Bangour Village hospital

Located west of Dechmont, Uphall and Broxburn, Bangour Village Hospital was officially opened as a Psychiatric Hospital in October 1906, although the first patients had been admitted in June 1904. The hospital took its inspiration from the AltScherbitz asylum near Leipzig in Germany and was modelled on the increasingly popular 'colony' plan of individual villas which would house approximately 30 patients each. The village would also incorporate its own railway, a farm, bakery, workshops, recreation hall, school, shop, library, and latterly a multi-denominational church.

The hospital was requisitioned by the government War Office during both wars when it was to become "Edinburgh War Hospital" and "The Scottish Emergency Medical Hospital", reverting back to a psychiatric hospital between and after the wars.

The number of patients rose to over 3000 in 1918 so, as well as temporary marquees, prefabricated huts were erected to cope with the demand in bed space (for both patients and staff). This led to the creation of Bangour General Hospital in the surrounding grounds, which was to become a world leader in many medical fields, in particular it's esteemed burns and plastic surgery unit which was established in 1940.

The General Hospital closed after the opening of St Johns Hospital, which is located in Howden, Livingston, and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 July 1990.

The Village Hospital started to wind down after the opening of St Johns in the early 90's, with the last remaining ward closing in 2004. Latterly it was used as the filming location for the film The Jacket, produced by George Clooney and starring Keira Knightley and Adrian Brody.

There is currently a planning application, pending decision, to convert the site into a residential development. The applicants are Persimmon Homes, they propose in outline a total of 500 units through a mix of 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments and also 2, 3 ,4, 5 and 6 bedroom detaches houses.

Further information on the proposal can be found on the West Lothian Council Website, application number 1120/P/04.