in July 2010 and Argos
moved across the road. The former Homebase
& Argos
stores were converted into a large Sainsburys supermarket that opened in December 2010. Also in the town centre are foreign food stores such as Aldi
and Lidl
which is located beside the Almondvale Stadium.
Livingston's town centre also contains a large number of offices. Private sector offices are also concentrated at the eastern and western edges of the centre and along the Almondvale Boulevard
. Other facilities in the centre include hotels, a swimming pool and local authority gym, restaurants, pubs and Club Earth. Almondvale Football Stadium and West Lothian College
are located at the north western edge of the town centre..
The Livingston Civic Centre was completed in June 2009 and officially opened by First Minister Alex Salmond
on 25 November 2009. The Civic Centre is located just north of the The Centre on the bank of the river Almond. It is home to the divisional headquarters of Lothian and Borders Police
, as well as the sheriff and justice of the peace, West Lothian Council
, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
, the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration
, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service
and the West Lothian Community Health and Care Partnership. The Livingston Civic Centre was completed on time and on budget. It is thought to be the first public sector partnership of its kind in the UK..
Neighbourhood Shopping Centres are located at stragic points around the town. The first of these to be built was The Mall at Craigshill. This was followed by the Carmondean Centre in Deans and groupings of shops in Ladywell and Murieston..
dual carriageway spine road passes north south along Livingston's eastern edge and connects the M8 in the north to the A71
in the South and has the A89
to the west.
are the main bus operator in Livingston, other operators include E&M Horsburgh, Blue Bus, Prentice Westwood, Stagecoach
, Stepend Coaches and Nordi Travel. Livingston has buses to Glasgow, Edinburgh
, Edinburgh Airport
, Ocean Terminal
, Lanark
, Fife
, Falkirk
and most West Lothian towns and villages. There are 7 stances at the bus terminal.
Livingston has two railway stations; and . Livingston North is located adjacent to the Carmondean Shopping Centre between Eliburn and Deans and is on the Edinburgh to Bathgate Line
with the completion of the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link
, in October 2010 Livingston North is now served by trains running to and .Livingston South is located at the Murieston Shops and is on the Shotts Line
.
which has regular flights to UK and international destinations.
. The Member of Parliament
for Livingston is Graeme Morrice of the Labour Party
. Livingston is in the Almond Valley constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
, and the Member of the Scottish Parliament
is Angela Constance
of the Scottish National Party
.
West Lothian has four Scottish youth parliament seats as it comprises two Scottish parliamentary constituencies.
West Lothian’s current MSYP’s are:
squadron, 2535 (Livingston) Squadron (located in Craigshill
) and Army Cadet Force
unit (based at Dedridge
). The town also has Cubs, Scouts, Boys Brigade, Brownies and Guides
units, and other organisations such as LGBT Youth Scotland
and the Youth Action Project (WLYAP), and Firefly Youth Theatre (formerly West Lothian Youth Theatre) also operate in the area.
The youth action project involves a music session and many gigs and is widely attended by many teenagers from the surrounding area.
A skateboard park is also provided adjacent to the town centre. A leisure swimming pool and a Multiplex cinema are located in the town centre.
The Livingston Skatepark opened in 1981, at a time when most commercial skateparks were closing and was one of the most important facilities in Britain during a critical period in the development of skateboarding. It is an example of a free, unsupervised facility which achieved international status.
In 2004 it was visited by the stars of the television series Dirty Sanchez
, who described it as "The Best Skatepark in the world, apart from the ones in Wales"
club, Livingston Rugby Football Club, a professional football
club, Livingston F.C.
, and a junior
football club, Livingston United
.
Livingston is also home to; two competitive swimming clubs, the Livingston & District Dolphins and the Aquanauts of Livingston; Livingston and West Lothian Hockey Club, which has several men's and women's teams and provides junior coaching; and two track and field
athletics clubs Livingston & District AAC, and Lothian RC.
Livingston FC are the most notable sports team in the town. They were formed in 1995 on the relocation of Edinburgh-based
side Meadowbank Thistle, who had relocated to a new stadium in the town. They were Scottish Division Three champions in their first season
, and in 2001
reached the SPL
. They finished third in their first season in the top flight, qualifying for the UEFA Cup
. In their ninth season of existence
they won the CIS Cup, but were relegated two years later back to Division One.
The West Calder Model Flying club meets regularly and host open days, national competitions and club training events.
Livingston also has a popular cricket club called Livingston Cricket Club which holds teams for juniors and seniors and has seen some professionals play for them over the years. The club plays in the East of Scotland Cricket Association
and has a lively social scene and is based in Murieston.
, known to locals as "Livi", "The Black and Ambers", or "The Lions", are the most successful football team across the county of West Lothian. They were formed in 1995 after the re-location of Meadowbank Thistle, who were formally known as Ferranti Thstle from Edinburgh. They started life in the Scottish Third Division and were promoted to the Scottish Second Division in their very first year of existence.
In the season of 1998-1999 Livingston were promoted to the Scottish First Division, after they were crowned champions of the Second Division. They spent two seasons in the second tier of Scottish football and in the 2000-2001 season they were promoted to the Scottish Premier League
. Many people thought that Livi over-achieved in their first season in the top flight after they finished in third position behind Celtic
and Rangers
. The team also recorded a famous league victory over Rangers
that season a last-minute "wonder goal" from Stuart Lovell
secured a 2-1 victory.
Livi kicked of the 2002-2003 season in the UEFA Cup
. They managed to get through to the second round of the competition after beating FC Vaduz
of Liechtenstein
in the first round on the away goals rule. The first leg finished 1-1 in Liechtenstein and the return leg finished in a goaless draw at the 'Vale, however they faced a tougher task in the second round against Sturm Graz of Austria
. They went out of the competition at this stage after a thrilling 8-6 aggregate loss, however recorded their first and only ever European victory in the return leg after a 4-3 win at the 'Vale.
More success came the following season as the club won the Scottish League Cup
. They beat Hibs
2-0 in the final after knocking out Dundee in the semis. The goal scorers at Hampden Park
were Derek Lilley
and Jamie McAllister
. Since that cup final on 14 March 2004 things at Livingston F.C. have only got worse. Relegation to the Scottish First Division in 2006 came after the club entered administration in 2004 as well as other financial problems. In July 2009 the club were hours away from going out of business but were saved by administrators. However, the Scottish Football League
decided to relegate the club back to the Scottish Third Division on the 5th of August 2009 due to insolvency problems. The Lions managed to gain promotion to the Scottish Second Division the following year, and returned to the First Division after back to back league championships, on 6 August 2011. They currently compete in the First Division.
, Scottish Episcopal Church
, Methodist Church in Great Britain and the Congregational Union of Scotland (which subsequently united with the United Reformed Church
). The Ecumenical Parish has six places of worship.
Apart from the Ecumenical Parish, Livingston Old Parish Church is a congregation solely within the Church of Scotland. There are also churches of other denominations, notably the Catholic Church, the Baptist Church (who have two congregations in Dedridge and Ladywell) and the Free Church.
In Livingston there are three Catholic Churches. Saint Peters, in Carmondean, Saint Andrews in Craigshill
, and St Philips in Dedridge
.
in Livingston since 1979, although the original Livingston Round Table was disbanded in the 1990s. However, in 2009 a membership base was re-established and now meets regularly.
In addition Strathbrock 237 Royal Arch Chapter, Strathbrock 237 Cryptic Council and the Deans Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star also meet in the Deans Masonic Hall.
Most of the surrounding villages also have a Masonic Lodge including Lodge St John Mid Calder 272, Lodge Thistle 270 in West Calder and Lodge Torphichen Kilwinning 13 in Bathgate.
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...
. It is the fourth post-WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
new town
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
to be built in Scotland, designated in 1962. It is about 15 miles (25 km) west of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and 30 miles (50 km) east of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and is bordered by the towns of Broxburn
Broxburn, West Lothian
Broxburn is a town in West Lothian, Scotland located west of Edinburgh on the A8 road. It is situated approximately from Edinburgh Airport, and to the north of Livingston....
to the northeast and Bathgate
Bathgate
Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway west of Livingston. Nearby towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Whitburn, Livingston, and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is away...
to the northwest.
Livingston is the biggest town in West Lothian. It was built around a collection of small villages, Livingston Village
Livingston Village
Livingston Village is a village is West Lothian it dates back to the 12th Century. Originally a farming village in West Lothian it is now in the heart of the town of Livingston.-Pre 1962:...
, Bellsquarry
Bellsquarry
Bellsquarry is a small area in the south of Livingston next to Murieston, Scotland. Like Livingston Village and Livingston Station it became part of Livingston when the town was built in 1962. Bellsquarry still has a village hall and old buildings, however, there are no shops. The area has several...
and Livingston Station (now known as Deans). It has a number of residential precincts or areas. These include Carmondean, Craigshill
Craigshill
Craigshill is a residential area in the east of Livingston, Scotland, affectionately known as "Crazy Hill" by its residents. West of Craigshill is the A899, with Howden, Ladywell and Knightsridge beyond, to the North is the Houstoun Industrial Estate and the village of...
, Howden
Howden, Livingston
Howden is an area of the new town of Livingston, the largest town in West Lothian, Scotland. Howden is bordered by the Town Centre, Ladywell, Kirkton and Craigshill...
, Dedridge
Dedridge
Dedridge is an area in the town of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located in the south of the town, just south of the Almondvale area....
, Ladywell
Ladywell, Livingston
Ladywell is an area in Livingston. It is bordered to the north by Knightsridge, to the south by Howden, to the West by Eliburn and to the east by the A899.*...
, Knightsridge
Knightsridge
Knightsridge is an area within Livingston, Scotland to the north of the town. Not long after the start of the construction of Craigshill began, the construction of Knightsridge started in 1968 and finished in 1980. Most of the first residents were placed in Knightsridge, Craigshill and...
, Murieston
Murieston
Murieston is a district on the southern edge of Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. The district lies on both sides of Murieston Water which is flanked by public parkland. The A71 road forms the northern boundary of the district which is notable for having a very good primary school...
, Adambrae
Adambrae
Adambrae is a residential area of Livingston, consisting of all privately owned housing. It is a relatively new area, construction starting in late 1998....
, Deans
Deans, West Lothian
Deans is a small community within the town of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. Deans is situated in the northern part of Livingston, in an area formerly known as Livingston Station, as it is the location of former oil works and a railway station...
, Deer Park and Eliburn
Eliburn
Eliburn is one of the newest parts of Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland and is located to the North-West side of the town. The area has mostly private housing rather than council housing, though Eliburn is under constant development with the building of both affordable council apartments and...
. The core locality of Livingston is defined by the General Register Office for Scotland
General Register Office for Scotland
The General Register Office for Scotland was a non-ministerial directorate of the Scottish Government that administered the registration of births, deaths, marriages, divorces and adoptions in Scotland. It was also responsible for the statutes relating to the formalities of marriage and conduct...
(GRO) as including Uphall Station
Uphall Station
Uphall Station is a small village located in the geographical county of West Lothian, Scotland. The name is derived from neighbouring town Uphall on account of there being a small railway station located on the northeast perimeter of the village. The village is situated southeast of neighbouring...
and Pumpherston
Pumpherston
Pumpherston is a small dormitory village in West Lothian, Scotland. Originally a small industrial village to the nearby shale mine and works, it now adjoins the new town of Livingston, which was constructed alongside Pumpherston in the late 1960s and quickly grew much larger than its...
. The wider urban Settlement area also includes Mid Calder
Mid Calder
Mid Calder is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located on a steep hill overlooking the River Almond and Calder Wood, around west of Edinburgh...
and East Calder
East Calder
East Calder is a small town located in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located about a mile east of Mid Calder and about a mile west of Wilkieston...
. Other neighbouring villages include Kirknewton
Kirknewton
-Places:England*Kirknewton, NorthumberlandScotland*Kirknewton, West Lothian*RAF Kirknewton, a Royal Air Force station in West Lothian...
, Polbeth
Polbeth
Polbeth is a former Oil shale mining village located about a mile from West Calder, and not far from Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland.- :...
and West Calder
West Calder
West Calder is a village in West Lothian, Scotland, located 4 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. It is also has the most northerly centre of the Dogs Trust, closely followed...
. The 2001 census showed the town had a locality population of 50,826 (24,451 male and 26,375 female) and an urban settlement population of 59,511. The town's current locality population is estimated to be 54,740 and the urban settlement population is 63,160 (2008 GRO Mid Year estimates released in 2010).
Livingston is also the second biggest settlement in the Lothians after Edinburgh. Until 1963 the area surrounding the ancient village of Livingston was open farm land and the ancient village is now called Livingston Village
Livingston Village
Livingston Village is a village is West Lothian it dates back to the 12th Century. Originally a farming village in West Lothian it is now in the heart of the town of Livingston.-Pre 1962:...
. The name was taken from this village which dates back to 12th Century when a Flemish entrepreneur called De Leving was granted land in the area. He built a fortified tower which is long since gone and the settlement that grew up around it became known as Levingstoun, Layingston and eventually Livingston.
Livingston Development Corporation
Livingston was built as part of the New Towns Act of 1946New Towns Act 1946
The New Towns Act 1946 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which allowed the government to designate areas as new towns, and passing development control functions to a Development Corporation. Several new towns were created in the years following its passing...
, in part to ease overcrowding in Glasgow. Livingston was the fourth new town of five. The others were East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
, Glenrothes
Glenrothes
Glenrothes is a large town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is located approximately from both Edinburgh, which lies to the south and Dundee to the north. The town had an estimated population of 38,750 in 2008, making Glenrothes the third largest settlement in Fife...
, Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld is a Scottish new town in North Lanarkshire. It was created in 1956 as a population overspill for Glasgow City. It is the eighth most populous settlement in Scotland and the largest in North Lanarkshire...
and Irvine.
In order to build, manage and promote Livingston a quango
Quango
Quango or qango is an acronym used notably in the United Kingdom, Ireland and elsewhere to label an organisation to which government has devolved power...
organisation was formed, the Livingston Development Corporation.
The corporation guided Livingston until the middle of the 1990s when its mandate expired and the town was transferred to West Lothian Council. The last major construction operation carried out by the LDC was the Almondvale Stadium, which was to become the home to the renamed Livingston FC. A new purpose built campus for West Lothian College
West Lothian College
West Lothian College is a further education institution in West Lothian, Scotland. It has been located in Livingston since July 2001, with its previous campus located in Bathgate from 1965 until 1999...
and other major developments have also taken place in Livingston over the last 10 years.
Construction in Livingston has continued under the management of West Lothian Council.
In 1979, an employee of the LDC claimed he was knocked unconscious after an alleged conflict with activities from a UFO. Robert Taylor, who was in his sixties at this point in time, was working as a farmer near Dechmont Law when the supposed incident took place. The incident was reported to the police, but nearly 40 years after taking place, the incident has never been resolved. It does, however, remain as one of The UK's
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
most notable UFO sightings.
Geography
Livingston is the 7th largest settlement in Scotland and the 3rd largest town. It lies 30 miles away from Glasgow and 15 miles from EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Districts of Livingston
There are a number of districts which make up the town of Livingston, these include:- DeansDeans, West LothianDeans is a small community within the town of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. Deans is situated in the northern part of Livingston, in an area formerly known as Livingston Station, as it is the location of former oil works and a railway station...
- EliburnEliburnEliburn is one of the newest parts of Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland and is located to the North-West side of the town. The area has mostly private housing rather than council housing, though Eliburn is under constant development with the building of both affordable council apartments and...
- LadywellLadywell, LivingstonLadywell is an area in Livingston. It is bordered to the north by Knightsridge, to the south by Howden, to the West by Eliburn and to the east by the A899.*...
- KnightsridgeKnightsridgeKnightsridge is an area within Livingston, Scotland to the north of the town. Not long after the start of the construction of Craigshill began, the construction of Knightsridge started in 1968 and finished in 1980. Most of the first residents were placed in Knightsridge, Craigshill and...
- KirktonKirkton, LivingstonKirkton is a small area in the North-West of Livingston, Scotland. The area is mainly occupied by privately owned homes as well as industrial sites. A new crematorium is also currently being built in the area....
- HowdenHowden, LivingstonHowden is an area of the new town of Livingston, the largest town in West Lothian, Scotland. Howden is bordered by the Town Centre, Ladywell, Kirkton and Craigshill...
- DedridgeDedridgeDedridge is an area in the town of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located in the south of the town, just south of the Almondvale area....
- CraigshillCraigshillCraigshill is a residential area in the east of Livingston, Scotland, affectionately known as "Crazy Hill" by its residents. West of Craigshill is the A899, with Howden, Ladywell and Knightsridge beyond, to the North is the Houstoun Industrial Estate and the village of...
- MuriestonMuriestonMurieston is a district on the southern edge of Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. The district lies on both sides of Murieston Water which is flanked by public parkland. The A71 road forms the northern boundary of the district which is notable for having a very good primary school...
- AdambraeAdambraeAdambrae is a residential area of Livingston, consisting of all privately owned housing. It is a relatively new area, construction starting in late 1998....
- BellsquarryBellsquarryBellsquarry is a small area in the south of Livingston next to Murieston, Scotland. Like Livingston Village and Livingston Station it became part of Livingston when the town was built in 1962. Bellsquarry still has a village hall and old buildings, however, there are no shops. The area has several...
- Livingston VillageLivingston VillageLivingston Village is a village is West Lothian it dates back to the 12th Century. Originally a farming village in West Lothian it is now in the heart of the town of Livingston.-Pre 1962:...
- Almondvale
- Carmondean
- Deer Park
Employment
The area where Livingston now sits was historically dominated by oil shale miningOil shale industry
Oil shale industry is an industry of mining and processing of oil shale—a fine-grained sedimentary rock, containing significant amounts of kerogen , from which liquid hydrocarbons can be manufactured. The industry has developed in Brazil, China, Estonia and to some extent in Germany, Israel and...
, which is evident from the bings which still exist on much of the surrounding landscape. The designation of Livingston in the 1960s attracted new light industries to the area, with high technology and pharmaceutical companies in particular moving into the town. Livingston formed a major hub in Scotland's Silicon Glen
Silicon Glen
Silicon Glen is a nickname for the high tech sector of Scotland. It is applied to the Central Belt triangle between Dundee, Inverclyde and Edinburgh, which includes Fife, Glasgow and Stirling; although electronics facilities outside this area may also be included in the term. The term has been in...
. Like most other areas this went into a slow decline with the closures of companies including 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...
and NEC
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
. Several multi-national companies however still have factories in the town and BSkyB has its main call centre in Livingston and is the largest private sector employer in West Lothian. Other large employers include those in the retail sector and the National Health Service
NHS Scotland
NHS Scotland is the publicly funded healthcare system of Scotland. Although they are separate bodies the organisational separation between NHS Scotland and the other three healthcare organisations each commonly called the National Health Service in the United Kingdom tends to be hidden from its...
.
Town centre and shopping
Livingston town centreTown centre
The town centre is the term used to refer to the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town.Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus stations...
sits on the southern edge of the Almond Valley. It is bounded by a ring road and has been purposely planned, distinguishing it from West Lothian's other town centres. Howden Park is located immediately north of the town centre.
Livingston is the sub-regional centre serving West Lothian. It features one of the largest indoor shopping and leisure complexes in Scotland, The Centre (formerly Almondvale Shopping Centre) and the Livingston Designer Outlet
Livingston Designer Outlet
The Centre is Scotland’s largest Designer Outlet, it opened in October 2000 as McArther Glen and was renamed 'The Centre' to incorporate the former Almondale Centre in late 2008. It is off Junction 3 of the M8 between Edinburgh and Glasgow near Livingston. It is owned and operated by McArthurGlen...
(formerly McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Centre).
The Centre, was completed in its current guise on October 16, 2008. The total development has around 155 shops and eating establishments. The Centre has a wintergarden, an outdoor restaurant area, and several famous shopping names. Major shops include Asda Wal-mart Supercentre
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
, Next, Topshop
Topshop
Topshop is a British clothes retailer with shops in over 20 countries and online operations in a number of its markets. Its sales come primarily from women's clothing and fashion accessories...
, M&S
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
, River Island
River Island
River Island is one of Britain's best known high street fashion brands and can be found in most cities across the UK. The brand also has stores in Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Middle East.-History:...
, Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
and with a Primark
Primark
Primark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
under construction plus more..
The designer outlet mall contains a VUE multiplex cinema, a gym, bars, restaurants and cafes as well as around 100 outlet stores.
Livingston town centre has an abundance of car parking. The south western edge of the town centre is dominated by retail parks. These contain a number of well known retailers such as Toys 'R' Us, PC World
PC World (retailer)
PC World is OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT one of the WHER MA MEMORY STICK ?!?!??! United Kingdom's largest chains of mass-market computer superstores. It is part of Dixons Retail plc. PC World operates under the brand name PC City in Spain, Italy and Sweden....
& Currys
Currys
Currys is an electrical retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland and is owned by Dixons Retail plc. It specialises in selling home electronics and household appliances, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores...
as well as fast food outlets like KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
and Frankie & Benny's
Frankie & Benny's
Frankie & Benny's is a chain of Italian-American restaurants in the UK with numerous outlets nationwide run by The Restaurant Group plc. Its first location was Leicester in 1995 but now the chain has over 150 locations across the UK and also abroad, and smaller branches called "Little...
.
There is also a large B&Q
B&Q
B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
in the south-west of the town centre as well as a large Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
supermarket. The Homebase
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
store closed in July 2010 and Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
moved across the road. The former Homebase
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
& Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
stores were converted into a large Sainsburys supermarket that opened in December 2010. Also in the town centre are foreign food stores such as Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
and Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
which is located beside the Almondvale Stadium.
Livingston's town centre also contains a large number of offices. Private sector offices are also concentrated at the eastern and western edges of the centre and along the Almondvale Boulevard
Boulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
. Other facilities in the centre include hotels, a swimming pool and local authority gym, restaurants, pubs and Club Earth. Almondvale Football Stadium and West Lothian College
West Lothian College
West Lothian College is a further education institution in West Lothian, Scotland. It has been located in Livingston since July 2001, with its previous campus located in Bathgate from 1965 until 1999...
are located at the north western edge of the town centre..
The Livingston Civic Centre was completed in June 2009 and officially opened by First Minister Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
on 25 November 2009. The Civic Centre is located just north of the The Centre on the bank of the river Almond. It is home to the divisional headquarters of Lothian and Borders Police
Lothian and Borders Police
Lothian and Borders Police is the territorial police force for the Scottish council areas of the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian...
, as well as the sheriff and justice of the peace, West Lothian Council
West Lothian Council
West Lothian Council is one of 32 local authorities in Scotland and has 32 elected members Councillors who are elected every 4 years.The Council makes its decisions at its meetings, or those of its Committees and Sub-Committees....
, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service provides the independent public prosecution service for Scotland, and is a Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. The department is headed by Her Majesty's Lord Advocate, who under the Scottish legal system is responsible for prosecution,...
, the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration
Scottish Children's Reporter Administration
The Scottish Children's Reporter Administration is a Scottish Government executive non-departmental public body with responsibility for protecting children at risk...
, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service
Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service
Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service is a Local Authority fire and rescue service covering an area of of south east Scotland, and serving a total population of 890,000....
and the West Lothian Community Health and Care Partnership. The Livingston Civic Centre was completed on time and on budget. It is thought to be the first public sector partnership of its kind in the UK..
Road
Livingston has excellent connections to the central Scotland road network. The M8 bounds Livingston in the north. A899A899 road
The A899 is a road in West Lothian, Scotland, connecting Broxburn to Livingston.It runs from the East Mains Industrial Estate, through Broxburn town centre and along to Uphall, where it turns up to the Deer Park Roundabout, where it becomes a dual carriageway running through the town of Livingston...
dual carriageway spine road passes north south along Livingston's eastern edge and connects the M8 in the north to the A71
A71 road
The A71 is a major road in Scotland linking Edinburgh with Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. It adjoins the Livingston Bypass A899.It runs south west from Edinburgh for approximately 70 miles, through Saughton, Wilkieston and south of Livingston, Whitburn and Wishaw, then by way of the Garrion Bridge,...
in the South and has the A89
A89 road
The A89 is a trunk road in Scotland, United Kingdom. It runs from Glasgow to Newbridge in Edinburgh. It was once the A8, which has now been replaced, mostly by the M8. The A89 runs from Edinburgh for about to Livingston and an extra to Bathgate. It runs through Armadale, Airdrie and Coatbridge...
to the west.
Buses
Livingston has a central bus terminal located on Almondvale Avenue between the two shopping centres in the town centre. This provides regular services to surrounding towns and villages. First EdinburghFirst Edinburgh
First Edinburgh is a bus operator which operates in the south east and central Scotland, and was created by the merger of three companies: Lowland Scottish, Eastern Scottish and Midland Scottish to form a single company for the area and is part of First Group plc...
are the main bus operator in Livingston, other operators include E&M Horsburgh, Blue Bus, Prentice Westwood, Stagecoach
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
, Stepend Coaches and Nordi Travel. Livingston has buses to Glasgow, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, 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...
, Ocean Terminal
Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh
Ocean Terminal in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland is a shopping centre, designed by Sir Terence Conran.It is built on former industrial docklands on the north side of the city at the edge of the boundary between formerly separate ports of Newhaven and Leith. The land was formerly occupied by the Henry...
, Lanark
Lanark
Lanark is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade"....
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
and most West Lothian towns and villages. There are 7 stances at the bus terminal.
Rail
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:...
with the completion of 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...
, in October 2010 Livingston North is now served by trains running to and .Livingston South is located at the Murieston Shops and is on the Shotts Line
Shotts Line
The Shotts Line is a suburban railway line linking Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts in Scotland. The route from Glasgow to Shotts is part of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport network...
.
Airports
Livingston is 15 km west of Edinburgh AirportEdinburgh 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...
which has regular flights to UK and international destinations.
Politics
In 1983 Livingston formed its own constituency at WestminsterWestminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. The Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Livingston is Graeme Morrice of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Livingston is in the Almond Valley constituency
Almond Valley (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Almond Valley is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
for the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, and the Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
is Angela Constance
Angela Constance
Angela Constance is the Scottish Government Minister for Children and Young People and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Almond Valley since 2007....
of the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
.
2010 UK general election result in Livingston
West Lothian Youth Congress
West Lothian has a formal structure for engaging with young people and including them in the decision making process. The West Lothian Youth congress is a constituted group of young people between the ages of 12 and 26. It includes 2 democratically elected representatives from each of West Lothian’s High schools as well as young people representing youth/ specific interest groups, community councils or local areas from across West Lothian. The Youth Congress meets on a Tuesday evening every 4 to 6 weeks in the Council chambers of the West Lothian civic centre between 7PM and 9PM. The Congress is a full community planning partner and played an integral role in developing West Lothian’s 2010 community plan. The Congress also elects West Lothian’s 4 Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament who are elected to represent West Lothian’s young people at a national level.Scottish Youth Parliament
The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) is a body set up to represent Scotland’s young people. Its members are aged between 14 and 26 and are elected from Scottish parliamentary constituencies with each Member of the Scottish Parliament being shadowed by 2 Members of the Scottish Youth parliament. There are also representatives from several voluntary organisations.West Lothian has four Scottish youth parliament seats as it comprises two Scottish parliamentary constituencies.
West Lothian’s current MSYP’s are:
| Anna Mcphail |
| David Leitch (Convener of the Education and lifelong learning committee) |
| Derek Couper (Chair) |
| Koren Hamilton |
Primary schools
- Bankton Primary School
- Bellsquarry Primary School
- Carmondean Primary School
- Deans Primary School
- Dedridge Primary School
- Harrysmuir Primary School
- Knightsridge Primary School
- Letham Primary School
- Livingston Village Primary School
- Mid Calder Primary School
- Meldrum Primary School
- Peel Primary School
- Riverside Primary School
- Toronto Primary School
- Howden St. Andrews RC Primary School
- St John Ogilvie RC Primary School
- St. Ninian's RC Primary SchoolSt. Ninian's RC Primary SchoolSt Ninians RC Primary School was founded in 1977 and is located across the road from Dedridge Primary School in Douglas Rise, Dedridge, Livingston.It has a large playing field and several playgrounds,one for the infants one for the middle and upper .- External links :...
- Williamston Primary School
Special schools
- Ogilvie School Campus
- Beatlie School Campus
- Cedarbank School
- Autism resource classes at Dedridge Primary School
Secondary schools
- Inveralmond Community High SchoolInveralmond Community High SchoolInveralmond Community High School is a popular 12 – 18, mixed comprehensive school situated in the Ladywell area of Livingston and serves a cluster of six Primary Schools.-School Information:...
- James Young High SchoolThe James Young High SchoolThe James Young High School is a secondary level school in Dedridge, Livingston, Scotland. The School opened in 1982 and was named after James Young, the famous Scotsman who patented the process of extracting oil from coal and types of shale....
- St. Margaret's RC Academy
- Deans Community High SchoolDeans Community High SchoolDeans Community High School is a secondary level school, in Deans, Livingston, Scotland. The School opened in 1978, and is co-educational, with over 800 pupils.-Headteacher:The school head is Mrs Elaine Cook, who joined the school in 2007...
Libraries
Livingston has three public libraries:- Almondbank Library, Craigshill
- Lanthorn Library, Dedridge
- Carmondean Library, Carmondean
Youth activities
Livingston has its own Air Training CorpsAir Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
squadron, 2535 (Livingston) Squadron (located in Craigshill
Craigshill
Craigshill is a residential area in the east of Livingston, Scotland, affectionately known as "Crazy Hill" by its residents. West of Craigshill is the A899, with Howden, Ladywell and Knightsridge beyond, to the North is the Houstoun Industrial Estate and the village of...
) and Army Cadet Force
Army Cadet Force
The Army Cadet Force is a British youth organisation that offers progressive training in a multitude of the subjects from military training to adventurous training and first aid, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9...
unit (based at Dedridge
Dedridge
Dedridge is an area in the town of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located in the south of the town, just south of the Almondvale area....
). The town also has Cubs, Scouts, Boys Brigade, Brownies and Guides
Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...
units, and other organisations such as LGBT Youth Scotland
LGBT Youth Scotland
LGBT Youth Scotland is a voluntary organisation dedicated to the inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender young people in the life of Scotland...
and the Youth Action Project (WLYAP), and Firefly Youth Theatre (formerly West Lothian Youth Theatre) also operate in the area.
The youth action project involves a music session and many gigs and is widely attended by many teenagers from the surrounding area.
A skateboard park is also provided adjacent to the town centre. A leisure swimming pool and a Multiplex cinema are located in the town centre.
The Livingston Skatepark opened in 1981, at a time when most commercial skateparks were closing and was one of the most important facilities in Britain during a critical period in the development of skateboarding. It is an example of a free, unsupervised facility which achieved international status.
In 2004 it was visited by the stars of the television series Dirty Sanchez
Dirty Sanchez (TV series)
Dirty Sanchez: The Movie, a reality film based upon the series, was released on 22 September 2006. It is in the format of a world tour and incorporates stunts related to the Seven Deadly Sins. Stunts are on a larger scale and more extreme than stunts shown in the TV show.The film also features the...
, who described it as "The Best Skatepark in the world, apart from the ones in Wales"
Sports
The town has a local rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, Livingston Rugby Football Club, a professional football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club, Livingston F.C.
Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...
, and a junior
Scottish 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, Livingston United
Livingston United F.C.
Livingston United F.C. are a Scottish football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club joined the Scottish Junior Football Association in 1970, having existed as a Juvenile side since 1935. Their home ground is Station Park....
.
Livingston is also home to; two competitive swimming clubs, the Livingston & District Dolphins and the Aquanauts of Livingston; Livingston and West Lothian Hockey Club, which has several men's and women's teams and provides junior coaching; and two track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athletics clubs Livingston & District AAC, and Lothian RC.
Livingston FC are the most notable sports team in the town. They were formed in 1995 on the relocation of Edinburgh-based
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
side Meadowbank Thistle, who had relocated to a new stadium in the town. They were Scottish Division Three champions in their first season
1995-96 in Scottish football
The 1995–96 season was the 99th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Summary:Rangers won the Premier Division with a record 87 points, finishing four ahead of rivals Celtic. Aberdeen were third with 55 points ....
, and in 2001
2000-01 in Scottish football
The 2000–01 season was the 104th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:The 2000–01 Scottish Premier League was won by Celtic, 15 points clear of Rangers who finished second. Both teams earned a place in the UEFA Champions League. Hibernian and Kilmarnock...
reached the SPL
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
. They finished third in their first season in the top flight, qualifying for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. In their ninth season of existence
2003-04 in Scottish football
The 2003–04 season was the 107th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:The 2003–04 Scottish Premier League season was won by Celtic with 98 points, 17 points ahead of closest challengers Rangers. Both Rangers and Celtic therefore gained the two UEFA...
they won the CIS Cup, but were relegated two years later back to Division One.
The West Calder Model Flying club meets regularly and host open days, national competitions and club training events.
Livingston also has a popular cricket club called Livingston Cricket Club which holds teams for juniors and seniors and has seen some professionals play for them over the years. The club plays in the East of Scotland Cricket Association
East of Scotland Cricket Association
The East of Scotland Cricket Association managed amateur cricket in the East of Scotland.From Peebles in the South to Freuchie in the North, Largo and Musselburgh in the East and Fauldhouse in the West, the ESCA covers a wide range of clubs forming 9 divisions of amateur cricket.The official...
and has a lively social scene and is based in Murieston.
Livingston FC
Livingston F.C.Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...
, known to locals as "Livi", "The Black and Ambers", or "The Lions", are the most successful football team across the county of West Lothian. They were formed in 1995 after the re-location of Meadowbank Thistle, who were formally known as Ferranti Thstle from Edinburgh. They started life in the Scottish Third Division and were promoted to the Scottish Second Division in their very first year of existence.
In the season of 1998-1999 Livingston were promoted to the Scottish First Division, after they were crowned champions of the Second Division. They spent two seasons in the second tier of Scottish football and in the 2000-2001 season they were promoted to the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
. Many people thought that Livi over-achieved in their first season in the top flight after they finished in third position behind Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
. The team also recorded a famous league victory over Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
that season a last-minute "wonder goal" from Stuart Lovell
Stuart Lovell
Stuart "Archie" Lovell is an Australian professional footballer, who played as a striker early in his career, before reverting to a midfield role later in his career....
secured a 2-1 victory.
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. They managed to get through to the second round of the competition after beating FC Vaduz
FC Vaduz
FC Vaduz is a Liechtenstein football club from Vaduz, that play in the Swiss Football League. The club plays at the national Rheinpark Stadion, which has a capacity of 6,127 when all seated but has additional standing places in the North and South ends of the ground, giving a total stadium capacity...
of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
in the first round on the away goals rule. The first leg finished 1-1 in Liechtenstein and the return leg finished in a goaless draw at the 'Vale, however they faced a tougher task in the second round against Sturm Graz of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. They went out of the competition at this stage after a thrilling 8-6 aggregate loss, however recorded their first and only ever European victory in the return leg after a 4-3 win at the 'Vale.
More success came the following season as the club won the Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
. They beat Hibs
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
2-0 in the final after knocking out Dundee in the semis. The goal scorers at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
were Derek Lilley
Derek Lilley
Derek Lilley is a Scottish footballer currently without a club following his release from Scottish Third Division side Forfar Athletic.-Morton & England:...
and Jamie McAllister
Jamie McAllister
James Reynolds "Jamie" McAllister is a Scottish international professional Association footballer currently playing for Bristol City. He plays usually as a left back.-Early career:...
. Since that cup final on 14 March 2004 things at Livingston F.C. have only got worse. Relegation to the Scottish First Division in 2006 came after the club entered administration in 2004 as well as other financial problems. In July 2009 the club were hours away from going out of business but were saved by administrators. However, the Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
decided to relegate the club back to the Scottish Third Division on the 5th of August 2009 due to insolvency problems. The Lions managed to gain promotion to the Scottish Second Division the following year, and returned to the First Division after back to back league championships, on 6 August 2011. They currently compete in the First Division.
Churches
Uniquely in Scotland, Livingston was from its formation designated an "Ecumenical Parish" in a joint initiative by the Church of ScotlandChurch of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, Scottish Episcopal Church
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
, Methodist Church in Great Britain and the Congregational Union of Scotland (which subsequently united with the United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
). The Ecumenical Parish has six places of worship.
Apart from the Ecumenical Parish, Livingston Old Parish Church is a congregation solely within the Church of Scotland. There are also churches of other denominations, notably the Catholic Church, the Baptist Church (who have two congregations in Dedridge and Ladywell) and the Free Church.
In Livingston there are three Catholic Churches. Saint Peters, in Carmondean, Saint Andrews in Craigshill
Craigshill
Craigshill is a residential area in the east of Livingston, Scotland, affectionately known as "Crazy Hill" by its residents. West of Craigshill is the A899, with Howden, Ladywell and Knightsridge beyond, to the North is the Houstoun Industrial Estate and the village of...
, and St Philips in Dedridge
Dedridge
Dedridge is an area in the town of Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located in the south of the town, just south of the Almondvale area....
.
Livingston Round Table
There has been a presence of the social networking club and charity Round TableRound Table (club)
Round Table is a social networking and charitable organisation for men in their 20s, 30s and early 40s, founded in Norwich, England, in 1927. It is open to all men aged between 18 and 45...
in Livingston since 1979, although the original Livingston Round Table was disbanded in the 1990s. However, in 2009 a membership base was re-established and now meets regularly.
Freemasonry in Livingston
Livingston is home to three Masonic Lodges, Lodge Buchan St John number 636 and Lodge St Andrew number 1548 meet in Deans and Lodge Almondale 1658 meet in Craigshill.In addition Strathbrock 237 Royal Arch Chapter, Strathbrock 237 Cryptic Council and the Deans Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star also meet in the Deans Masonic Hall.
Most of the surrounding villages also have a Masonic Lodge including Lodge St John Mid Calder 272, Lodge Thistle 270 in West Calder and Lodge Torphichen Kilwinning 13 in Bathgate.
Notable people from Livingston
- Paul DickovPaul DickovPaul Dickov is a retired Scottish footballer, turned manager who is currently in charge of League One side Oldham Athletic...
former ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
player, now player manager of Oldham AthleticOldham Athletic A.F.C.Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league... - Gary WalesGary WalesGary Wales is a Scottish professional footballer currently without a club.-Career:Wales, a striker, started his career at Hamilton. In 35 games he scored 11 goals before moving to Hearts for £50,000. In five years at Tynecastle, Wales scored 17 goals in 92 appearances...
former 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...
player, and KilmarnockKilmarnock F.C.Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
. - Scott ArfieldScott ArfieldScott Arfield is a Scottish football midfielder who currently plays for Huddersfield Town in League One. Arfield was a regular in the Scotland under-21 team.-Falkirk:...
footballer for Huddersfield Town. - Robin CookRobin CookRobert Finlayson Cook was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Livingston from 1983 until his death, and notably served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001....
MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Livingston died in 2005. - Mark BurchillMark BurchillMark James Burchill is a Scottish professional football player who plays as a striker. He previously played for Scottish clubs Celtic, Dundee, Hearts, Dunfermline Athletic and Kilmarnock, and in England for Birmingham City, Ipswich Town, Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday and...
footballer, Educated in Livingston. - James MackenzieJames Mackenzie (actor)James Mackenzie is a Scottish actor, who is well known for presenting the lead role in the children's game show Raven.Mackenzie was born in Dundee and has lived in Scotland all his life...
Actor. - Danny WilsonDanny Wilson (Scottish footballer)Daniel "Danny" Wilson is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a centre back or left back for Premier League club Liverpool and the Scottish national side.-Rangers:...
former RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
player, now with LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... - Jimmy ScoularJimmy ScoularJames "Jimmy" Scoular was a Scottish football player and manager. Known as a tough, combative player with precise passing skills, Scoular made over 600 appearances in The Football League with Portsmouth, Newcastle United and Bradford Park Avenue, as a player-manager, and attained nine caps for...
former Portsmouth FC and Newcastle Utd football player and Cardiff CityCardiff cityCardiff City may refer to:* Cardiff city centre* Cardiff City Council* Cardiff City F.C.* Cardiff City L.F.C.* Cardiff City Stadium...
manager. - Tommy Walker former 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...
and ChelseaChelsea F.C.Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
player and the most successful 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...
manager. - David Robertson footballer, Dundee Utd.
- Ian ColquhounIan Colquhoun (Scottish author)Ian Colquhoun is an author, actor, stuntman and freelance journalist originally from Livingston in Scotland. He lost his legs and was almost killed in an unprovoked assault and arson attack whilst living in the Republic of Ireland in 2002 and now wears prosthetic legs...
Author, born and educated in Livingston.
Town twinnings
Livingston and West Lothian are twinned with the following cities:- Grapevine, TexasGrapevine, TexasGrapevine is a city in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States located within the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census the city population was 46,334. The city's moniker is derived from the native grapes prevalent in the area. In recent years several wineries have...
, USA - Hochsauerlandkreis, Germany
Primary sources
- Wills, E (1996) Livingston: the Making of a Scottish New Town
- Cowling, D (1997) An Essay for Today: the Scottish New Towns 1947-1997