A northern neighbourhood of Livingston in West Lothian, Ladywell is situated 1¼ miles / 2 km north northwest of Almondvale, between Howden and Knightsridge, providing fine views over the Almond Valley. It represents part of a second phase of development of the New Town between 1968-78. The name originates from Ladywell Farm, in turn named after a healing well which was said to cure scrofula and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Mediaeval times. Its northwestern section is known as Newyearfield.
Ladywell is divided between the 'banks' and the 'braes'. The banks of Ladywell East comprise terraces of grey-harled two-storey houses, with five-storey blocks in the south. Streets are named for boundaries, for example, Heatherbank, Lochbank, Meadowbank, Pinebank, Ryebank, Stonebank, Whinbank and Willowbank. The braes to the west are formed of a mix of multi-coloured mostly single and two-storey properties arranged in terraces, with streets named after birds; for example, Curlew Brae, Dunlin Brae, Eagle Brae, Falcon Brae, Kingfisher Brae, Mallard Brae and Plover Brae. Built by the Livingston Development Corporation, social housing is now managed by either the Almond Housing Association (477 homes) or West Lothian Council (657 homes).
There are a few isolated shops and a post-office scattered across the neighbourhood, together with Harrysmuir Primary School (opened 1973, named after another farm and badly damaged by fire in 1983), Inveralmond Community High School (1978), and the Cedarbank School (1981) for pupils with special needs.
