Auld Old Monkland

An Appreciation of, and a return to
“Auld” Old Monkland,
as we who are left and scattered like to call it
(Written by Bob Cameron c1986)
See latest version with some pics at monklands.co.uk

In 1161, King Malcolm IV of Scotland granted to the Monks of Newbattle the land now called Monklands. The Monks soon established a farming grange at Drumpellier, cultivating the Western acres, which consisted of good, sandy soil e.g. Drumpark farm, and keeping the Eastern side for sheep grazing. Recently, pieces of medieval pottery and two stone spindle whorls found at Drumpellier have confirmed the area where the farming grange was situated.

In 1780, The Reverend John Bower, Minister of Old Monkland, received notice from "Sir John Sinclair," asking for details of his Parish, as did every Minister in Scotland. Collectively these were called "The Statistical Account of Scotland."

The Old Monkland Minister described Old Monkland as an immense garden with its fields and orchards, and the rivers abounding with salmon and trout.

The area around the Church, and stretching back to the Luggie Burn, had, at this time, few if any houses, only the Farms of Kirkwood, Kirkshaws and Bankhead, and the smaller Farms of Highcross, Woodhead and Kirkstyle. Most of these Farms were in Drumpellier Estate, with the others in Douglas Estate, which lay alongside the Calder Water.

After the Monks had cleared the land and started growing grain, they built two mills to grind the crop. These were at Shawhead, and the other on the bank of the Luggie at Langloan.

In the mid nineteenth century, coal was in great demand to supply the needs, of the various works in Coatbridge, and a pit was opened at Kirkwood by a Mr. Hendry in 1862. He had houses built to accommodate the colliers. In 1863 the railway from Glasgow to Airdrie was laid down over the viaduct built at Drumpark, up through the Luggie glen to a Station at Langloan. This enabled people to travel and find work in Glasgow, and soon there were tenements being built in Old Monkland which were let out for rent. The landlords lived in the properties, collected the rents and maintained them.


Woodside Iron Works were established in 1870 and provided work for local people. Many families came from Ireland to Old Monkland, the majority coming from County Down.

In time there was an industrial surge in areas around, and in the Monklands, iron works and pits were the main sources of employment. A school was built at the corner of Woodside Street and Old Monkland Road, but when the population grew enormously after the 1939 - 45 war, due to the influx of residents of old houses in Coatbridge, which had been condemned, it was too small and was demolished. Two new schools were built on Kirkwood Farm land. Here then in the early part of this century was a small close-knit community, where petrol fumes were unknown.
They had their Church, built in 1790, a successor to the first Church ever built in the Monklands, their school, works, churchyard, recreation club, football team and cycling club. The inhabitants of Kirkwood Miner's Row were all rehoused at Drumpark when the pits closed. Many of these closures were due to flooding.
The silent movies came to Coatbridge in the 20's. Prices were low, but even so one picture hall accepted jam jars as payment. People who could afford to go usually only went on a Saturday night. It was not unusual for people to walk from the "Theatre," which was at Jackson Street, even to the southern end of Old Monkland at the Church.

A few items of interest pointed out to me by local historian, "John White." There is a head stone in the churchyard erected to the memory of John Hamilton of Airdrie in "Apryle" 1616. He was the Laird of the Monklands. Early residents occupations were given as weavers, thatchers, gardeners, coachmen, a candlemaker, boatmen (presumably builders), shoemakers, and the large number farm workers and farmers. At one time they fired a gun or cannon in Glasgow 'to let people know the time. This shot could be heard in the Monklands.

So I hope I have laid foundations for an account of families, residences, incidents and life in general in Old Monkland in the 1920's and 30's.
Where does one start? Maybe I'd better describe what one would see starting at the top of the "Mill Brae," and walking down its one Street to "Old Monkland Church." After that, then "God" sparing, I will look at my old friends as I saw them as a boy.

At the top of the "Brae," on the left, lived the "Kirks". Several members of this family helped in the running of local burgh affairs. On the right, coming down the Brae, we had the "Beer Shop" house and three other houses belonging to the "Sloss" family.

The Woodend Pub
The cows were Sanny Lane's going to graze in a field near the west end.
Immediately after this stood the "McMillan" house. Mr. McMillan looked after the "Meal Mill," which stood on the same side of the road beside the Luggie Burn. The Mill was powered by the Burn, and traces of the old dam can still be seen. As boys we swam in the Burn further down the glen. Many a thrashing, or at least a warning, we received from our parents.

Through the railway bridge and on the left, we had the "Baker's Park". My father grazed horses here, and I think "Sanny Lane" kept cows in it before that. Across the road was the entrance into "Woodside Iron Work." This work and surrounding coal pits breathed life into the village.

Then who could forget the horn. It woke the workers, told them when it was time to start, and after a ten hour day, when to "lowse." Many a winter night my pals and I used to sit on the sleeper fence and watch the sparks flying when the molten iron was being pounded by the steam hammer. I really should tell more of the work and the men who sweated and toiled in its bowels. They and it deserve more.

After the "Bakers" park on the left, we had the Gatehouse, where the gardener to the Big House lived. This was a man called Currie, I think. His wife was very kind to me when I delivered her milk. The Big House was the family home of the Spencer’s. This house was a mystery to us, for in those days we never saw the residents, except maybe an occasional glimpse of them as they went out or in~ in their Rolls Royce. We knew as boys that they had a well stocked garden, but nothing was ever stolen, as we had visions of Botany Bay if we were ever caught. There was nothing more on the left until Cuparhead Avenue, except the stables and coach house belonging to Spencer which were opposite "Gunn Place wee Close."

It's been called many names since e.g. Wilkie's Building, but to us who were born in it; it was and always will be "Gunn Place" A happy place, and never a door locked at night. If one went out through the big close at the bottom of the building and turned sharp left, you were on the "Pit Road," and straight in front, backing on to the wash houses of the building, were the byres and outhouses, belonging to my father.

Window into industrial past reopens after a £10.5m revampA landmark Scottish industrial heritage site has reopened after a £10.5m redevelopment.Summerlee, the Museum of Scottish Industrial life, has had two-year refurbishment, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.Built on the site of the former Summerlee ironworks in Coatbridge, it showcases the industrial history of Scotland, with particular emphasis on Lanarkshire.The building was stripped to its steel framework and now has a new exhibition hall, with displays including a restored winding engine from the former Cardowan Colliery at Stepps, a 19th century steam locomotive, and working machinery demonstrating how steel and iron were produced.Alongside traditional museum exhibits there are interactive displays, including a virtual reality blast furnace where visitors can try out making iron, and a discovery zone for children to do experiments involving water, levers and pulleys.The museum also has Scotland's only operating tram, which will take visitors to the coal mine on the site, and to the miners' cottages which display interiors from 1840 to 1960.Lanarkshire was at the centre of the 19th century Industrial Revolution in Scotland, with eight ironworks in Coatbridge alone. At its peak, Summerlee Ironworks produced 150,000 tonnes of iron a year.Summerlee was set up in 1836 because of the supply of coal and iron ore available in Coatbridge, but closed during the miners' and general strikes of 1926. There has been a museum on the site for almost 20 years.Carol Ettershank, Summerlee museum manager, said: "The museum is unique, as it's the only museum in Scotland that interprets heavy industry and the lives of the people who worked in that industry. It interprets the industrial development of Scotland, and there are a lot of the stories of ordinary people here. It also gives people a sense of place and explains why things are the way they are today."If you don't know about your history, you don't know where you've come from, and I think knowing where you've come from is really important for a sense of pride in yourself. This museum is really set in the heart of the community and I think that's because people come here and feel proud of their ancestors. It will bring visitors to this area, so it's also good from a tourism point of view."This is a fantastic resource for schools and adult learners and the displays tie in with the school curriculum. We've lots of interactive displays, which we've never had before and we've also been able to do a lot of restoration work."One of the main things we've done is to restore the colliery winding engine, which is an iconic object for Lanarkshire and we've got the last locomotive built in Airdrie. We've also been able to display our trade union banners, which tell the story of people's struggle for a decent wage and a decent place to live."