Bellsquarry is a suburban area located in the south-west of Livingston,

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geographically by the Av ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. Bellsquarry is located to the west of the

Murieston Murieston (From Muir (moor) of Houstoun) is a primarily residential district on the southern edge of Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. It lies to the south-east of Bellsquarry. Buildings Most of the housing is privately owned and the majority ...

area of the town and to the south of the

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, and north of the Murieston area. The area's streets are named after parts, events or characters fr ...

area of the town. The Brucefield industrial estate lies on its western edge.

History

Along with the settlements of Livingston Village and Livingston Station, Bellsquarry became part of Livingston new town on its designation in 1962. The name Bellsquarry originates from a former Burdiehouse Limestone quarry and the surname of its owner, Mr Bell. The quarry was in operation by 1782 and continued until the early 20th century, when it was used as a rubbish dump before being tidied and covered. Some of the former limestone kilns still remain around throughout the area. Brucefield Farm is a former substantial farmhouse built circa 1800 that is now in use as a restaurant.

Buildings

As one of the older settlements in Livingston, there are several 19th and early 20th century buildings in Bellsquarry, including Bellsquarry Village Hall. The Elm Tree Inn located at the village square, re-opened in early 2005 as a pub (downstairs) and restaurant (upstairs). There is one primary school in Bellsquarry, constructed in 1909 by the architect James Graham Fairley. The school has its own adventure trail.

Culture

There is a children's play park and several recreation fields in the centre of Bellsquarry. There is also a 17.75 ha (43.86 acres) wooded area known as Bellsquarry Wood, with ponds, and with trails connecting Bellsquarry to Murieston. Bellsquarry wood and the area to the south of the original village was once part of the estate of Newpark House. The house built in 1806 still survives, being incorporated in a series of new housing developments in the late 20th century. The original orchard exists as part of a new community orchard created in 2011.

Transport

Bellsquarry is situated just south of the Edinburgh to Kilmarnock

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, ...

. Newpark railway station was a railway station that served Bellsquarry on the

Cleland and Midcalder Line Cleland and Midcalder Line is a historic railway line in Scotland. Built by the Caledonian Railway and opened in 1869, it provides a link between Glasgow and Edinburgh through the mining communities of Lanarkshire and West Lothian. History The ...

between

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

but it closed in 1959. Since then the nearest railway station to Bellsquarry is Livingston South railway station.

References

External links

Museum of the Scottish shale oil industry - Bellsquarry Oil Works
{{authority control Villages in West Lothian Livingston, West Lothian Populated places in West Lothian