Editing West Lothian (section)

==Culture, Landmarks and Community==
===Landmarks===
[[File:Scotland-2016-West_Lothian-Hopetoun_House_01.jpg|thumb|right|Hopetoun House built between 1699 and 1701 sits within West Lothian]]
[[Cairnpapple Hill]] is a scheduled ancient monument and hill with a dominating position in central lowland Scotland with extensive views.

[[Torphichen Preceptory]] is a 12th-century church in the village of [[Torphichen]]. It comprises the remains of the [[preceptory]] (headquarters) of the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John of Jerusalem]] in Scotland.

Historic houses in West Lothian include [[Linlithgow Palace]], a ruined palace that was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]] in the 15th and 16th centuries and is the birthplace of [[Mary, Queen of Scots]]. It is now a visitor attraction in the care of [[Historic Environment Scotland]].<ref name="LinlithgowPalace">{{cite web |title=Linlithgow Palace | url=https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/linlithgow-palace/ |publisher=[[Historic Environment Scotland]] |access-date = 31 December 2020}}</ref>

The [[House of the Binns]] is an early 17th century historic house and estate near [[Philpstoun]].<ref name="ntsbinns">{{cite web|title=House of the Binns | url =https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/house-of-binns/ |publisher=[[National Trust for Scotland]] |access-date = 31 December 2020}}</ref> The house is the historic home of the Binn family whose owners included [[Tam Dalyell of the Binns|Sir Thomas Dalyell]] a [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scottish]] [[Cavalier|Royalist]] [[general]] in the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]], and [[Tam Dalyell|Sir Tam Dalyell]], a member of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] from 1962 to 2005.<ref name="ntsbinns"/>

[[Hopetoun House]] is a large country house and estate near South Queensferry that was built between 1699 and 1701, and was designed by [[William Bruce (architect)|Sir William Bruce]]. The house was then hugely extended from 1721 by [[William Adam (architect)|William Adam]] until his death in 1748, being one of his most notable projects. The interior was completed by his sons [[John Adam (architect)|John Adam]] and [[Robert Adam]].<ref name="Hopetoun">{{cite web|title=House and Grounds |date=25 May 2015 |url=https://hopetoun.co.uk/house-and-grounds/ |publisher=Hopetoun |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref> [[Midhope Castle]] is a 16th-century [[tower house]] on the Hopetoun estate that was used as a location in the ''[[Outlander (TV series)|Outlander]]'' TV series on [[Starz]] as the main character, Jamie Fraser's family home called Lallybroch (Broch Tuarach).<ref name=Midhope>{{Canmore |num=49168 |desc=Midhope Castle |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="Outlander">{{cite web|title=Midhope Castle |date=28 December 2015 |url=http://www.outlanderlocations.com/locations/midhope-castle/ |publisher=Outlander Locations |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

====Castles====
{{Main|List of castles in West Lothian}}
There are a variety of castles and other historic fortifications in West Lothian, including medieval mottes, tower houses and Renaissance laird's houses, as well as relatively modern castellated mansions.<ref name="Salter">{{cite book | last=Salter | first=Mike | title=The Castles of Lothian and the Borders | date=1994 | publisher=Folly Publications | isbn=978-1-871731-20-0}}</ref> Examples include [[Cairns Castle]], [[Duntarvie Castle]], [[Midhope Castle]] and [[Staneyhill Tower]].<ref name="Salter"/>

===Community facilities===
[[File:Deer_feeding_at_Beecraigs_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1749463.jpg|thumb|right|Beecraigs Country Park in the Bathgate Hills]]
There are several public [[Country Park|country parks]] in West Lothian, including [[Beecraigs]] [[Country Park]] (a 370 hectare park between Bathgate and Linlithgow with forests, a visitor centre and a loch), [[Polkemmet Country Park]] (a 68 hectare park near Whitburn with woodlands, river walks and outdoor facilities), and [[Almondell and Calderwood Country Park]] along the Almond river valley near Mid Calder.<ref name=Beecraigs>{{cite web |url=https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/article/34121/Beecraigs-Country-Park | title=Beecraigs Country Park| access-date=31 December 2020 | publisher=West Lothian Council}}</ref><ref name=Polkemmet>{{cite web |url=https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/polkemmet | title=Polkemmet Country Park| access-date=31 December 2020 | publisher=West Lothian Council}}</ref><ref name=AandC>{{cite web |url=https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/almondell-and-calderwood | title=Almondell and Calderwood| access-date=31 December 2020 | publisher=West Lothian Council}}</ref>

[[Blawhorn Moss]] is a raised bog located near Blackridge that has been a [[National nature reserve (Scotland)|national nature reserve]] since 1980 and is the largest and least disturbed raised bog in the Lothians.<ref name=Blawhorn>{{cite web |url=https://www.nature.scot/enjoying-outdoors/scotlands-national-nature-reserves/blawhorn-moss-national-nature-reserve | title=Blawhorn Moss| access-date=31 December 2020 | publisher=[[NatureScot]]}}</ref>

====Health====
Public healthcare in West Lothian is administered by [[NHS Lothian]] within [[NHS Scotland]].

The main hospital for West Lothian is [[St John's Hospital, Livingston|St John's Hospital]] in Livingston. The hospital has a dedicated [[Accident and Emergency]] department with 550 beds and opened in 1989.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsa.lib.ed.ac.uk/collections/LHB64/lhb64_tlfa.htm |title=LHB64 St John's Hospital |access-date=26 November 2020 |publisher=Lothian Health Services Archive}}</ref><ref name="RIERAD">{{cite web|url=http://www.rierad.scot.nhs.uk/stjohns.pdf |title=St John's Hospital Livingston |access-date=1 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715133748/http://www.rierad.scot.nhs.uk/stjohns.pdf |archive-date=15 July 2007}}</ref> St Johns is a [[teaching hospital]] for the [[University of Edinburgh Medical School]].<ref name="St Johns">{{cite web |url=http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/GoingToHospital/Locations/StJohnsHospital/Pages/default.aspx |title=St John's Hospital at Howden |publisher=[[NHS Lothian]] |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref> Other public hospitals include [[Tippethill House Hospital]] a [[community hospital]] in [[Armadale, West Lothian|Armadale]] and [[St Michael's Hospital, Linlithgow|St Michael's Hospital]], a [[community hospital]] in [[Linlithgow]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/GoingToHospital/Locations/Pages/StMichaelsHospital.aspx |title=St Michaels Hospital |publisher=[[NHS Lothian]] |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/GoingToHospital/Locations/Pages/TippethillHospital.aspx| title=Tippethill Hospital |publisher=[[NHS Lothian]]  |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

West Lothian previously had a psychiatric hospital with general hospital in the [[Dechmont]] area called [[Bangour Village Hospital]].<ref name=Bangour1>{{Canmore |num=77518 |desc=Dechmont, Bangour Village Hospital, Hospital Block |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref> The hospital opened in 1904 and eventually had beds for 55 officers and 2571 other ranks.<ref name=Bangour1/> The hospital started closing in the 1990s and closed completely in 2004 after the remaining services were transferred to St John's Hospital.<ref name=Bangour1/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lhsa.lib.ed.ac.uk/catalog/records/lhsab001/lhb40x.html |title=Bangour General Hospital |access-date=1 April 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071109120800/http://www.lhsa.lib.ed.ac.uk/catalog/records/lhsab001/lhb40x.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 9 November 2007}}</ref>

The [[Linburn Centre]] is a health centre for blinded war veterans at [[Wilkieston]].<ref name=Linburn>{{cite web |url=https://sightscotland.org.uk/veterans/how-we-can-help/our-centres/linburn-centre| title=Linburn Centre |publisher=Scottish War Blinded |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref> The centre is located within the estate of Linburn House, a country house which was demolished in 1955.<ref name=oldlinburnhouse>{{Canmore |num=200657 |desc=Wilkieston, Old Linburn House |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

====Museums====
The [[Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry]] was created in 1990, to preserve the history of the shale industry in West Lothian and beyond.<ref name="ShaleMuseum">{{cite web|url=https://www.scottishshale.co.uk/IntroPages/IntroMuseum.html|title=About the Museum|publisher=Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>  It is sited on a former mill at Millfield, near Livingston and is attached to the Almond Valley Heritage Centre, a large farm and play area.<ref name="AlmondHeritage">{{cite web|url=https://www.almondvalley.co.uk/ATExploreSite.html|title=Explore the Almond Valley Site|website=Almondvalley.co.uk|access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

In Bathgate, the Bennie Museum is a museum of local history and heritage that is run by volunteers under the management of a charitable trust. It opened in 1989 and is housed used in two former derelict cottages donated by the Bennie family to the local community in 1980.<ref name="Bennie1">{{cite web|url=https://www.visitwestlothian.co.uk/things-to-do/ancestry/bennie-museum/ |title=Bennie Museum |publisher=Visit West Lothian |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="Bennie2">{{cite web|url=https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/bathgate/benniemuseum/index.html |title=Bennie Museum |publisher=Undiscovered Scotland |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="Bennie3">{{cite web|url=https://www.benniemuseum.org.uk/contentw/ |title=Home page |publisher=Bennie Museum|access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

The Linlithgow Museum is a volunteer-run local history museum in [[Linlithgow]].<ref name="LinlithgowMuseum1">{{cite web|url=https://www.linlithgowmuseum.org/about |title=About Us |publisher=Linlithgow Museum |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="LinlithgowMuseum2">{{cite web|url=https://www.visitwestlothian.co.uk/things-to-do/history-heritage/linlithgow-museum/ |title=Linlithgow Museum |publisher=Visit West Lothian |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref> The museum is housed in the Linlithgow Partnership Centre, along with the West Lothian Family History Society and library.<ref name="PartnershipC">{{cite web|url=https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/linlithgowpartnershipcentre |title=Linlithgow Partnership Centre - Tam Dalyell House |publisher=West Lothian Council |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

Military Museum Scotland is a [[military history]] museum in [[Wilkieston]] that covers Scottish military history from the [[First World War]] to the present day.<ref name="MilMuseum1">{{cite web|url=https://www.visitwestlothian.co.uk/things-to-do/history-heritage/military-museum-scotland/ |title=Military Museum Scotland |publisher=Visit West Lothian |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="MilMuseum2">{{cite web|url=https://military-museum-scotland.business.site/#summary |title=Summary |publisher=Military Museum Scotland |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

The [[Museum of Scottish Railways]] is a railway museum located within the station yard of [[Bo'ness]] at the [[Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Welcome to the official Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway site|url=https://www.bkrailway.co.uk/|access-date=21 February 2022|website=www.bkrailway.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Museum of Scottish Railways, Bo'ness – Museums|url=https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/museum-of-scottish-railways-p779261|access-date=21 February 2022|website=www.visitscotland.com|language=en}}</ref>

====Zoo====
[[Five Sisters Zoo]] is a privately owned [[Zoological park|zoo]] located in [[Polbeth]], [[West Calder]] opened in 2005. The zoo has grown into one of West Lothian's top visitor attractions and was awarded ‘Best Family Day Out’ at the 2024 Scottish Entertainment and Hospitality Awards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Debbie |date=2024-05-23 |title=Popular West Lothian zoo named 'best family day out in Scotland' |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/popular-west-lothian-zoo-named-32875443 |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Daily Record |language=en}}</ref>