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For the constituencies, see Linlithgow (Scottish Parliament constituency) or Linlithgow (UK Parliament constituency).

Linlithgow (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Iucha, Scots Lithgae) is a town and Royal Burgh in Scotland. Those born in the burgh are sometimes nicknamed Black Bitches (the town's coat of arms shows a black bitch dog, chained to an oak tree, which grows on an island). The burgh's patron saint is Saint Michael and its motto is St. Michael is kinde to strangers .

Linlithgow
Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Iucha Scots: Lithgae
Linlithgow shown within Scotland
Population	13,370
OS grid reference	NS996774
Council area	West Lothian
Lieutenancy area	West Lothian
Constituent country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LINLITHGOW
Postcode district	EH49
Dialling code	01506
Police	Lothian and Borders
Fire	Lothian and Borders
Ambulance	Scottish
Scottish Parliament	Linlithgow Lothians
UK Parliament	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
European Parliament	Scotland
List of places: UK • Scotland

Coordinates: 55°58′45″N 3°36′38″W / 55.97905, -3.61054

The town was originally centred on the main Edinburgh-Stirling road which forms Linlithgow High Street and has a generally east-west orientation, with plots of farmed land, known as rigs, running perpendicular from it. Growth to the north has traditionally been restricted by Linlithgow Loch, but in the late 19th & early 20th centuries, development began to take place much further up the hill to the south of the High Street. This development was bisected by the Union Canal and latterly the main Edinburgh-Glasgow railway line, and today the limited crossings of both cause problems with modern traffic demands as there are only a three places where they can be crossed in the town.

To the west, Linlithgow Bridge used to be a somewhat distinct village with its own identity, but in the latter half of the 20th century it was enveloped in the expansion of the main town and today the distinction between them is hard to make out.

Linlithgow’s rich history and central location make it a popular tourist destination, while a significant proportion of the local population make the daily commute to Glasgow, Edinburgh or Stirling. Unlike many other commuter towns, however, Linlithgow enjoys a considerable amount of local facilities and has a strong sense of identity despite rapid growth in recent years.

The town is well served by three supermarkets and a somewhat controversial retail park, unusual in a town of this size, situated in Linlithgow Bridge and hosting a Homebase and an Argos Extra among its five units. However, the town continues to support a diverse range of local retailers in the High Street, something that similar towns in the area struggle to maintain.

Linlithgow is of sufficient size that facilities for most common participitation sports can be found in or around the town. Linlithgow is also host to Linlithgow Rose Football Club and Linlithgow Rugby Football Club, as well as West Lothian County Cricket Association.

A number of local parks, including play areas for children, are spread throughout the burgh, with the tract of land surrounding the palace known as The Peel being particularly popular in summer. Low Port Outdoor Education Centre[1] is situated next to the loch and provides facilities for many outdoor activities, many based on the adjacent loch. Nearby country parks include Beecraigs and Muiravonside.

Educational establishments within the town include Linlithgow Academy, which regularly appears close to the top of the school league tables in Scotland and is one of the main reasons for the demand for housing in Linlithgow, and five primary schools; Linlithgow Primary School, St Josephs Primary School, Linlithgow Bridge Primary School, Low Port Primary School and Springfield Primary School.

Linlithgow town in the background, the Loch in the mid-ground with the Palace in the foreground

The Riding of the Marches[2], held in one form or another since the mid-16th century and nowadays celebrated on the first Tuesday after the second Thursday in June, involve young and old in the tradition of checking the burgh's perimeter, including the town's historic port of Blackness. Although today's activities are centered more on the colourful parades through the town that involve bands and floats decorated by local groups, the more ceremonial duties of the Marches are still adhered to and a variety of local groups ensure that the traditions, old and new, are maintained.

There are many other events during the year such as the Children's Gala Day[3], the Linlithgow Folk Festival and a pre-Christmas Victorian Street Fayre, and the sense of community is enhanced by many active local groups such as Linlithgow Amateur Musical Productions (LAMP), Lithca Lore, The Linlithgow Players[4] and The 41 Club. The town also has its own weekly local newspaper, the Linlithgow Gazette.

The town has two Church of Scotland parish churches - St Michael's and the smaller St. Ninian's Craigmailen. There are also churches of other denominations.

Formerly the principal town of West Lothian, which was also known as Linlithgowshire, the town lies some 20 miles west of Edinburgh along the main railway route to Glasgow. Before the building of the M8 & M9 motorways and the Forth Road Bridge it lay on the main road from Edinburgh to Stirling, Perth and Inverness while the canal system linked the burgh to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The nearby village of Blackness once served as the burgh's port.

The chief historic attraction of Linlithgow are the remains of Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of James V and Mary Queen of Scots, and probably Scotland's finest surviving late medieval secular building. The present Palace was started (on an older site) in 1424 by James I of Scotland. It was burnt in 1746, but though unroofed is still largely complete, though very few of the original furnishings have survived. Linlithgow was also the site of the battle of Linlithgow Bridge at the western edge of the town. Another attraction is 15th century St. Michael's Church, the most complete surviving example of a large late medieval 'burgh kirk' in Scotland^{[citation needed]}. Its western tower originally had a distinctive stone 'crown spire', of the type seen also on St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, or St. Nicholas' Cathedral, Newcastle-on-Tyne, which was removed in the early 19th century. In 1964 a replacement, and at the time controversial, spire in aluminium in a modern style was added.

Linlithgow lies on the Edinburgh & Glasgow Union Canal and the Linlithgow Union Canal Society[5] run a Canal Museum and operate narrowboat tours from Manse Road basin.

Two large tracts of the northern side of the High Street were demolished in the 1960s and replaced by flats and public buildings in a modernist style. Although these buildings were no doubt welcomed at the time as being a vast improvement on what must have been cramped and dilapidated traditional accommodation, they were poorly conceived and constructed and have required extensive maintenance and renovation over the years. Many locals lament the brutal effect these buildings have had on the character and appearance of the town's main thoroughfare, and indeed such a dramatic remodelling of buildings forming such a central part of the town would be unthinkable nowadays.

Today the town is especially popular with middle classes and commuters, not only because of its excellent transport links with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling, but also because of the quality of its schooling. The town has grown considerably, especially during the 1990s and there is a shortage of spaces at the local schools as well as the inevitable problems of parking. However, due to the town being bounded by green belt to the south, the M9 to the north, the river Avon and county boundary to the West and the east side of the town only having limited access to the M9, and especially because Linlithgow Academy is full, it is difficult to see how permission could be granted for the town to grow further, and most of the housing growth within West Lothian is likely to be in the Livingston area.

Linlithgow is also home to a major facility owned by Sun Microsystems, one of their most important factories outside the US (and as of 2007 the only manufacturing facility outside the US) and a major local employer. Former industries include the St. Magdalene's distillery, the Nobel explosives works, paper mills and many tanneries

• Forth to Firth Canal Pathway

• Linlithgow town portal
• About Scotland, Linlithgow Palace
• Gazetteer for Scotland
• Economic History of Linlithgow
• The Linlithgow Story museum (Annet House)