Calderbank

Calderbank
Calderbank at sunset.
Calderbank is located in North Lanarkshire
Calderbank
Calderbank
Location within North Lanarkshire
Population1,560 (2022)[1]
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°50′35″N 3°58′06″W / 55.84306°N 3.96833°W / 55.84306; -3.96833

Calderbank is a village outside the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.[2] It lies east of the M73, on the west bank of the North Calder Water. The village lies 13 miles (21 km) east of Glasgow city centre and around 34 miles (55 km) west of Edinburgh. Other nearby towns include: Airdrie (2.5 miles (4.0 km)), Coatbridge (4 miles (6.4 km)), Bellshill (4 miles (6.4 km)) and Motherwell (5 miles (8.0 km)). It has a population of about 1,560 (2022)[3]

‘Welcome to Calderbank’ depicting the Vulcan.

The village has two small convenience shops; a post office; a fish and chip shop; Kebab shop; Ice Cream shop; a pub; bowls club and community centre. The village has a primary school for ages 4-11 years old.

Primary School in the Village of Calderbank

The village also has a church. The church does not have a grave yard.

Calderbank Village Church
House for workers sign
Station Masters house
The Co-Operative Wholesale Society


Etymology

[edit]

The village's name is of a doubtful etymology. The first part of the name refers to the North Calder Water, the small river that flows through the village: however the second element is unknown.[4] Some sources suggest the second element is from Old English benc "bench". A record of the name from 1182 as Celdrebec suggests this.

History

[edit]
Calderbank pond (Park Road)

The village is famous for being the birthplace of the Vulcan, the world's first iron boat, which sailed from Calderbanks Iron Works to the River Clyde and plied the Scottish canals first with passengers and then with cargoes of iron and coal.

The Vulcan is depicted on the ‘Welcome to Calderbank’ sign as you enter the village.

Calderbank welcome sign

Iron from the Calderbanks works was used to build the Queen Mary cruise liner. The Monkland Canal was extended to the west of the village in the late 18th century and was used as a route to transport coal to Port Dundas in Glasgow 12 miles (19.3 km) away. This part of the canal has been preserved between the village and Sikeside on the outskirts of Coatbridge. And other parts of the canal can be seen in Coatbridge town centre and Drumpelier country park, however much of the canal was covered in the 1950s and 1960s by the M8 motorway which actually runs with the meanders of what was the canal (yet under the motorway large pipes still run water which feed the Forth and Clyde canal today).

Calderbank was the site of early Christian settlement, by monks from Newbattle Abbey in the Borders. This gave the local area the name of Monklands.

Many local residents of Calderbank fought in the First World War 1914-1918. They are commemorated on the village war memorial. Individuals include Helen McKenzie; a nurse and only female resident of Calderbank to be killed in the First World War. Her name is present on the war memorial in the village. Also included are Francis Murray and George Murray; aged 15 and 16 who lied about their age in order to serve their country in the First World War. Both names are present on the war memorial in the village.

Calderbank memorial in the community centre
Calderbank war memorial
Calderbank war memorial

Bibliography

[edit]

Calderbank: an industrial and social history[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. ^ "O.S. Map with zoom and Bing overlay". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  4. ^ Drummond, Peter, John (2014). An analysis of toponyms and toponymic patterns in eight parishes of the upper Kelvin basin (PDF). Glasgow: Glasgow University. p. 387. Retrieved 3 July 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Duncan, Robert (1984). Calderbank : an industrial and social history. Monklands Library Services Department. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
[edit]