Kirkintilloch

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Kirkintilloch
Cathair Cheann Tulaich (Gaelic)


Image:Kirkintilloch (Location).png
OS grid reference:	NS655735



Population:	20,281



Council area:	East Dunbartonshire
Constituent country:	Scotland
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom

Police force:	Strathclyde Police
Lieutenancy area:	Dunbartonshire
Former county:	Dunbartonshire

Post town:	GLASGOW
Postal:	G66
Telephone:	0141


Scottish Parliament:	Strathkelvin and Bearsden West of Scotland
UK Parliament:	East Dunbartonshire Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
European Parliament:	Scotland

Kirkintilloch (Cathair Cheann Tulaich in the Scottish Gaelic language) is a burgh in Scotland, approximately eight miles north-east of central Glasgow. The town is the administrative centre of East Dunbartonshire council, and in the census of 2001, had a population of 20,281.

1 History
2 Etymology
3 Culture
4 Areas of Kirkintilloch
5 External links

[edit] History

The first settlement on the site of what is now Kirkintilloch was of Roman origin, a fort established in what is now the Peel Park area of the town in the mid-second century, one of the northernmost posts in Roman Britannia. Through it the Antonine Wall was routed; its course continues to straddle the town to this day, although Romans were eventually driven out and the site remained uninhabited for nearly a thousand years until Clan Cumming established a castle and church there in the twelfth century. A small settlement grew and was granted burgh status in 1211, becoming an important staging post for west-east journeys from Glasgow to eastern and north-eastern Scotland. Kirkintilloch was orignally in the parish of Lenzie which Cumbernauld in the East to Kirkintilloch in the West. The original parish church, St.Ninian's was at Oxgang (where a watchtower and belfry still stands). The move of the church to Kirkintilloch cross (now the Old Kirk Museum) until 1644 resulted in a split of the Parish into Easter and Wester Lenzie (later Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch Parishes) The name Lenzie was later reused for Kirkintilloch's railway station on the main Glasgow to Edinburgh around which the later village of that name developed.

Modern prosperity came with the routing of the Forth and Clyde Canal through the town in 1773, bringing the town to prominence as an inland port. The establishment of a railway link to Glasgow (the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway) in the 1820s allowed Kirkintilloch to further develop as an industrial centre for weaving and a major boat building locations for canal traffic. To this day, Kirkintilloch is still promoted as the "Canal Capital of Scotland", in which added pride has been taken since the completion of the Canal's recent regeneration project.

The 1960s development plan to gentrify Glasgow saw Kirkintilloch used as an overspill settlement for relocated Glaswegians in combination with the new towns of Livingston and Cumbernauld, offering employment in housebuilding and an increase to the local population to its current levels.[1]

Kirkintilloch was part of traditional Dunbartonshire until the 1975 reorganisation of the traditional counties when it became part of the Strathkelvin local government region of Strathclyde. A second reorganisation in 1996 established East Dunbartonshire council from Monklands the adjacent region of Bearsden and Milngavie; Kirkintilloch is its administrative centre and the council's headquarters are at Tom Johnston House in the town, named after prominent early 20th century politician and Kirkintilloch native, Thomas Johnston.

[edit] Etymology

"Kirkintilloch" is derived from "Caerpentalloch", a Celtic name translating as "Fort at the end of the hillock". The fort is the Roman settlement (which had been long-abandoned at the time the name was established) and the hillock is a volcanic drumlin which would have offered a strategic viewpoint for miles to the West, North and East. The etymology is sometimes taken literally as "Kirk in tilloch" ("church in the field"). Its long name is often shortened by locals to the colloquial Kirkie.

[edit] Culture

Kirkintilloch's 1960s redevelopment had taken little account of culture and the area has been adversely affected by the demolition of its local swimming pool and the resultant lack of leisure facilities. In response, a new leisure centre is under construction following approval from East Dunbartonshire council, with tennis, badminton, swimming, football and gymnasium facilities. It is projected for completion in 2007. This construction comes in combination with a wider-ranging artistic, cultural and social regeneration project under way, called Kirkintilloch's Initiative.[2]

Locally, a G66 Live! Cultural festival has been organised, with a wide range of events from talks on history in local churches, to musical events in the town's local clubs, such as Club Go.

"Kirkie Mierda" - A humorous website by a former Kirkintilloch High School pupil has long been established to poke fun at the things which locals themselves laugh about, such as the significant number of charity shops that are established in the area.

[edit] Sport

The town has a small junior football club, Kirkintilloch Rob Roy F.C., who play at Adamslie Park in the west of the town.

[edit] Music

There is a strong local music scene, with young bands such as Daedalian, What The Dead Know and The RipOffs organising, running and playing gigs and events (such as the aforementioned G66 festival) in both the surrounding areas, but also achieving mainstream press coverage in the likes of the Evening Times, Beat 106 (now known as XFM Scotland) and the Daily Record, amongst others.

[edit] Churches

There are a number of churches in Kirkintilloch. The four Church of Scotland congregations are: St Mary's, St David's Memorial Park, St Columba's and Hillhead. The Baptist Union of Scotland has churches at Townhead (which is famous for being green [3] [4]) and Harestanes.