The early days of West Lothian town built to be ‘city of the future’ in 1970s

Throwback images have captured the early days of a new West Lothian town in the 1970s and ’80s.

Craigshill was the first part of Livingston to be developed in 1966 as post-war new towns were being built across Scotland to ease overcrowding in the likes of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In images posted on YouTube, residents can be seen taking a stroll through the town with one shot showing a group of people near the Craighill shopping mall, looking across to the former Craigshill High School.

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Craigshill High School in 1969 with 120 pupils. The students could make the most of the facilities including a swimming pool and games halls. However in 1992, the school closed its doors and just a few years later demolition began with only the spots wing remaining and is now owned by Scottish Gymnastics.

Another photo shows a group of people getting stuck into woodwork classes under the supervision of a teacher.

As Livingston grew with residential areas, by 1971, the town’s population reached 14,000 and images show a shot of the dual carriageway that connects all the residential areas to the main town centre. As for the housing that can be seen in the video, the buildings are made up of Danish style Jesperson blocks and high-density, low-rise concrete homes with Scandinavian style mono-pitch roofs.

Livingston was designed to be built in stages, and Craigshill shopping centre was first built in 1968 with Almondvale Shopping Centre in the 1970s, now simply known as ‘The Centre’ as is the shopping hub for the town. But of course, with the M8 connecting Livingston to Glasgow and Edinburgh, many frequently visit the cities.

Livingston celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2023 as April 16 marks the day it was incorporated.