Fauldhouse

History

Fauldhouse is known since the Middle Ages, and was known until the 19th century by the names "Falas" and also "Fallas." The seventeenth century Dutch mapmaker Willem Blaeu features Fauldhouse as "Falas" on two maps in his Atlas Novus of Scotland. There are families with the surname Fallas, who obviously had ancestors who came from Fauldhouse. The name Fallas or Fauldhouse has been translated as "house on the fold", "house in the field", or "house on unploughed (fallow) land". However, the name may be older than the Middle Ages and might even be derived from the Brythonic or Welsh-type language once spoken in the Lothian region.

Facilities

To the south of Fauldhouse is the 18 hole Greenburn Golf Club which was founded in 1892, but which has been on its present site for around 50 years. Trains run through the course over a viaduct. The village also has two primary schools, Falla Hill and St John the Baptist RC, which have both been expanding over recent years. The local high school for Falla Hill is Whitburn Academy and for St John the Baptist, St Kentigern's Academy in Blackburn.

Neighbouring villages include Longridge, Shotts and Stoneyburn. The nearest town to Fauldhouse is Whitburn followed by Livingston.

The church of St.John the Baptist was the first Roman Catholic parish in West Lothian, in the year 1873.

The town is served by the Fauldhouse railway station, on the Shotts Line between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The town previously had a theatre and cinema, the Palace Theatre, which opened in 1914. It later became the Savoy Bingo Club and was then demolished.

People

Stephen Greenhorn, who wrote River City and Marchlands, is from Fauldhouse. In 2013 Greenhorn adapted his musical Sunshine on Leith for the big screen. The film was shot in Glasgow and Edinburgh in late 2012 and stars Peter Mullan and Jane Horrocks, and is directed by Dexter Fletcher.

John McLaren, who won the title Scottish Junior Cross Country Champion in 1954 and then retained the title. In 1955 McLaren won the English title as well. He represented Scotland six times throughout his career.

Football Team

The local football team is Fauldhouse United who play in Eastern Region and won the Scottish Junior Cup in 1946.

In 2001, the Fauldhouse Foxes BC was formed, later being known as Fauldhouse FCA. They now operate with teams ranging from Under 9 up to Under 19. The Under 13s won the Scottish Cup in 2011 beating Syngenta Juveniles 3-0 in the final.

Golf

To the south of Fauldhouse is the 18 hole Greenburn Golf Course which was founded in 1892, which has been on its present site for around 50 years. Trains run through the course over a viaduct.

Cricket

The local cricket club is Fauldhouse Victoria. They were established in 1855 and are one of the oldest clubs in Scotland. The 1st team play in the East of Scotland Division 1.

Swimming

There is a swimming club in Fauldhouse called the Fauldhouse Penguins. They are a successful team and are part of the swimming development programme in West Lothian called Swim West Lothian or SWL for short.