COATBRIDGE

'Coatbridge' is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland approximately 9 miles east of Glasgow. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 41,170 making it the 23rd largest town or city in Scotland.
Settlement of the area which is now Coatbridge stretches back to the stone age with flint tools of stone age man being found on the shores of Woodend Loch. Lochend Loch once boasted of a fine example of a crannog - an Iron Age dwelling house made from wood and thatch, on an artificial island. This was designed as a protection against robbers and wolves. The crannog was joined to the shore by a narrow causeway hidden under the surface of the water. People continued to live in Crannogs up until about AD 1450.
The area around Coatbridge was described in the 1799 Statistical Account as an "immense garden" and "orchard" .It was not until the 1830s that the character of the district began to change from a rural landscape of small hamlets and farmhouses to a crowded industrial town. The town was further described in the late 19th century:
:"''There is no worse place out of hell than that neighbourhood. At night the groups of blast furnaces on all sides might be imagined to be blazing volcanoes at most of which smelting is continued on Sundays and weekdays, day and night - without intermission'"
The numerous foundries gave the town its nickname of the Iron Burgh.
In the 19th century, fuelled by the local discovery of ironstone, Coatbridge became a major centre for the iron and steel industry. The town expanded quickly and the new industries assisted the massive impact Glasgow made on the world of shipbuilding. However, with the decline of shipbuilding on the River Clyde in the mid 1900s the demand for iron and steel dropped. This led the iron and coal industries to collapse which led to poverty and deprivation which in turn led to drastic population fall from approximately 90,000 at the end of the 19th century to today's level.
Coatbridge is sometimes referred to as ‘Little Ireland’ due to the large numbers of Irish who emigrated to the town in the late 19th and early 20th century. Large St. Patrick's Day celebrations have been held in the town in recent years and there are a high number of Catholic churches and schools in the area.
Nowadays Coatbridge is a modern town that has been regenerated by Government and European Union grants. It is seen as something of a transport hub to which all major destinations in Scotland can be reached; it is adjacent to the M8 and M73 motorways, and the M74 motorway is a short drive away. The town is also very well served by passenger trains and has six railway stations on the four train lines that cross the town ''(see Transport Links section below)''.
The upsurge in Coatbridge is highlighted by the fact that Coatbridge became one of the most sought after destinations to stay within the UK, with house prices increasing by some 36% between 2004 and 2005, shattering the UK average of just 3%.

Contents

Leisure

Nightlife

Famous people

Transport links

Neighbourhoods

Primary Schools

High Schools

See also

External links

Leisure

Coatbridge is the home of "Scotland's Noisiest Museum" namely Summerlee Heritage Park which contains an insight into what life was like in Coatbridge during the heady days of being at the forefront of the world's iron and steel industry.
Drumpellier Country Park provides a good day out for a family or for a relaxing walk among woodland and loch-side surroundings, while the adjacent golf course acts as a temptation for the more energetic. This course is a municipal course while the nearby Drumpellier Golf Course is a private members' club. Other large parks are Dunbeth, West End and Whifflet Public Parks.
The Time Capsule is a multi-purpose leisure centre containing a swimming pool, an adventure pool set in a prehistoric environment, an ice skating facility, and a sports complex with gym halls and other facilities. All of these facilities, as well as the recently opened Showcase leisure park which contains a 12-screen cinema, a 10-pin bowling complex and numerous restaurants, have contributed to the continued regeneration of the once ailing Coatbridge.
The local football team is Albion Rovers F.C., although they suffer from many local residents' support for the Glasgow football teams Celtic and Rangers.
Motorcycle speedway racing was staged at Albion Rovers' stadium, Cliftonhill Park. The stadium hosted the Coatbridge Monarchs from 1968 to 1969 after the Edinburgh team were displaced from their home at Old Meadowbank. The Coatbridge Monarchs raced in the British League Division One. After 1969 the speedway licence was sold to Wembley and it was not until 1973 speedway returned to Cliftonhill. Glasgow Tigers moved in and became Coatbridge Tigers staying until mid 1977 when they were turned out to make way for a greyhound track. Tigers started out in the top flight before exchanging licences with Hull and moving down to the British League Second Division.

Nightlife

For a small town, Coatbridge has a few good nightlife spots. The most popular nightclubs in the area are The Edge, bar and club, and the Element section of Centre Point. Centre Point is the largest of the two which also has a trendy bar, Essence, as well as a more traditional pub, Innishmoir and downstairs has a function suite and over 30s' club. Recently The Edge was bought over by centre point and entertainment giant G1 Group bought a derelect building that once was a bar and nightclub, this has recently opened its doors and is sure to be just as popular as the other two

Famous people

Janet Hamilton, the nineteenth century poet and essayist, died in Langloan in 1873.
There are a two 'famous' singing duos who originate from Coatbridge. Brothers Greg Kane and Pat Kane make up the band ''Hue and Cry'', while the singing sisters Fran and Anna were famous on the Scottish traditional music scene. Sadly, the latter partnership is no more since the death of Fran Watt.
Comic book writer Mark Millar hails from Coatbridge, as does novelist and playwright Des Dillon.
Former Celtic players John Hughes, Gerry Creaney and Peter Grant, who is now manager of Norwich City F.C..
Famous pupils who attended the local St Ambrose High School include Pop Idol Michelle McManus and footballers Tom Boyd, Malky Mackay, and Mark Wilson.
The sports journalist, broadcaster and erstwhile Brain of Britain Bob Crampsey was formerly headmaster of St Ambrose High School.
A famous pupil who attended the local St. Patrick's High School is John Reid, the former UK Home Secretary. Many other famous people have attended St. Patrick's.
More infamously, Rena Costello, the first wife of mass murderer Fred West, was born and raised in Coatbridge.
The activist against child sexual abuse and bullying, Sandra Brown (campaigner), attended Coatbridge High School.
The Rt. Hon. Helen Liddell MP' 'for Monklands East 1994-1999, Airdrie and Shotts 1999-2005. Former Secretary of State for Scotland and currently Britain's High Commissioner in Australia.
The Rt. Hon. Dr. John Reid MP' 'for Airdrie and Shotts 2005-present. Former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Secretary of State for the Home Department.
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Transport links

Coatbridge is served by four railway lines; Motherwell-Cumbernauld Line, Whifflet Line, North Clyde Line and Argyle Line. Within these lines six train stations are located; Whifflet, Kirkwood, Blairhill, Coatbridge Sunnyside, Coatdyke and Coatbridge Central. Bargeddie is also within a short walk of Kirkwood but lies outwith the town boundary.
The Argyle Line serves Coatbridge Central and Whifflet stations as an extension from Motherwell at peak times only. All these trains travel to Milngavie or Dalmuir via Hamilton.
Coatbridge is adjacent to the M8 and M73 motorways.
It is also served by First Greater Glasgow bus numbers 201 to Hairmyres and 262 to Glasgow, as well as a large number of local buses.
The easy journey to Glasgow city, and the rail link to Edinburgh which is under construction, have also helped regenerate the town, and many new housing estates are being constructed which are a short distance from the main transport links.

Neighbourhoods

The neighbourhoods of Coatbridge are Barrowfield, Blairhill, Brownshill, Carnbroe, Coatdyke (partly in Airdrie), Cliftonville, Cliftonhill, Coatbank, Cuparhead, Drumpellier, Dunbeth, Dundyvan, Espieside, Gartsherrie, Greenhill, Greenend, Kirkshaws, Kirkwood, Langloan, Old Monkland, Rosehall, Shawhead, Sikeside, Summerlee, Sunnyside, Townhead, Victoria Park and Whifflet.

Primary Schools

Greenhill,
Gartsherrie,
Kirkshaws,
Langloan,
Old Monklands,
Shawhead,
St.Augustine's,
St.Bartholomew's,
St.Bernard's,
St.Kevin's,
St.James',
St.Mary's,
St.Monica's,
St.Patrick's,
St.Stephen's and
St.Timothy's

High Schools

Coatbridge,
Rosehall,
St.Ambrose and
St.Andrews

See also

★ James Stirling (Australian governor)

External links

★ Albion Rovers F.C.

★ Monkland's web-site, with pictures of Coatbridge