Gartcosh
Gartcosh
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 Gartcosh
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| Gartcosh shown within North Lanarkshire | |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GLASGOW |
| Postcode district | G69 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Gartcosh (Scottish Gaelic: Gart Cois) is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies a few miles east of Glasgow, and about a mile northwest of the town of Coatbridge.
The name Gartcosh is derived from the Gaelic 'Gart' meaning 'field' and 'Cos' meaning 'hollow'.
According to 2001 census, there were 410 households with a population of 952. Recent expansion of the village including 300 homes in the Heathfield Park estate built by Redrow Homes has increased the population, which is now estimated at around 3000.
Though originally an agricultural village, Gartcosh is better known for its role in Scottish industry.
In the early 19th century there were a number of mines in the local area, and the first railway to service Gartcosh was used to transport coal to Glasgow. By 1837 there was a railway station, or to be more accurate a stopping place as there were no platforms or waiting rooms.
From the mid-19th century onwards, Gartcosh became prominent in industry with the opening of iron works and fireclay works.
Gartcosh Fireclay Works was established by James Binnie in 1863. Although mostly concerned with firebrick manufacture, during the early years its output was much more varied, extending to garden vases and pedestals, garden edges, fountains, chimney cans, roof tiles, cattle troughs, sewage pipes and other products. It was one of a group of such businesses in the area, with others at Cardowan, Garnkirk, Heathfield and Glenboig. Gartcosh Fireclay Works eventually closed down in the 1950s, when local supplies of fireclay were exhausted.
In 1865 Gartcosh became the home of Woodneuk Iron Works owned by William Gray & Co. It was bought by Smith & McLeans in 1872 and subsequently Colville's steel mills. British Steel Corporation took ownership of the Colville's steel mill in Gartcosh in 1967 and operated until its closure in February 1986. The main steel mill building was demolished around 1994-95. The galvanising plant - latterly a storage shed for oversized products produced in the mill building - was used by a paper recycling company, Stirling Fibre, between October 1990 and October 2001. After this company relocated, the building was demolished in 2002.
Smith & McLeans had considerable trouble purchasing the land for the extension of the steelworks from the original land owners. Most of Gartcosh at the time was owned by two strict presbyterian spinster sisters who were unswayed by the considerable financial offerings of the company. They eventually relented, on the condition that no public house, betting shop or Catholic church would ever be housed within the Gartcosh boundaries. This agreement still holds to this day.
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Wikipedia