141-667: East Kilbride ( / ... k ɪ l ˈ b r aɪ d / ; Scottish Gaelic : Cille Bhrìghde an Ear [ˈkʲʰiʎə ˈvɾʲiːtʲə əɲ ˈɛɾ] ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland , and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a raised plateau to the south of the Cathkin Braes , about eight miles (thirteen kilometres) southeast of Glasgow and close to
282-570: A hamlet in the area since 82 AD when the Roman general Agricola stationed 30,000 troops in the area of the village now known as Gateside. Roman roads can still be explored around the village to this day, and many Roman finds have been reported and lodged in Museums throughout Scotland. William Wallace 's uncle Crauford had an estate at Corsbie in the North of the village, and this is still in use as
423-442: A 19% fall in bilingual speakers between the 1911 and 1921 Censuses. Michelle MacLeod of Aberdeen University has said that there was no other period with such a high fall in the number of monolingual Gaelic speakers: "Gaelic speakers became increasingly the exception from that point forward with bilingualism replacing monolingualism as the norm for Gaelic speakers." The Linguistic Survey of Scotland (1949–1997) surveyed both
564-564: A Pictish substrate. In 1018, after the conquest of Lothian (theretofore part of England and inhabited predominantly by speakers of Northumbrian Old English ) by the Kingdom of Scotland , Gaelic reached its social, cultural, political, and geographic zenith. Colloquial speech in Scotland had been developing independently of that in Ireland since the eighth century. For the first time,
705-635: A caravan park called Crosby, to this day (Wallace's mother's family). In later years Robert the Bruce gave a grant of the lands of the Barony of Kilbride to the Boyds of Kilmarnock . It was once home to various mills and other works, and in the 18th century West Kilbride was primarily a weaving village. In 1826, the Hunterston Brooch , a highly important Celtic brooch of "pseudo-penannular" type
846-524: A central feature of court life there. The semi-independent Lordship of the Isles in the Hebrides and western coastal mainland remained thoroughly Gaelic since the language's recovery there in the 12th century, providing a political foundation for cultural prestige down to the end of the 15th century. By the mid-14th century what eventually came to be called Scots (at that time termed Inglis ) emerged as
987-823: A challenge to revitalization efforts which occur outside the home. Positive engagements between language learners and native speakers of Gaelic through mentorship has proven to be productive in socializing new learners into fluency. In the 2022 census, 3,551 people claimed Gaelic as their 'main language.' Of these, 1,761 (49.6%) were in Na h-Eileanan Siar, 682 (19.2%) were in Highland, 369 were in Glasgow City and 120 were in City of Edinburgh; no other council area had as many as 80 such respondents. Gaelic has long suffered from its lack of use in educational and administrative contexts and
1128-558: A championship links course , is situated at Fullerton Drive, Seamill. The original designer of the course was Old Tom Morris . The club hosted the Millennium British Ladies' Championship, and hosts the Scottish Boys' Championship once every three years. West Kilbride Bowling Club , located on Weston Terrace, has two bowling greens. West Kilbride Amateur Football Club were formed in 1947 and compete in
1269-551: A dialect known as Canadian Gaelic has been spoken in Canada since the 18th century. In the 2021 census , 2,170 Canadian residents claimed knowledge of Scottish Gaelic, a decline from 3,980 speakers in the 2016 census . There exists a particular concentration of speakers in Nova Scotia , with historic communities in other parts of Canada having largely disappeared. Scottish Gaelic is classed as an indigenous language under
1410-489: A full range of language skills: speaking, understanding, reading and writing Gaelic. 40.2% of Scotland's Gaelic speakers said that they used Gaelic at home. To put this in context, the most common language spoken at home in Scotland after English and Scots is Polish, with about 1.1% of the population, or 54,000 people. The 2011 UK Census showed a total of 57,375 Gaelic speakers in Scotland (1.1% of population over three years old), of whom only 32,400 could also read and write
1551-661: A journey time of about 27 minutes. The town is also served by Hairmyres railway station in Hairmyres. East Kilbride's primary bus operator is First Glasgow which provides regular services to the city centre, Busby , Clarkston , Castlemilk , Rutherglen , Blantyre , Hamilton , Motherwell and to many other destinations across Greater Glasgow. McGill's Bus Services provide a service linking East Kilbride to Eaglesham , Newton Mearns , Barrhead , Neilston and Uplawmoor as well as another service to Cambuslang and Halfway . JMB Travel and Whitelaws Coaches also run services in
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#17327731794051692-586: A language ideology at odds with revitalization efforts on behalf of new speakers, state policies (such as the Gaelic Language Act), and family members reclaiming their lost mother tongue. New learners of Gaelic often have a positive affective stance to their language learning, and connect this learning journey towards Gaelic language revitalization. The mismatch of these language ideologies, and differences in affective stance, has led to fewer speaking opportunities for adult language learners and therefore
1833-465: A major £4 million expansion and re-planning of the existing site to form 14 rapid drive-through stances with new travel centre and CAB facility at the eastern gateway to the Town Centre. The bus station, which was designed by the architectural firm CDA, opened in 2005. The brief given to the designers was that they were "to achieve a fast turn around of buses, safe pedestrian/vehicular segregation and
1974-701: A monastery for nuns and monks in Kildare in Leinster , Ireland , in the 6th century. Dál Riatan monks afterwards introduced her order to parts of Scotland, although the origins of the East Kilbride example - situated in the West of Scotland, is less certain due to a lack of early historical or linguistic involvement with Dalriada. The Scots anglicisation kil takes its root from the Gaelic cille , borrowed from
2115-503: A more generic suburban layout of low-density private housing, arranged mainly in cul-de-sacs fed by distributor roads. East Kilbride Civic Centre , which was commissioned by the burgh of East Kilbride was designed by Scott Fraser & Browning, built by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts and completed in 1968. From 1975 East Kilbride lent its name to a local government district in the Strathclyde region . From creation until 1980
2256-752: A national centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, based in Sleat , on the Isle of Skye . This institution is the only source for higher education which is conducted entirely in Scottish Gaelic. They offer courses for Gaelic learners from beginners into fluency. They also offer regular bachelors and graduate programs delivered entirely in Gaelic. Concerns have been raised around the fluency achieved by learners within these language programs because they are disconnected from vernacular speech communities. In regard to language revitalization planning efforts, many feel that
2397-538: A number of other uses, including a permanent local history museum, located on the first floor of the hall. The local library was housed here until 1996 when a dedicated home was built (see below). Since the late 1990s the Hall has been run by a dedicated Management Group as part of the highly successful West Kilbride Community Initiative. It is hoped that during 2012 with the full support of the Initiative and local Council
2538-549: A process of Gaelicisation (which may have begun generations earlier) was clearly under way during the reigns of Caustantín and his successors. By a certain point, probably during the 11th century, all the inhabitants of Alba had become fully Gaelicised Scots, and Pictish identity was forgotten. Bilingualism in Pictish and Gaelic, prior to the former's extinction, led to the presence of Pictish loanwords in Gaelic and syntactic influence which could be considered to constitute
2679-610: A proportion of Gaelic speakers greater than 65% (the highest value is in Barvas , Lewis , with 64.1%). In addition, no civil parish on mainland Scotland has a proportion of Gaelic speakers greater than 20% (the highest is in Ardnamurchan , Highland , with 19.3%). Out of a total of 871 civil parishes in Scotland, the proportion of Gaelic speakers exceeds 50% in seven parishes, 25% in 14 parishes, and 10% in 35 parishes. Decline in traditional areas has recently been balanced by growth in
2820-421: A secure and accessible environment set within an attractive urban realm". There are 14 stances (stands) at the bus station that are equipped with electronic displays showing the next few departures. There is also a Travel Centre which is open Saturdays between 9.00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The operators at the bus station are First Glasgow , McGill's Bus Services , JMB Travel and Whitelaw's Coaches. Many of
2961-622: A sense of belonging and place. The town is also home to East Kilbride Arts Centre, a popular arts and performance venue, as well as the longstanding Village Theatre. The town hosted the National Mòd in 1975. East Kilbride F.C. of the Scottish Lowland Football League are based in the town, and play at the K-Park Training Academy at Calderglen Country Park . Motherwell Women F.C of
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#17327731794053102-536: A situation where new learners struggle to find opportunities to speak Gaelic with fluent speakers. Affect is the way people feel about something, or the emotional response to a particular situation or experience. For Gaelic speakers, there is a conditioned and socialized negative affect through a long history of negative Scottish media portrayal and public disrespect, state mandated restrictions on Gaelic usage, and highland clearances . This negative affect towards speaking openly with non-native Gaelic speakers has led to
3243-403: A sloping roof and several large chimneys protruding at each side. In recent years, Law Castle has been substantially restored and refurbished and it now letted for functions and as a holiday home. Portencross Castle , thought to date from the 14th century, is situated right next to the sea at Portencross harbour. It is L-shaped and four storeys high, with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The castle
3384-473: A tall, gothic bell tower . Overton Church , also belonging to the Church of Scotland, is located at the top of Ritchie Street. It is a red sandstone building with a working bell tower. Overton Church website St. Bride's is a small Roman Catholic chapel, on the north side of Hunterston Road, with a large garden behind it. The Barony (or Barony Church), a large 19th-century grey sandstone building,
3525-625: A translation of the New Testament. In 1798, four tracts in Gaelic were published by the Society for Propagating the Gospel at Home, with 5,000 copies of each printed. Other publications followed, with a full Gaelic Bible in 1801. The influential and effective Gaelic Schools Society was founded in 1811. Their purpose was to teach Gaels to read the Bible in their own language. In the first quarter of
3666-719: Is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family ) native to the Gaels of Scotland . As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as both Irish and Manx , developed out of Old Irish . It became a distinct spoken language sometime in the 13th century in the Middle Irish period, although a common literary language was shared by the Gaels of both Ireland and Scotland until well into
3807-490: Is a significant step forward for the recognition of Gaelic both at home and abroad and I look forward to addressing the council in Gaelic very soon. Seeing Gaelic spoken in such a forum raises the profile of the language as we drive forward our commitment to creating a new generation of Gaelic speakers in Scotland." Bilingual road signs, street names, business and advertisement signage (in both Gaelic and English) are gradually being introduced throughout Gaelic-speaking regions in
3948-513: Is a village and historic parish in North Ayrshire , Scotland, on the west coast by the Firth of Clyde , looking across the Firth of Clyde to Goat Fell and the Isle of Arran . West Kilbride and adjoining districts of Seamill and Portencross are generally considered to be a small town, having a combined population of 4,393 at the 2001 census. A Neolithic cup and ring marked stone
4089-487: Is currently considering how to further strengthen the project, and this may be to consider the renovation of Kirtonhall (see below). Held on the first Friday of December every year, this is a Christmas event where shops open late as a procession of children and adults follow Santa to the village hall. Music, stalls and children's fairground rides are set up on Main Street and adjoining Glen Road, which are closed to traffic for
4230-584: Is divided into a number of smaller neighbourhoods bordered by main through-roads. Part of the new town design was that each of these would be a self-contained entity, with a variety of housing types, local shops and primary schools, and accessed safely for pedestrians via paths and underpasses separate from main roads. This is true for the original areas of the new town (principally Calderwood , Greenhills , The Murray , St Leonards and Westwood ) while newer developments, such as Stewartfield , Lindsayfield and Mossneuk do not adhere as closely to this model and have
4371-515: Is largely reputed to be from the Welsh "Cadron" ref. Geoffrey of Monmouth. It looks across the Firth of Clyde to the mountains of the Isle of Arran to the west. The seafront at Seamill features a long sandy beach, as well as rocky outcrops including the small harbour at Portencross . The neighbouring agricultural land supports cereals, potatoes, and livestock, particularly sheep. At the 2001 census,
East Kilbride - Misplaced Pages Continue
4512-483: Is located on Blackshaw Hill, near West Kilbride. This stone is unusual, in that it is carved with three spirals. Although the purpose of such stones is not known, it is considered that they may have had religious importance. Traces of an Iron Age fortification were uncovered when the house named "The Fort" was constructed in Ardrossan Road, Seamill. West Kilbride is generally believed to be named after
4653-411: Is no evidence that Gaelic was ever widely spoken. Many historians mark the reign of King Malcolm Canmore ( Malcolm III ) between 1058 and 1093 as the beginning of Gaelic's eclipse in Scotland. His wife Margaret of Wessex spoke no Gaelic, gave her children Anglo-Saxon rather than Gaelic names, and brought many English bishops, priests, and monastics to Scotland. When Malcolm and Margaret died in 1093,
4794-663: Is situated in the Murray. There is one Lutheran parish of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England, which is located in the Westwood hill area. An Evangelical Christian congregation is also located in the Westwood area. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints meeting hall is situated in Vancouver Drive, Westwood. Two congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses share a Kingdom Hall near the centre of
4935-624: Is situated just across the main street from St. Andrew's. This building no longer functions as a church; however, it remains in public hands, as the new £1.7m Craft Exhibition Centre operated by Craft Town Scotland (a project of the West Kilbride Community Initiative Limited). One of the oldest houses in West Kilbride is Kirktonhall, which originally dates back to 1660, although the house was partially rebuilt and extended in 1791 and 1868. The house
5076-574: The Ayrshire Coast Line between Largs and Glasgow Central . The journey to Glasgow takes around 50 minutes. The station is unmanned, with only one passenger track. A bus service connects West Kilbride northwards to Greenock and south to Ayr . The service is number 585, and is operated by the Stagecoach Group . Buses run approximately half-hourly; there is no bus station but there are several roadside bus stops throughout
5217-660: The BAFA Community Leagues . EK82 Handball Club , founded in 1972, train at the John Wright Sports Centre and the Alistair McCoist Complex. East Kilbride has been twinned with Ballerup , Denmark since 1965. Scottish Gaelic language Scottish Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ æ l ɪ k / , GAL -ik ; endonym : Gàidhlig [ˈkaːlɪkʲ] ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic ,
5358-455: The Céilí Dé who were monastics. However, it has been suggested by Prof. T. O. Clancy and others that cille place-names in the region, including the East Kilbride example, may instead relate to the main period of Gaelic cultural influx in the period post 900 AD. The original parish church was located on what may have been a site of a pre-Christian significance, and tentatively the origin of
5499-767: The East Kilbride District Council was governed by the Scottish National Party (SNP), subsequently, until dissolution, the district was under the control of Labour. In 1996, administrative functions were taken over by the South Lanarkshire unitary council . There is an East Kilbride constituency of the Scottish Parliament . From the opening of the Scottish Parliament , the constituency was represented by Andy Kerr MSP ( Labour ), until May 2011 when
5640-837: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages , which the UK Government has ratified, and the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 established a language-development body, Bòrd na Gàidhlig . The Scottish Parliament is considering a Scottish Languages Bill which proposes to give the Gaelic and Scots languages official status in Scotland. Aside from "Scottish Gaelic", the language may also be referred to simply as "Gaelic", pronounced / ˈ ɡ æ l ɪ k / GAL -ik in English . However, "Gaelic" / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik also refers to
5781-470: The Hunterston B nuclear power station and the nearby Hunterston Terminal , owned by Clydeport . A 24 MW wind farm , owned and operated by Airtricity , is located on Busbie Muir (about 3 km east of Tarbert Hill), and has been operational since February 2004. Its capacity will increase to 30 MW when three additional wind turbines become operational, scheduled for Autumn 2007. Through
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5922-624: The Hydropathic spa at Seamill and its neighbouring sandy beach. West Kilbride is governed by North Ayrshire Council as part of the unitary local authority of North Ayrshire and Arran based in Irvine , which controls such matters as education, environmental services and social housing. Police services are operated by Police Scotland . The Scottish Parliament is responsible for policy on devolved matters such as education , health and justice while reserved matters are dealt with by
6063-499: The M74 and M8 motorways . The nearest Glasgow district of Castlemilk is about three miles (five kilometres) northwest, with the Cathkin Braes , farmland and the village of Carmunnock in between; a bypass (the B766) was built in 1988 to remove Glasgow traffic from Carmunnock. Rutherglen and Cambuslang lie about the same distance to the north-east and are linked to East Kilbride via
6204-663: The M77 motorway away from Eaglesham and Newton Mearns . The closest town to the south of East Kilbride is Strathaven , about 7 miles (11 kilometres) away via another section of the A726. The majority of land in the area in between is taken up by Whitelee Wind Farm on the moorland hills to the southwest, including Elrig close to where one of the principal feeder burns of the Calder Water originates. The Calder itself flows northwards past East Kilbride adjacent to Blantyre , before joining
6345-555: The Outer Hebrides , accommodation ethics exist amongst native or local Gaelic speakers when engaging with new learners or non-locals. Accommodation ethics, or ethics of accommodation, is a social practice where local or native speakers of Gaelic shift to speaking English when in the presence of non-Gaelic speakers out of a sense of courtesy or politeness. This accommodation ethic persists even in situations where new learners attempt to speak Gaelic with native speakers. This creates
6486-794: The Parliament of the United Kingdom . West Kilbride forms part of the constituency of North Ayrshire and Arran, electing one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom . Katy Clark of the Labour Party was elected in 2005 and re-elected in 2010 with a 47.4% share of the vote. For Scottish Parliament elections, West Kilbride forms part of the Cunninghame North constituency, which elected SNP candidate Kenny Gibson to Holyrood in 2007 with 30.7% of
6627-545: The River Clyde opposite Daldowie near Newton . East Kilbride is often considered to form part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. However, the urban area is not directly connected to any other, being designed from the outset to serve as a self-contained town with some commute requirements to Glasgow. The hamlets of Nerston , Kittochside, Auldhouse and Jackton which were once separate settlements are now on
6768-515: The Rolls-Royce factory in East Kilbride prevented engines for military jets being serviced and supplied between 1974 until 1978 to the Chilean military dictatorship is told in the 2018-released documentary, Nae Pasaran . The factory was scheduled for closure in 2017 and was subsequently demolished and the land (at Nerston Industrial Estate ) used for housing; a monument consisting of one of
6909-688: The Scottish Lowlands . Between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, the number of Gaelic speakers rose in nineteen of the country's 32 council areas. The largest absolute gains were in Aberdeenshire (+526), North Lanarkshire (+305), the Aberdeen City council area (+216), and East Ayrshire (+208). The largest relative gains were in Aberdeenshire (+0.19%), East Ayrshire (+0.18%), Moray (+0.16%), and Orkney (+0.13%). In 2018,
7050-408: The dual carriageway A749 road which continues into Glasgow. Clarkston and Busby are also about three miles (five kilometres) northwest via the A727 road , with Thorntonhall much closer. Eaglesham lies about three miles (five kilometres) west of East Kilbride centre; the Glasgow Southern Orbital, another modern bypass which is part of the A726 road , keeps East Kilbride traffic heading for
7191-537: The significant increase in pupils in Gaelic-medium education since that time is unknown. Gaelic Medium Education is one of the primary ways that the Scottish Government is addressing Gaelic language shift. Along with the Bòrd na Gàidhlig policies, preschool and daycare environments are also being used to create more opportunities for intergenerational language transmission in the Outer Hebrides. However, revitalization efforts are not unified within Scotland or Nova Scotia, Canada. One can attend Sabhal Mòr Ostaig ,
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#17327731794057332-429: The " Three Towns " conurbation of Ardrossan , Saltcoats and Stevenston . The built-up area extends from Seamill on the coast of the Firth of Clyde to the principal part of the town, which, raised up and about 1 mi (1.5 km) from the coast, lies between Law Hill (168 m or 551 ft) and Tarbert Hill (138 m or 453 ft). It is overlooked by Cauldron Hill (329 m or 1,079 ft), whose name
7473-453: The 'Maxwells of Calderwood' who resided in Calderwood Castle , and were the oldest branch of the Maxwells of Pollok. The remnants of Calderwood Castle were demolished in 1951 and only a few parts of the structure remain. Calderglen Heritage formally constituted in early 2017 as a body to protect, record, and restore local and national interest in the areas of the former Calderwood and Torrance estates of Calderglen. The story of how workers at
7614-421: The 17th century. Most of modern Scotland was once Gaelic-speaking, as evidenced especially by Gaelic-language place names. In the 2011 census of Scotland , 57,375 people (1.1% of the Scottish population aged over three years old) reported being able to speak Gaelic, 1,275 fewer than in 2001. The highest percentages of Gaelic speakers were in the Outer Hebrides . Nevertheless, there is a language revival , and
7755-437: The 19th century, the SSPCK (despite their anti-Gaelic attitude in prior years) and the British and Foreign Bible Society distributed 60,000 Gaelic Bibles and 80,000 New Testaments. It is estimated that this overall schooling and publishing effort gave about 300,000 people in the Highlands some basic literacy. Very few European languages have made the transition to a modern literary language without an early modern translation of
7896-404: The 2011 Census. The 2011 total population figure comes from table KS101SC. The numbers of Gaelic speakers relate to the numbers aged 3 and over, and the percentages are calculated using those and the number of the total population aged 3 and over. Across the whole of Scotland, the 2011 census showed that 25,000 people (0.49% of the population) used Gaelic at home. Of these, 63.3% said that they had
8037-407: The 4th–5th centuries CE, by settlers from Ireland who founded the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata on Scotland's west coast in present-day Argyll . An alternative view has been voiced by archaeologist Ewan Campbell , who has argued that the putative migration or takeover is not reflected in archaeological or placename data (as pointed out earlier by Leslie Alcock ). Campbell has also questioned
8178-404: The Ayrshire Amateur Football League. Team colours are amber and black and home matches are currently played at Kirktonhall Glen. West Kilbride Tennis Club was formed in 2016 following completion of the refurbishment of the Tennis Courts in Kirktonhall Glen. St. Andrew's church , formerly known as St. Brides, belongs to the Church of Scotland . It has a large rose stained glass window and
8319-494: The Bible; the lack of a well known translation may have contributed to the decline of Scottish Gaelic. Counterintuitively, access to schooling in Gaelic increased knowledge of English. In 1829, the Gaelic Schools Society reported that parents were unconcerned about their children learning Gaelic, but were anxious to have them taught English. The SSPCK also found Highlanders to have significant prejudice against Gaelic. T. M. Devine attributes this to an association between English and
8460-498: The EU's institutions. The Scottish government had to pay for the translation from Gaelic to other European languages . The deal was received positively in Scotland; Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy said the move was a strong sign of the UK government's support for Gaelic. He said; "Allowing Gaelic speakers to communicate with European institutions in their mother tongue is a progressive step forward and one which should be welcomed". Culture Minister Mike Russell said; "this
8601-484: The Forth–Clyde line and along the northeastern coastal plain as far north as Moray. Norman French completely displaced Gaelic at court. The establishment of royal burghs throughout the same area, particularly under David I , attracted large numbers of foreigners speaking Old English. This was the beginning of Gaelic's status as a predominantly rural language in Scotland. Clan chiefs in the northern and western parts of Scotland continued to support Gaelic bards who remained
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#17327731794058742-415: The Gaelic Act falls so far short of the status accorded to Welsh that one would be foolish or naïve to believe that any substantial change will occur in the fortunes of the language as a result of Bòrd na Gàidhlig 's efforts. On 10 December 2008, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , the Scottish Human Rights Commission had the UDHR translated into Gaelic for
8883-582: The Gaelic aristocracy rejected their anglicised sons and instead backed Malcolm's brother Domnall Bán ( Donald III ). Donald had spent 17 years in Gaelic Ireland and his power base was in the thoroughly Gaelic west of Scotland. He was the last Scottish monarch to be buried on Iona , the traditional burial place of the Gaelic Kings of Dàl Riada and the Kingdom of Alba. However, during the reigns of Malcolm Canmore's sons, Edgar, Alexander I and David I (their successive reigns lasting 1097–1153), Anglo-Norman names and practices spread throughout Scotland south of
9024-544: The Hall will proceed to separate charitable status as a SCIO. The War Memorial , originally built in 1921, did not list the names of the dead. This deficiency was remedied on 3 June 2001 (the Sunday nearest D-Day ), when the memorial was re-dedicated with four new granite stones listing the names. Kirktonhall Glen is a woodland walkway leading from West Kilbride to Seamill, gifted to West Kilbride in 1924 by Robert Barr. West Kilbride Primary School serves West Kilbride, Seamill and Portencross. Opened in 1983, it replaced
9165-442: The Highland and Island region. In 1616, the Privy Council proclaimed that schools teaching in English should be established. Gaelic was seen, at this time, as one of the causes of the instability of the region. It was also associated with Catholicism. The Society in Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge (SSPCK) was founded in 1709. They met in 1716, immediately after the failed Jacobite rising of 1715 , to consider
9306-416: The Highlands and Islands, including Argyll. In many cases, this has simply meant re-adopting the traditional spelling of a name (such as Ràtagan or Loch Ailleart rather than the anglicised forms Ratagan or Lochailort respectively). Some monolingual Gaelic road signs, particularly direction signs, are used on the Outer Hebrides , where a majority of the population can have a working knowledge of
9447-426: The Inner Hebridean dialects of Tiree and Islay, and even a few native speakers from Western Highland areas including Wester Ross , northwest Sutherland , Lochaber and Argyll . Dialects on both sides of the Straits of Moyle (the North Channel ) linking Scottish Gaelic with Irish are now extinct, though native speakers were still to be found on the Mull of Kintyre , on Rathlin and in North East Ireland as late as
9588-410: The Irish language ( Gaeilge ) and the Manx language ( Gaelg ). Scottish Gaelic is distinct from Scots , the Middle English -derived language which had come to be spoken in most of the Lowlands of Scotland by the early modern era . Prior to the 15th century, this language was known as Inglis ("English") by its own speakers, with Gaelic being called Scottis ("Scottish"). Beginning in
9729-405: The Latin for cell or chapel, of St Brigit . the use of cille to mark a probable dedication to an Irish saint in this part of Scotland is problematic due to linguistic dating issues, but some analysis suggests that churches with cille place-names in the south west represent an early and short-lived influx of Irish church influence in or before the eighth century, which may or may not have involved
9870-429: The Reverend David Ure in his History of Rutherglen and East Kilbride (1793), are embedded, alongside other monuments, into a ritual landscape related to ancestor cults and relationships with key topographical features and annual solar events. A flint arrow head was discovered by Allan Forrest, a then child resident whilst groundworks were taking place in his family's garden at Glen Bervie, St Leonards in 1970 which later
10011-484: The Scottish St Bryde, who is alleged to have been born in 451 AD and died at Abernethy 74 years later. However, this is also the same year Brigit is supposed to have been born, and the same year of her death. Culdee-type Christian settlements were essential to the spread of the Celtic church in Scotland, with small pagan sites being converted and chapels or cells forming little more than crude shelters, or timber and turf buildings with crude circular enclosures. Additionally,
10152-823: The Scottish Womens Professional League play the majority of their home matches at the K-Park Training Facility based in Calderglen Country Park. East Kilbride Thistle Juniors also operate from The Show Park in the Village. East Kilbride YM FC is the town's oldest football club, founded in 1921. East Kilbride RFC were formed in 1968 and are based at the Torrance House Arena at Calderglen Country Park. From 1976 they rose steadily through
10293-611: The UK Government as Welsh . With the advent of devolution , however, Scottish matters have begun to receive greater attention, and it achieved a degree of official recognition when the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act was enacted by the Scottish Parliament on 21 April 2005. The key provisions of the Act are: After its creation, Bòrd na Gàidhlig required a Gaelic Language Plan from the Scottish Government. This plan
10434-826: The Western Isles (−1,745), Argyll & Bute (−694), and Highland (−634). The drop in Stornoway , the largest parish in the Western Isles by population, was especially acute, from 57.5% of the population in 1991 to 43.4% in 2011. The only parish outside the Western Isles over 40% Gaelic-speaking is Kilmuir in Northern Skye at 46%. The islands in the Inner Hebrides with significant percentages of Gaelic speakers are Tiree (38.3%), Raasay (30.4%), Skye (29.4%), Lismore (26.9%), Colonsay (20.2%), and Islay (19.0%). Today, no civil parish in Scotland has
10575-644: The Western Isles. The Scottish Qualifications Authority offer two streams of Gaelic examination across all levels of the syllabus: Gaelic for learners (equivalent to the modern foreign languages syllabus) and Gaelic for native speakers (equivalent to the English syllabus). An Comunn Gàidhealach performs assessment of spoken Gaelic, resulting in the issue of a Bronze Card, Silver Card or Gold Card. Syllabus details are available on An Comunn's website. These are not widely recognised as qualifications, but are required for those taking part in certain competitions at
10716-522: The age and reliability of the medieval historical sources speaking of a conquest. Instead, he has inferred that Argyll formed part of a common Q-Celtic -speaking area with Ireland, connected rather than divided by the sea, since the Iron Age. These arguments have been opposed by some scholars defending the early dating of the traditional accounts and arguing for other interpretations of the archaeological evidence. Regardless of how it came to be spoken in
10857-430: The ancient Celtic Saint Brigid of Kildare , often known as St Bride. The name suggests there was once a cell or kil to Brigid in the area, although local legend has her visit to establish her church around 500 AD (the landing point was supposedly in front of the now Seamill Hydro). The "West" prefix was added in the early 18th century to distinguish between another Kilbride in South Lanarkshire . There has been
10998-511: The annual mods . In October 2009, a new agreement allowed Scottish Gaelic to be formally used between Scottish Government ministers and European Union officials. The deal was signed by Britain's representative to the EU, Sir Kim Darroch , and the Scottish government . This did not give Scottish Gaelic official status in the EU but gave it the right to be a means of formal communications in
11139-627: The area dates as far back as the late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, as archaeological investigation has demonstrated that burial cairns in the district began as ceremonial or ritual sites of burial during the Neolithic, with the use of cup-marked, and other inscribed stones at key elevated sites, only to be later built upon with earth and re-used for burial into the Bronze Age. These findings have found further support through ongoing research indicating that many East Kilbride Cairns first noticed by
11280-441: The area is populated by many roundabouts , which credible survey work as of August 2023 numbers at 199, inclusive of all types of roundabout and exclusive of traffic islands not functioning as roundabouts. This is despite much spurious reference elsewhere numbering them at over 600. Glaswegians jokingly refer to East Kilbride as " Polo mint City" after the round, mint sweet. The main dual carriageway road running north–south through
11421-672: The area. East Kilbride bus station is managed and operated by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport . It is situated by East Kilbride Shopping Centre and is situated right outside the Princes Mall section of the Shopping Centre, and is easily accessible from the Olympia Arcade section also. It is approximately a 10-minute walk from the town's rail station . The current bus station went under
11562-540: The association with St Brigit , since the site may be dedicated to the Celtic goddess Brigid , whose traditions have been continued through the reverence of St Brigit brought on by the Celtic Church. However, this view is unpopular amongst academic audiences due to a complete lack of evidence supporting such earlier origins, thus making it an unfalsifiable concept. Alternatively, the later dedication may commemorate
11703-575: The award, Alistair Darling MP praised the resourcefulness and dedication of the West Kilbride community. In January 2012 the Craft Town Scotland project achieved another accolade by winning the Creative Scotland £100k "Creative Places" award. The £1.7m Barony Craft Centre was formally opened to the public on 1 May 2012. This is now the centrepiece of this extensive community initiative. The West Kilbride Community Initiative
11844-532: The bill be strengthened, a revised bill was published; the main alteration was that the guidance of the Bòrd is now statutory (rather than advisory). In the committee stages in the Scottish Parliament, there was much debate over whether Gaelic should be given 'equal validity' with English. Due to executive concerns about resourcing implications if this wording was used, the Education Committee settled on
11985-618: The boundary with East Renfrewshire . The town ends close to the White Cart Water to the west and is bounded by the Rotten Calder Water to the east. Immediately to the north of the modern town centre is The Village , the part of East Kilbride that existed before its post-war development into a New Town. East Kilbride is twinned with the town of Ballerup , in Denmark. The earliest-known evidence of occupation in
12126-428: The building was demolished in early 2007 after heavy storms damaged the external walls of the castle. Although the building is a Category-B listed building , permission was not sought before demolition. The town became known as a weaving and agricultural town, one of many Ayrshire towns specialising in potatoes. Since the town became linked by rail to Glasgow in 1878, it began to attract more visitors, particularly to
12267-556: The busy roundabouts in East Kilbride feature underpasses which allow pedestrians and cyclists safe access across roads. On 19 June 2009, National Cycling Route 756 , connecting East Kilbride and Rutherglen with the City Boundary, was opened. In November 2007, South Lanarkshire Council published three cycle routes, named the "East Kilbride Cycle Network" which start at the East Kilbride Shopping Centre in
12408-625: The census of pupils in Scotland showed 520 students in publicly funded schools had Gaelic as the main language at home, an increase of 5% from 497 in 2014. During the same period, Gaelic medium education in Scotland has grown, with 4,343 pupils (6.3 per 1000) being educated in a Gaelic-immersion environment in 2018, up from 3,583 pupils (5.3 per 1000) in 2014. Data collected in 2007–2008 indicated that even among pupils enrolled in Gaelic medium schools, 81% of primary students and 74% of secondary students report using English more often than Gaelic when speaking with their mothers at home. The effect on this of
12549-486: The centre of the town and are signposted. Route One is route is to Strathaven, via Newlandsmuir; Route Two to St Leonard's Shopping Centre, and Route Three is to Calderglen Country Park . Incidentally East Kilbride prior to new town development was a prized health resort, with cycling being a popular pastime there from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. East Kilbride as a new town was designed to provide elements of culture, sport, and heritage for residents so as to create
12690-568: The cities and professors of Celtic from universities who sought to preserve the language. The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 provided universal education in Scotland, but completely ignored Gaelic in its plans. The mechanism for supporting Gaelic through the Education Codes issued by the Scottish Education Department were steadily used to overcome this omission, with many concessions in place by 1918. However,
12831-576: The city, one being the A727 (formerly A726) leading west to Busby and on to Clarkston Toll. Another route being the A749 which runs north into Rutherglen . Recently, the addition of the Glasgow Southern Orbital road links the west of the town directly with Newton Mearns and the M77 ; this road has taken over the designation A726. Similar to other New Towns , the road network within
12972-506: The concept of 'equal respect'. It is not clear what the legal force of this wording is. The Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament unanimously, with support from all sectors of the Scottish political spectrum, on 21 April 2005. Under the provisions of the Act, it will ultimately fall to BnG to secure the status of the Gaelic language as an official language of Scotland. Some commentators, such as Éamonn Ó Gribín (2006) argue that
13113-620: The dialect of the Scottish Gaelic language, and also mixed use of English and Gaelic across the Highlands and Islands. Dialects of Lowland Gaelic have been defunct since the 18th century. Gaelic in the Eastern and Southern Scottish Highlands, although alive until the mid-20th century, is now largely defunct. Although modern Scottish Gaelic is dominated by the dialects of the Outer Hebrides and Isle of Skye, there remain some speakers of
13254-447: The early 18th century, the word 'East' was added to the name of East Kilbride, and 'West' to West Kilbride to distinguish the towns from each other. East Kilbride grew from a small village of around 900 inhabitants in 1930 to become a large burgh in 1967. The rapid industrialisation of the 20th century underpins this growth and left much of the working population throughout Scotland's Central Belt , from Glasgow to Edinburgh, living in
13395-518: The endeavours of the local initiative group, West Kilbride is now achieving fame as the " Craft Town Scotland ". The village boasts a number of craft shops and studios. The Barony Craft Centre provides a convenient way for craftspeople to sell their art and craftwork , in return for a share of the profits. In September 2006, West Kilbride Craft Town won the Department of Trade and Industry 's "Enterprising Britain 2006" competition. Presenting
13536-582: The entire region of modern-day Scotland was called Scotia in Latin, and Gaelic was the lingua Scotica . In southern Scotland , Gaelic was strong in Galloway , adjoining areas to the north and west, West Lothian , and parts of western Midlothian . It was spoken to a lesser degree in north Ayrshire , Renfrewshire , the Clyde Valley and eastern Dumfriesshire . In south-eastern Scotland, there
13677-475: The evening. West Kilbride is the first town in Scotland to organise an annual "Scarecrow Festival". The purpose of the Scarecrow Festival is to foster community spirit and civic pride within West Kilbride and its surrounding area. It celebrates West Kilbride's origins as an agricultural community, while looking to the future through the "Craft Town Scotland" initiative. West Kilbride Golf Club ,
13818-560: The first time. However, given there are no longer any monolingual Gaelic speakers, following an appeal in the court case of Taylor v Haughney (1982), involving the status of Gaelic in judicial proceedings, the High Court ruled against a general right to use Gaelic in court proceedings. While the goal of the Gaelic Language Act was to aid in revitalization efforts through government mandated official language status,
13959-490: The government's Department for International Development , now the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office , is located in the western Hairmyres area of East Kilbride. There are approximately 30 Christian churches in East Kilbride. This includes nine Church of Scotland churches, three Baptist churches, and four Roman Catholic churches. St Bride's RC church is a category A listed building . St Mark's Episcopal church
14100-521: The housing shortage. Glasgow would also undertake the development of its peripheral housing estates. East Kilbride was the first of six new towns in Scotland to be designated, in 1947, followed by Glenrothes (1948), Cumbernauld (1956), Livingston (1962), Irvine (1964) and Stonehouse (1972), although Stonehouse new town was never built. The planned town has been subdivided into residential precincts, each with its own local shops, primary schools and community facilities. The housing precincts surround
14241-770: The housing stock built at the end of the previous century. The Great War postponed any housing improvements, as did the Treaty of Versailles and the period of post-war settlement it created. In turn, this was followed by the Great Depression . After the Second World War , Glasgow, already suffering from chronic housing shortages, incurred bomb damage from the war. In 1946, the Clyde Valley Regional Plan allocated sites where overspill satellite "new towns" could be constructed to help alleviate
14382-479: The initiatives must come from within Gaelic speaking communities, be led by Gaelic speakers, and be designed to serve and increase fluency within the vernacular communities as the first and most viable resistance to total language shift from Gaelic to English. Currently, language policies are focused on creating new language speakers through education, instead of focused on how to strengthen intergenerational transmission within existing Gaelic speaking communities. In
14523-502: The language. Compared with the 2001 Census, there has been a diminution of about 1300 people. This is the smallest drop between censuses since the Gaelic-language question was first asked in 1881. The Scottish government's language minister and Bòrd na Gàidhlig took this as evidence that Gaelic's long decline has slowed. The main stronghold of the language continues to be the Outer Hebrides ( Na h-Eileanan Siar ), where
14664-519: The language. These omit the English translation entirely. Bilingual railway station signs are now more frequent than they used to be. Practically all the stations in the Highland area use both English and Gaelic, and the use of bilingual station signs has become more frequent in the Lowlands of Scotland, including areas where Gaelic has not been spoken for a long time. West Kilbride West Kilbride ( Scottish Gaelic : Cille Bhrìghde an Iar )
14805-532: The late 15th century, it became increasingly common for such speakers to refer to Scottish Gaelic as Erse ("Irish") and the Lowland vernacular as Scottis . Today, Scottish Gaelic is recognised as a separate language from Irish, so the word Erse in reference to Scottish Gaelic is no longer used. Based on medieval traditional accounts and the apparent evidence from linguistic geography, Gaelic has been commonly believed to have been brought to Scotland, in
14946-532: The leagues, peaking for three years in Premier 2. They now play in the West Regional League 1, the fourth tier of club rugby. They run two senior men's teams and numerous youth teams which are linked to the local schools. Retired Scotland national player Alasdair Strokosch played through all the youth levels at EKRFC. East Kilbride Pirates are the country's top American football team and play in
15087-459: The members of Highland school boards tended to have anti-Gaelic attitudes and served as an obstacle to Gaelic education in the late 19th and early 20th century. Loss of life due to World War I and the 1919 sinking of the HMY Iolaire , combined with emigration, resulted in the 1910s seeing unprecedented damage to the use of Scottish Gaelic, with a 46% fall in monolingual speakers and
15228-734: The mid-20th century. Records of their speech show that Irish and Scottish Gaelic existed in a dialect chain with no clear language boundary. Some features of moribund dialects have been preserved in Nova Scotia, including the pronunciation of the broad or velarised l ( l̪ˠ ) as [w] , as in the Lochaber dialect. The Endangered Languages Project lists Gaelic's status as "threatened", with "20,000 to 30,000 active users". UNESCO classifies Gaelic as " definitely endangered ". The 1755–2001 figures are census data quoted by MacAulay. The 2011 Gaelic speakers figures come from table KS206SC of
15369-532: The modern era. Some of this was driven by policy decisions by government or other organisations, while some originated from social changes. In the last quarter of the 20th century, efforts began to encourage use of the language. The Statutes of Iona , enacted by James VI in 1609, was one piece of legislation that addressed, among other things, the Gaelic language. It required the heirs of clan chiefs to be educated in lowland, Protestant, English-speaking schools. James VI took several such measures to impose his rule on
15510-435: The north east on the outskirts of West Kilbride. It was largely rebuilt from a tower demolished in the 17th century which was the home of Sir Ranald Craufurd (uncle of William Wallace) in the 13th century, and it is said that Wallace himself spent some time at Crosbie. Currently the castle lies at the centre of a caravan park also called Crosbie Towers. Having lain empty for a number of years due to internal fire damage, part of
15651-485: The number of place-name dedications to St. Brigit in Scotland is further evidence of the possibility of Culdee activity in the southwest, if extrapolations are allowed from known areas of culdee activity. How this possibility relates to the relatively late dating-periods in the British kingdom of Strathclyde has not been explored owing to a lack of surviving written sources to provide insights for this geographical area. In
15792-434: The number of speakers of the language under age 20 did not decrease between the 2001 and 2011 censuses. In the 2022 census of Scotland , it was found that 2.5% of the Scottish population had some skills in Gaelic, or 130,161 persons. Of these, 69,701 people reported speaking the language, with a further 46,404 people reporting that they understood the language, but did not speak, read, or write in it. Outside of Scotland,
15933-695: The official language of government and law. Scotland's emergent nationalism in the era following the conclusion of the Wars of Scottish Independence was organized using Scots as well. For example, the nation's great patriotic literature including John Barbour's The Brus (1375) and Blind Harry's The Wallace (before 1488) was written in Scots, not Gaelic. By the end of the 15th century, English/Scots speakers referred to Gaelic instead as 'Yrisch' or 'Erse', i.e. Irish and their own language as 'Scottis'. A steady shift away from Scottish Gaelic continued into and through
16074-459: The outcome of the act is distanced from the actual minority language communities. It helps to create visibility of the minority language in civil structures, but does not impact or address the lived experiences of the Gaelic speaker communities wherein the revitalization efforts may have a higher return of new Gaelic speakers. Efforts are being made to concentrate resources, language planning, and revitalization efforts towards vernacular communities in
16215-560: The overall proportion of speakers is 52.2%. Important pockets of the language also exist in the Highlands (5.4%) and in Argyll and Bute (4.0%) and Inverness (4.9%). The locality with the largest absolute number is Glasgow with 5,878 such persons, who make up over 10% of all of Scotland's Gaelic speakers. Gaelic continues to decline in its traditional heartland. Between 2001 and 2011, the absolute number of Gaelic speakers fell sharply in
16356-524: The periphery of the expanding town. Statistically, as of 2020 it is the sixth-largest locality (a single defined populated place) in Scotland with a population of 75,310, but only the tenth-largest settlement , as these are formed by connected clusters of localities: for example neighbouring Hamilton's settlement – 84,450 – is combined with Blantyre, Bothwell and Uddingston to exceed the population of isolated East Kilbride, with neither counted as part of Greater Glasgow under this definition. East Kilbride
16497-518: The population of West Kilbride was 4,393. Approximately 85% were born in Scotland, and 10.6% were born in England. Compared to the population of Scotland as a whole, the number of children aged 5–15 is above average, as is the proportion of adults age 45+. 2.2% of the community were born outside Europe. 77% of residents own their home, compared to 62.6% in the population as a whole; 34.3 live in detached houses compared to 20.4 in all of Scotland, and
16638-470: The power and great prestige of its owner. Nowadays, it is considered one of the most significant items of Celtic art , and is housed in the Royal Museum of Scotland , Edinburgh . Several buildings in the area date back to medieval times. Law Castle , situated at the foot of Law Hill, was built in the 15th century for King James III 's sister Mary. The castle is a simple rectangular structure with
16779-556: The previous Victorian-era school which had burned down in 1980 on the same site. The original school could support up to 250 pupils. The newer school has exactly 465 pupils The community centre in Corse Street houses many local groups and organisations including bridge, photo, snooker and music clubs, the local cub scouts, computer classes, yoga classes, and the North Ayrshire Music School. This building
16920-453: The proportion of semi-detached dwellings is also above average. The local area is predominantly rural, but agriculture accounts for only 1.4% of local employment. Managers and professional occupations make up 33.7% of the employed population, compared to the average of 23.8% for the whole of Scotland. The main industries of employment at the 2001 census were: The area is noted for its Ayrshire potatoes. These grow well locally, thanks to
17061-466: The prosperity of employment: the Highland economy relied greatly on seasonal migrant workers travelling outside the Gàidhealtachd . In 1863, an observer sympathetic to Gaelic stated that "knowledge of English is indispensable to any poor islander who wishes to learn a trade or to earn his bread beyond the limits of his native Isle". Generally, rather than Gaelic speakers, it was Celtic societies in
17202-460: The reform and civilisation of the Highlands, which they sought to achieve by teaching English and the Protestant religion. Initially, their teaching was entirely in English, but soon the impracticality of educating Gaelic-speaking children in this way gave rise to a modest concession: in 1723, teachers were allowed to translate English words in the Bible into Gaelic to aid comprehension, but there
17343-535: The region, Gaelic in Scotland was mostly confined to Dál Riata until the eighth century, when it began expanding into Pictish areas north of the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. During the reign of Caustantín mac Áeda (Constantine II, 900–943), outsiders began to refer to the region as the kingdom of Alba rather than as the kingdom of the Picts. However, though the Pictish language did not disappear suddenly,
17484-517: The richly wooded and festooned valley', and with 'delightful cascades', and described as indescribable, or as 'the GRAND, the ROMANTIC, and BEAUTIFUL' - the latter being the only part of David Ure's book where he emphasised the descriptive characteristics of a place in bold characters. The northern part of the gorge and adjoining Calderwood, the gorge's namesake, was the home of an ancient family known as
17625-464: The seat was won by Linda Fabiani MSP ( Scottish National Party ). East Kilbride was formerly a constituency of the UK Parliament . In 2005 it was replaced by the constituency of East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow . The seat was held from 1987 to 2010 by Labour politician, Adam Ingram . In the 2010 election Labour politician, Michael McCann , previously a South Lanarkshire Councillor
17766-452: The shopping centre, which is bound by a ring road . Industrial estates were concentrated on the outskirts of the town in northern, western and south-eastern directions ( Nerston , College Milton and Kelvin respectively). The Calderglen gorge bordering the eastern fringe of East Kilbride, was celebrated in a high number of printed works as a picturesque forest and 'magnificent in its grouping of craggy heights, sprinkled with trees and [...]
17907-714: The town is known as the Kingsway , while the main east–west road is known as the Queensway . East Kilbride bus station , at the East Kilbride Shopping Centre , was rebuilt in June 2005 with modern facilities, including 14 rapid drive-through stances, allowing quick turnover of buses. East Kilbride railway station is situated in the Village, about a 10-minute walk from the bus station. Trains depart to Glasgow Central railway station every half-hour, with
18048-733: The town. The Christadelphians meet in Calderwood Community Centre. There are two United Reformed Churches, one in the Village, and one in the Murray. In the Greenhills area is a congregation of the Methodist church, whose premises are currently shared by the Seventh Day Adventist church. An Islamic Centre opened in 2018. East Kilbride is connected to Glasgow city centre by road and rail. Three main roads connect East Kilbride with surrounding suburbs and
18189-458: The unrepaired engines was installed at the town's South Lanarkshire College in 2019. Hamilton , the administrative headquarters for South Lanarkshire Council , is about five miles (eight kilometres) east of East Kilbride. The A725 road linking the towns also passes Blantyre and one of the University of the West of Scotland campuses, with links to Bothwell, Motherwell and ultimately to
18330-404: The use as fertiliser of the abundant supply of seaweed conveniently deposited on the nearby shore by winter storms. For this reason West Kilbride was sometimes referred to as the "Tattie Toon". Other crops grown include sweetcorn (for cattle food), barley, root vegetables and summer berries, especially strawberries. Cattle and sheep are also farmed locally. Industries close to the village include
18471-450: The vote. Gibson was re-elected in 2011 with 52.6% of the vote, a majority of 6,117. West Kilbride is also represented by seven regional MSPs from the West of Scotland electoral region. West Kilbride is situated on the west coast of Scotland, approximately 40 miles (60 kilometres) southwest of Glasgow , about 8 mi (13 km) south of Largs and about 5 mi (8 km) north of
18612-399: Was accepted in 2008, and some of its main commitments were: identity (signs, corporate identity); communications (reception, telephone, mailings, public meetings, complaint procedures); publications (PR and media, websites); staffing (language learning, training, recruitment). Following a consultation period, in which the government received many submissions, the majority of which asked that
18753-497: Was approved in 2006 by South Lanarkshire Council. The plan proposed demolishing some existing buildings to create a new civic centre, health centre, library and shopping facilities. The shopping centre's owners went into administration in 2022. There are plans to demolish a large part of the Centre West segment and turn this into housing with the overall retail space to be reduced and new civic amenities to be built. A branch of
18894-523: Was birthplace to mathematician Robert Simson , born 14 October 1687. A large monument to Simson stands in West Kilbride's cemetery. Kirktonhall was formally used as administrative offices by North Ayrshire Council but now remains boarded up. The West Kilbride Institute and Public Hall , opened in 1900, has been home to the West Kilbride Horticultural Society's flower shows from the same year. The building currently has
19035-714: Was elected as the MP for the area. In the 2015 election , Lisa Cameron for the SNP was elected as part of the landslide victory the party had in Scotland, with Cameron, after holding the seat in 2017 and 2019 , defecting to the Conservatives in 2023. The town centre is occupied by a large shopping centre comprising six linked malls (The Plaza (development started in 1972), Princes Mall (1984), Southgate (1989), Princes Square (1997), Centre West (2003) and The Hub (2016)). A £400m redevelopment of part of East Kilbride shopping centre
19176-556: Was found by two men from West Kilbride who were digging drains at the foot of Goldenberry Hill, near Hunterston . Made about 700 AD, the Hunterston Brooch is cast in silver, gilt , and gold, silver and amber, and decorated with interlaced animal bodies in gold filigree . In its centre, a cross and a golden Glory represent the Risen Christ. The Hunterston Brooch is clearly object of very high status, indicating
19317-507: Was identified as dating to 1500 BC (Bronze Age). Prehistoric – possibly Roman – graves have also been found near the Kype Water close to town of Strathaven, some distance from East Kilbride but suggesting a Roman context for the wider area. Roman coins, footwear, and a Romano-British oil lamp have also been found in the area. East Kilbride traditionally takes its name from an Irish saint named St Bride (or Brigit), who may have founded
19458-491: Was long suppressed. The UK government has ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of Gaelic. Gaelic, along with Irish and Welsh, is designated under Part III of the Charter, which requires the UK Government to take a range of concrete measures in the fields of education, justice, public administration, broadcasting and culture. It has not received the same degree of official recognition from
19599-510: Was no further permitted use. Other less prominent schools worked in the Highlands at the same time, also teaching in English. This process of anglicisation paused when evangelical preachers arrived in the Highlands, convinced that people should be able to read religious texts in their own language. The first well known translation of the Bible into Scottish Gaelic was made in 1767, when James Stuart of Killin and Dugald Buchanan of Rannoch produced
19740-506: Was originally the Paisley Convalescent Home , gifted by James Arthur of Carlung. Opened in the 19th century, it much later became a community centre and now The town's library, opened in 1996, was purpose-built to replace the library originally located in the village hall and is located at the fork of Main Street and Halfway Street. The library is run by North Ayrshire Council. West Kilbride railway station lies on
19881-501: Was roofless for many years due to storm damage. A campaign to save Portencross Castle from private ownership received national publicity in July 2004 when it was featured on the BBC 's Restoration television programme. The title for the castle and grounds was given to the group "Friends of Portencross Castle" on 22 December 2005. Crosbie Castle (also known as Crosbie Towers ) lies to
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