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Bathgate
OS grid reference:	NS975695
Population:	15,068 (2001 Census)
Council area:	West Lothian
Constituent country:	Scotland
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Police force:	Lothian and Borders Police
Lieutenancy area:	West Lothian
Former county:	West Lothian
Post town:	BATHGATE
Postal:	EH47 & EH48
Telephone:	01506
Scottish Parliament:	Linlithgow Lothians
UK Parliament:	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
European Parliament:	Scotland

Bathgate on a misty day

Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway five miles west of Livingston. Neighbouring Towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Fauldhouse, Whitburn, Livingston, Stoneyburn and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is 13 miles/21 km away.

Bathgate derives its name from Batket, meaning "house in the wood"^{[citation needed]}. Early signs of human activity in the area can be seen in the nearby Bathgate hills at Cairnpapple Hill, a historic burial site. Settlement at Bathgate itself dates from at least the 1100s^{[citation needed]}. Bathgate castle was given to Marjorie Bruce in 1328 by her father Robert the Bruce, but was disused by the 1400s^{[citation needed]}. Bathgate remained a small village on the route between Edinburgh and Glasgow until the 1800s.

In 1800 the Glenmavis distillery opened, and, by the opening of Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway in 1849, local mines and quarries were extracting coal, lime, and ironstone. In 1851 James Young discovered that mineral oil could be extracted from coal mined at nearby Boghead and established the first truly commercial oil-works in the world at Bathgate. In the mid-20th century many local industries were closed and West Lothian was designated a 'Special Development Area'—an area where extra financial inducements were offered by the British Government to assist companies wishing to relocate there. As a result in 1961, the BMC—which consisted of the merged Austin Motor Company in Longbridge and Birmingham and Morris Motors in Oxford—located a new Truck & Tractor plant in Bathgate rather than expanding Longbridge as originally planned. The plant closed in 1986, regarded by some as an illustration of the failure of the Special Development Areas policy.

The world's oldest known reptile fossil, Westlothiana lizziae (affectionately referred to Lizzie), was discovered in East Kirkton Quarry, Bathgate in 1987; it is now in The Museum of Scotland.

Notable Bathgate residents have included David Tennant (born in Bathgate but raised in Paisley), his father Alexander McDonald (Moderator), former moderator of The Church of Scotland, Sir James Young Simpson, the discoveror of the anesthetic properties of chloroform and John Newland, one of the town's major benefactors. Newland emigrated to the West Indies where he became a rich planter, using slaves to maintain and harvest his sugar cane crop. His benefaction allowed the establishment of Bathgate Academy, which was founded in 1833. He is remembered today by an annual pageant (known as the Gala Day or Newland's day), which is held on the first Saturday in June.

The local secondary school is Bathgate Academy. The Bathgate primary schools are Balbardie, St Mary's, Boghall, St Columba's and Windyknowe. A new Primary school, Simpson Primary, will open on the site of the British Leyland Factory in August 2006. It will serve the new area of town called Wester Inch. The school is named after James Young Simpson.

• Racing driver, Dario Franchitti was born here. He now races in the US IRL series.
• James Young Simpson discoverer of the anaesthetic properties of chloroform was born here.
• Actor David Tennant, who played Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and the Doctor in Doctor Who.
• European Tour Golfer, Stephen Gallacher.
• Former Ryder Cup Captain, Bernard Gallacher.
• Former Ryder Cup Captain, Eric Brown.

• Undiscovered Scotland, Bathgate

Coordinates: 55°54′N, 3°38′W