The Whitelaw Fountain and Main Street of Coatbridge
Coatbridge shown within Scotland
| Coatbridge | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Drochaid a' Chòta | |
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Coatbridge shown within Scotland |
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| Area | 6.818 sq mi (17.7 km²) |
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| Population | 41,170 (2001 Census) |
| - Density | 6,038/sq mi (2,331/km²) |
| OS grid reference | |
| - Edinburgh | 33 mi (53 km) ENE |
| - London | 341 mi (549 km) SSE |
| Council area | North Lanarkshire |
| Lieutenancy area | Lanarkshire |
| Constituent country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MOTHERWELL |
| Postcode district | ML5 |
| Dialling code | 01236 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| European Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill |
| Scottish Parliament | Coatbridge and Chryston |
| Central Scotland | |
| List of places: UK • Scotland | |
Coatbridge (Scottish Gaelic: Drochaid a' Chòta) is a town in North Lanarkshire, set in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
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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. Neighbouring 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.
The area around Coatbridge was described in the 1799 Statistical Account as an "immense garden" and "orchard"[1] . 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:
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 represented by several tiers of elected government. North Lanarkshire Council, the unitary local authority for Coatbridge, is based at Motherwell, and is the executive, deliberative and legislative body responsible for local governance. The Scottish Parliament is responsible for devolved matters such as education, health and justice,[2] while reserved matters are dealt with by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Up until 1975, Coatbridge had its own Burgh Council. Between 1975 and 1996, Coatbridge came under Monklands District Council which operated as part of Strathclyde Regional Council. Monklands District Council was headquartered in the Coatbridge Municipal Building.
The town forms part of the burgh constituency of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, electing one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Before the constituency's creation in 2005, Coatbridge lay in the Coatbridge and Cryston constituency. Tom Clarke[3] of the Scottish Labour Party has been the MP since 1982 and currently holds the record for the largest UK parliamentary majority with 19,519[4]. For the purposes of the Scottish Parliament, Coatbridge forms part of the Coatbridge and Cryston constituency, which is represented by Elaine Smith MSP[5], also of the Labour party. In addition to this Coatbridge is represented by seven regional MSPs from the Central Scotland electoral region.[6]. A small part of the eastern fringes of the town forms part of the Airdrie and Shotts constituency.
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At (55.861°, -4.047°), Coatbridge is situated in Scotland's Central Lowlands. The town lies 288 feet (88 m) above sea level, 9 miles (14.5 km) east of Glasgow, 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Cumbernauld and 2 miles (3 km) west of Airdrie. Although it has no river running through it, the North Calder Water runs east-west to the south and the Monkland Canal used to run straight through the centre of the town. There are also several smaller burns which run through Coatbridge, most of which drain to the North Calder Water.
Coatbridge experiences a temperate maritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters. Regular but generally light precipitation occurs throughout the year. Several lochs have formed around Coatbridge: Woodend Loch, Lochend Loch and the smaller Witchwood Loch.
The built environment around Coatbridge's town centre is characterised by its mixture of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century sandstone buildings and late twentieth-century precast concrete shops. The Blairhill and Dunbeth areas to the west and north of the town centre comprise detached, semi-detached and terraced sandstone residential buildings. The bulk of the surrounding areas are mid twentieth-century local authority housing. Several high rise flats dominate the skyline, the tallest being 17 stories. Due to the decline of industries, several private housing estates have been built on reclaimed land, some very close to the town centre.
| Coatbridge | North Lanarkshire | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 41,170 | 321,067 | 5,062,011 |
| Foreign born | 1.3% | 1.7% | 3.8% |
| Over 75 years old | 6.1% | 5.6% | 7.1% |
| Unemployed | 5.3% | 4.5% | 4.0% |
According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the census locality of Coatbridge had a total resident population of 41,170, or 13% of the total of North Lanarkshire. This figure, combined with an area of 6.818 square miles (17.7 km2)[11], provides Coatbridge with a population density figure of 6,038 inhabitants per square mile (2,331 /km²). This is lower than the population density of nearby Glasgow (at 8,526 /sq mi/3,292 /km²).
The median age of males and females living in Coatbridge was 35 and 38 years respectively, compared to 37 and 39 years for those in the whole of Scotland[7]. Thirty four percent were married, 6.1% were cohabiting couples, 14.7% were lone parent families and 32.5% of households were made up of individuals[12].
The place of birth of the town's residents was 98.7% United Kingdom (including 96% from Scotland), 0.32% Republic of Ireland, 0.30% from other European Union countries, and 0.72% from elsewhere in the world[7]. The economic activity of residents aged 16–74 was 39.3% in full-time employment, 9.4% in part-time employment, 3.6% self-employed, 5.3% unemployed, 2.5% students with jobs, 3.2% students without jobs, 13.4% retired, 5.7% looking after home or family, 12.0% permanently sick or disabled, and 5.7% economically inactive for other reasons[9]. Compared with the average demography of Scotland, Coatbridge has low proportions of people born outside the United Kingdom, and people over 75 years of age.[7]
Around the time of the Second Industrial Revolution, when the demand for labour was great, Irish people began to come to Coatbridge and other parts of Scotland in increasing numbers, many of them because of The Great Hunger in the mid-19th century. As a result, Coatbridge, like neighbouring Glasgow, is home to a significant number of Catholic Irish-Scots. St Patrick's was built in 1845 to accommodate the new Catholic community.
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.
Although much is made of the links between Coatbridge and Ireland, the links are largely historical. The 2001 Census results report that Irish-born people made up only 0.69% of Coatbridge, around two-thirds the Scottish average of 1.09%[7]. The area was also home to many Lithuanian migrants who settled in the area to work.
From the early days of the industrial revolution, Coatbridge had many industries connected with it, but most revolved round its closeness to coal fields and sources of ironstone.
There are very few industries around Coatbridge. It has settled into being a commuter town for Glasgow, with shopping centres for the surrounding smaller towns.
 Quadrant Shopping Centre Coatbridge |
 Faraday Retail Park Coatbridge |
Property prices in Coatbridge have undergone rapid growth in recent years, reflecting the town's newfound popularity. In 2005, house prices rose by 35%, the largest such increase in Scotland.[13]
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 Monkland Canal was used in the days of heavy industry to transport coal to Glasgow.
Today, Coatbridge is a modern town that has been regenerated by Government and European Union grants. The town is adjacent to the M8 and M73 motorways, and the M74 motorway is a short drive away.
The town is also served by relatively frequent passenger trains and has six railway stations on the four train lines that cross the town: Motherwell-Cumbernauld Line; Argyle Line; Whifflet Line; and North Clyde Line. Six stations lie within Coatbridge and on these lines: Blairhill; Coatbridge Central; Coatbridge Sunnyside; Coatdyke; Kirkwood; and Whifflet. Bargeddie is also within a short walk of Kirkwood, but lies out with the town boundary.
 Blairhill Railway Station |
 Coatbridge Central Railway Station |
 Coatbridge Sunnyside Railway Station |
 Coatdyke Railway Station |
 Kirkwood Railway Station |
 Whifflet Railway Station |
In the past, Coatbridge had many more stations, like the one at Langloan and Calder Station (Greenend). These have been closed for many years.
The short journey to Glasgow, and the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link, under construction, to Edinburgh have also helped regenerate the town, the link will go to Edinburgh Waverley, Bathgate and Livingston (North). With many new housing estates being constructed a short distance from the main transport links.
The neighbourhoods of Coatbridge are Barrowfield, Blairhill, Brownshill, Carnbroe, 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.
Whitelaw is the area which the town centre is in but hasn't been used for many years. The fountain which is situated at the town centre on the corner of main street/south circular road is officially called the Whitelaw Fountain.
Carnbroe, Greenhill, Gartsherrie, Kirkshaws, Langloan, Old Monkland, Shawhead, Sikeside, Townhead, 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
The local football team is Albion Rovers. More local local residents support Celtic and Rangers, but Rovers have a committed core of fans.
Speedway racing was staged at Albion Rovers' stadium, Cliftonhill Park. The stadium hosted the Coatbridge Monarchs from 1968 to 1969, after which the speedway licence was sold to Wembley. Speedway returned to Cliftonhill in 1973. Coatbridge Tigers stayed until mid 1977 when they were turned out to make way for a greyhound track.
Coatbridge has now had since 1990 what some people would call the SPORT of Ju-Jitsu. Although some forms of this art is classed as sport ,Coatbridge Ju-Jitsu and Kobudo Club [1],situated within the Time Capsule Leisure Centre, offers a local solution to 1st Class self defense.
Coatbridge is also home to the commonwealth super feather-weight champion Ricky Burns who won his title on 26th September 2008 with a win over Osumanu Akaba at York hall, Bethnal green.
Coatbridge forms part of the Western water and sewerage regions of Scotland. Waste management is provided by the North Lanarkshire local authority. Water supplies are provided by Scottish Water, a government-owned corporation of the Scottish Government. Coatbridge's Distribution Network Operator for electricity is Scottish Power.[14] Coatbridge is served by Monklands Hospital, sited on the Airdrie side of the Coatbridge/Airdrie border. The NHS board is NHS Lanarkshire. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue is the statutory fire and rescue service which operates in Coatbridge. Policing in Coatbridge is provided by the Strathclyde Police force, N-Division. The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, a public body in Scotland, has direct operational responsibilities, such as supporting (and in some cases running) local bus services, and managing integrated ticketing in Coatbridge and other areas from the former Strathclyde region.[15] Transport Scotland manages the local rail network.[15]
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