77-601: Eurocentral is one of the largest industrial estates in Scotland, just off the M8 motorway , about 12 miles (19 kilometres) east of Glasgow city centre and 34 mi (55 km) west of Edinburgh . The nearest communities to the estate are Holytown, Mossend, Chapelhall , Calderbank and Carnbroe . The closest major towns are Bellshill 4 mi (6 km), Motherwell 4 mi (6 km), Coatbridge 4 mi (6 km) and Airdrie 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi (7 km). There
154-504: A Covenanters service were at risk of death by the then Government because Church of England practice, prayer books and many customs had to replace the traditional Scots Kirk Presbyterian conventions. Additionally Covenanters were of the opinion that Scotland's interests and identity were best served by maintaining an independent Scottish Parliament and became involved in invasions of England in 1644 and other struggles in Ireland. A monument
231-485: A Pug, as was used to pull the coal wagons, is now on display in the local Polkemmet Country Park , formerly the private estate of the local land owning Baillie dynasty . Many other mines were dotted around the surrounding area, including the Benhar pit to the west side of Harthill. Harthill, Eastfield and Greenrigg form something of a single village entity now, but each retains its independent close-knit identity. Harthill
308-410: A capacity for 300 primary children and 60 nursery children, the nursery is within the school with its own adjacent fenced off play area within the main playground. The opening of the school was initially planned for August 1997 and included plans for a footpath running directly from the school grounds across the field to the west and joining onto the footpath which goes from Edinburgh Road up the site of
385-661: A church in Harthill. Harthill links with Whitburn Free Church were strong and records from this church record the new church being opened 'Thursday first'. Services had been however previously been held in the school buildings of the Harthill School and the Benhar Works School. Indeed, one of the conditions laid down by Sir William Baillie for providing funds for its construction was that the school should be made available for Sunday Church services. Harthill and Eastfield lay within
462-613: A conventicle, is maintained at the site of the Peden stone. The 2009 service was held on Sunday 14 June at 3 pm by preacher Sinclair Horne. Approximately a one mile (1.6 km) south-east of Pedens Stone sits another covenanters monument. On 20 July 1680, one of the most famous covenanting preachers, the Reverend Richard Cameron was killed by Dragoons at Airds Moss in Cumnock along with eight of his friends. The following Sunday,
539-727: A decision was taken for Roman Catholics in Harthill to meet and celebrate Mass in the Harthill Public School. When a chapel was eventually planned it was built just outside the old settlement boundary of the village. The planning of a first chapel in neighbouring Whitburn seemed to follow a similar arrangement. In 2016 the churches in the Harthill area are: Benhar Evangelical Church (which includes, Greenrigg Evangelical Mission), St Andrew's Church of Scotland (which includes, Forrest Memorial Hall), The Harvest Centre (Harthill Pentecostal Community Church); The Gospel Hall, and St Catherine's RC Church. James Wilson's Endowed School— Consisted of
616-465: A farewell gift. As the new term of August 1999 quickly approached the opening was again delayed as delivery and arranging of furniture and fittings overran the deadline. A couple of days later all 300 primary children and 60 nursery children attended the brand new Alexander Peden Primary. Head Teacher and Assistant Head Teacher positions had been advertised although classroom teachers and other existing staff from both Harthill and Benhar were transferred to
693-469: A horse driven mill, a tack room for keeping carriages and later motor cars and tennis courts and bowling green. The Baillie family played an active role in the community, giving significant sums of money for the construction of public buildings and other developments, including the Baillie Institutes (community centres) built in Harthill, Whitburn and Blackburn. The Baillie Institute building in Harthill
770-624: A new interchange with the M80 motorway added in 1992, a 4-mile (6.4 km) eastern extension from Newbridge to the then-new Edinburgh City Bypass in 1995, and the new junction on the approach to the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow connecting to the new M74 extension in 2011. As part of the Scottish Government's 'M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements programme', on which construction began in early 2015,
847-557: A population of 289 with 60 identifiable families. By 1864 a good number of incomers from Ulster who easily adapted to the way of life in the area. One of these ways included interests in Orangeism and they began to meet regularly with others from their homeland. The area around Harthill was rich in Covenanting history and is home to the Peden Stone. Orangeism was born in Harthill in 1874 and
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#1733085508983924-576: A single schoolroom on the site of the Main Street School, recently demolished. James Wilson was a Whitburn merchant and endowed the facility. He endowed the sum of £25 salary for a teacher yearly. He left money for the construction and teachers salary for four schools upon his death. Eastfield School, (Benhar Works School) — Main Buildings Demolished. One of the conditions laid down by Sir William Baillie for providing funds for its construction
1001-514: A warrant by King James VII , in 1685, to James Hamilton , the 4th Duke of Hamilton . These were to be held adjoining (mal a propos ) Kirk o'Shotts on the third Tuesday of June and August. The chief business done at these markets was the buying and selling of horses and cattle. By 1882 the Harthill village was thriving with many external business links and its own commercial bank and continued to attract incomers. Harthill and much of Central Scotland has rich deposits of coal. Digging of coal fuelled
1078-465: Is a bus link to and from Glasgow city centre and Livingston, West Lothian . Eurocentral has warehouse distribution centres, factories, call centres, a railfreight centre which links with Grangemouth docks 28 mi (45 km) to the north east, England to the south and beyond to mainland Europe. The estate also has a large modern hotel/restaurant (Dakota). One of the landmarks of the Eurocentral are
1155-508: Is located on the A8 and M8 corridors between Scotland's two largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with the village by-passed in 1965 by the first constructed section of the M8 motorway. Scotland's first motorway service station, Heart of Scotland services , was also built at Harthill in 1971 and is located a few hundred yards north of the village. Originally leased and operated by Blue Star to serve M8 traffic,
1232-481: Is mainly elevated on a concrete viaduct , lowering pollution concentrations but exposing some public spaces, roof terraces and other parts of buildings to noise and shading. Some slip roads in the Glasgow section unusually enter and exit from the overtaking ( right-hand ) lane. The motorway includes one of the busiest river crossings in Europe, Glasgow's Kingston Bridge . Several incomplete structures were built around
1309-629: Is now the Pentecostal church. Sir William and Lady Baillie were also responsible for the establishment of the Lady Baillie Sabbath School in Whitburn. Once a year the family would open their mansion to the public and on several other days each summer made it available for Sunday school outings. One of the most notable members of the Baillie family was the 6th Baronet of Polkemmet, Sir Adrian . He
1386-506: Is the busiest motorway in Scotland. It connects the country's two largest cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh , and serves other large communities including Airdrie , Coatbridge , Greenock , Livingston and Paisley . The motorway is 60 miles (97 km) long. A major construction project to build the final section between Newhouse and Baillieston was completed on 30 April 2017. The motorway has one service station, Heart of Scotland Services , previously named Harthill due to its proximity to
1463-629: The Eleven plus exam or who couldn't afford to go to secondary school at Airdrie Academy or St Patrick's High School, Coatbridge continued their education in Harthill Junior School. From the 1970s Harthill Junior School became Harthill Primary School and all pupils left to go on to secondary education. Originally all pupils would go to schools in either Coatbridge or Airdrie with many attending Airdrie Academy, St Margaret's High, or Caldervale in Airdrie or
1540-665: The Glasgow Inner Ring Road , a motorway "box" which would encircle the city centre, connected to the Renfrew Bypass at its south western corner, and the Monkland Motorway (built over the former route of the Monkland Canal ) towards Edinburgh at its north eastern corner. Together, these three sections of motorway make up the present day M8. Most of the motorway's length was complete by 1980. Since then, there has been
1617-459: The M74 motorway ) before passing through the districts of Barlanark , Riddrie , Dennistoun and Townhead (following the route of the abandoned Monkland Canal ) on the way directly into the city centre . The central section – the uncompleted Glasgow Inner Ring Road – contains numerous junctions serving local communities including Cowcaddens , Garnethill , Kelvingrove and Anderston . It then crosses
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#17330855089831694-539: The River Clyde on the Kingston Bridge , runs west through Kinning Park , Bellahouston and Hillington before leaving Glasgow. Continuing west, it bypasses Renfrew and Paisley (carrying traffic directly over what was the main runway at Renfrew Airport , closed in 1966) before serving Glasgow International Airport , running to the south of Erskine , and terminating at Langbank , around 10 miles (16 km) east of Greenock . The M8 nominally comprises sections of
1771-684: The Scottish Kirk by enforcing Episcopal religion and practices on Scotland favoured by the Crown. This was not accepted by many Scots Presbyterians and many thousands of them of all social status would die in fighting for the freedom to follow their own Presbyterian faith and John Knox's Protestant reformation teachings. Thousands signed up to a 'Covenant' in support of maintaining Presbyterian church traditions which had now become illegal under penalty of death for anyone who failed to follow King Charles I Episcopal prayer book. Anyone then found participating in
1848-466: The international E-road network , namely E05 (Langbank-Baillieston) and E16 (Baillieston-Edinburgh), although neither is signposted – no such roads are in the United Kingdom. The central Glasgow section of the M8 is unusual amongst UK motorways (and more similar to many US Interstates) in that it directly bisects an urban city centre, whereas most other motorways bypass such centres. This section
1925-511: The ' Turnpike ' system was first established in Scotland with the main route between Edinburgh and Glasgow passing through Harthill. By 1780 'The Edinburgh to Glasgow Flyer' stagecoach would pass through Harthill and Whitburn up to 20 times a day. The 'Halfway House' which is now a private dwelling at Polkemmet Country park and Golf Course (on the B7066 (A8)) was where horses could be changed and watered. Travellers could take refreshments and later alcohol
2002-425: The 1960s small pit production lost out to investment in higher productivity super-pit production. The smaller pits around Polkemmet closed. Lord Polkemmet (messrs Baillie) and his family, originally from Lanarkshire, had owned much land around Harthill and Whitburn. They had purchased the land from a Mr Alan Shaw in 1620. The Baillies built a mansion in the grounds of the now public Polkemet Country Park and it became
2079-689: The Edinburgh City Bypass, the road runs west to junction with the M9 motorway (for the Forth Road Bridge ), bypassing to the north of Livingston and south of Bathgate . It continues across Scotland's Central Belt . The next section – originally designated the Monkland Motorway – begins on the boundary of the Glasgow City council area at the M73 motorway junction (the main interchange for all routes south via
2156-561: The M74 extension, attempts were made to minimise delays on this section; these included restricting exits around the Kingston Bridge, a ramp metering programme, and expanded use of electronic signing above and beside the motorway as part of the CITRAC ( Centrally Integrated TRAffic Control ) system. The M8 is also criticised as a barrier to wildlife access (for example the reintroduced beaver) from
2233-456: The Main Street in 1999. The site currently stands empty as of 2010. Greenrigg Primary School building replaced a stone built school after it was ruined by fire. Alexander Peden Primary School was built to replace Harthill Primary School in 1999. It replaced not only Harthill Primary but also neighbouring Benhar Primary, Eastfield. Both schools had been categorized as unfit for purpose. Built by
2310-580: The North Lanarkshire Council as their first new school, Alexander Peden Primary was to become the council's 'baby'. Estimated to have cost over £4 million it became the flagship for many new schools that have been built by North Lanarkshire since then. The new school boasted modern features such as extendible dining room and gym hall with stage, state of the art media room, two open-plan classrooms, high tech security entry, alarms and CCTV systems linked into local police and fire stations. The school has
2387-530: The Peden Stone which would have been used by Alexander and other preachers as a plinth. Parents of all the children expected to attend the new school were also consulted about the new school uniform and purple and grey were voted to be the new colours. The council kindly asked their graphics department to design the new logo free of charge, the new design represents the flow of water from the adjacent river Almond. Both Harthill and Benhar School Boards agreed that they would purchase one school sweater for every child as
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2464-588: The Presbytery of Kincardine and Deeside. The service of dedication was well attended not only by members of the Scottish Covenanters Association but also by all those from Harthill who helped make the new monument possible. The Harthill Free Church was formally opened on 20 July 1871 by Reverend William Arnott of Edinburgh. Reported in the Wishaw Press in 1877, the Harthill and Benhar Parish Church
2541-572: The Reverend Donald Cargill held a conventicle at Starryshaw which was said to have been attended by several thousand. The text on that occasion was taken from the second Book of Samuel , chapter 3, verse 38. Donald Cargill would be later hanged in Edinburgh in July 1681. The original monument was built in 1925 by John Gilfillan of Shotts, but was blown up by vandals in 1957. A replacement monument
2618-622: The Scottish Police training school before being demolished by the National Coal Board. Sir Adrian Baillie the 6th Baronet died in 1947 and was interred in the mausoleum within the estate which can be seen there today. The family connection with the estate ended after three centuries. The mausoleum is the only part of the family estate the family now own. Up until 1871 Harthill and Eastfield had no church building. Church Presbytery records from Linlithgow record attempts being made to build
2695-492: The Taiwanese television parts manufacturer Chunghwa Picture Tubes (中華映管). The building is sometimes referred to as The Chunghwa Factory , and is locally infamous because it was built using large amounts of taxpayers’ money but was demolished within ten years. Originally designed as a factory to produce cathode ray tubes for use in television sets and monitors, the rapid rise in popularity of LCD and plasma televisions contributed to
2772-587: The Trefoil School on 25 September by the Princess Elizabeth (The late Queen Elizabeth II). She later became the school's patron. The Trefoil School remained here until 1951 when it moved to Gogarburn, Edinburgh. During this time at Polkemmet the school was visited by some important visitors including, Chief Scout , Lord Rowallan and Princess Mary, the Princess Royal . Following this, the building became
2849-579: The UK Government. The factory was demolished and the site developed into a mixed-use commercial and business park. The £330 million park is the UK’s largest speculative office park development, comprising 10 buildings, totalling 756,000 sq ft (70,200 m) of high-quality space. The entire park was completed in March 2010. As well as Grade A office accommodation and a wide range of shops and leisure facilities
2926-424: The area, that the closest buildings around Kirk o'Shotts were a single cottage in Whitburn, 'Whitburn itself was a solitary house in a desolate county' and that 'there was scarce a cottage to be seen east of Kirk o'Shotts'. He also described the whole area as bleak countryside, sparsely wooded, rough and hilly and weather harsh. An early map of 1773 has reference to Harthill then known as 'Sidehead'. In 1795 Harthill
3003-492: The beginnings of development in the area. Sir John Inglis of Crammond organised the first coal pits in the area at Benhar, south-west of Harthill. Nine men were initially employed and received 13 shillings per week. These miners had tied accommodation with the job and had to pay rent to the coal pit owner. If they could no longer work due to accidents or ill health, they and their family lost their accommodation. Working conditions were very poor and dangerous. In 1806, two miles to
3080-596: The bypass of Harthill . In 1968 the Renfrew Bypass was opened as the A8(M), becoming part of the M8 when the motorway to the west was connected. The Glasgow inner city section was constructed between 1968 and 1972, using a scheme outlined in the Bruce Report , which was published as the Second World War was closing, and which set out a series of initiatives to regenerate the city. Bruce's scheme evolved into what would become
3157-610: The coal extractions. It took a further 30 years before the Government required children to receive an education before working age. In 1887 a coal miner earned 4s per day (20 pence; a loaf of bread would have cost a penny). Greenrigg Colliery, West Lothian, owned by the Loganlea Coal Company, was taken over by United Collieries in 1905. It produced coal and clay, the clay going to the brickworks at Bathgate to make 'Etna' bricks. A fire at Greenrigg Colliery in 1924 destroyed most of
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3234-432: The coal mining of John Muirhead of Braidenhill who had a going coal pit near the land of Kipp in the new Monklands Parish. This coal pit had one draught and course of water which was drawn from the pit which operated for many years until, out of grudge, Matthew Newlands of Kipp caused the water to be dammed making the pit unprofitable. A weekly mercat (market) and two annual 'fairs' at Kirk o'Shotts had been established under
3311-422: The east of Harthill at Greenrigg, Lord Polkemmet sank a pit which employed thirteen miners, two boys and some labourers. The seam was about 25 m (82 ft) below ground and it produced 8,000 tons of coal per year, which was sold for 6 shillings and 4 d (33 new pence) per ton into Edinburgh and generated annual revenues of around £1,000 per year. As the demand for coal continued to increase with growth from
3388-828: The effects of the Industrial Revolution , factories, and housing growth in Edinburgh and Glasgow, more pits began to be sunk throughout central Scotland for more coal. More people in Scotland now worked in coal pits and factories than in agriculture. In 1830 it was normal for women and children as young as five and six to haul trucks full of coal to the surface of the coal pits. Accident records were not kept. The Shaftesbury Act ( Mines and Collieries Act ) of 1842 banned women and children under ten years of age from working in coal pits. They had up to then been employed to pull coal hutches and were known as 'coal-putters'. After women were banned from working below ground, they continued to be employed in emptying and picking unwanted debris from
3465-468: The entire local communities in the decision making regarding the new school's name. Many suggestions were put forward and the School Boards put a short list of names to the public vote. Alexander Peden was the overwhelming winner with every single household in both Harthill and Eastfield using their vote, naming the school after the noted Covenanter , Alexander Peden . The school lies in close proximity to
3542-444: The family residence for over 300 years. The Baillies owned many local collieries and Lord Polkemmet's son William was made a baronet in 1823. Sir William Baillie and his wife Lady Baillie extended the house in 1822 and the building was in continuous ownership by the Baillie family until the 1950s. At its height the building had 39 rooms and offices, 11 domestic servants and servants quarters. The grounds included stables, fodder store,
3619-789: The first meeting of the District Loyal Orange Lodge No 30 is mentioned having taken place in the William Forrester's Hall. A centennial parade was recorded in August 1977 on the occasion of the 100 anniversary of The Harthill District L.O.L. No.30. A Centenary Ball was held in Benhar House on 5 November that year too. After the Union of the Crowns of Scotland and England by 1603 and by 1637, King Charles I tried to imposed greater control over
3696-509: The houses on Polkemmet Road, Stanley Road and Burns Crescent. The occupants worked in nearby Greenrigg and Polkemmet Collieries, which were in West Lothian and also Blairmuckill, Dewshill, Hassockrig and others in Lanarkshire. Polkemmet deep mine coal pit closed during the miners' strike in 1984 due to a mistake by the pickets, who stopped the firemen going in to keep the pumps maintained and
3773-470: The huge losses made by the Chunghwa company. It is also reported that a huge water bill from West of Scotland Water also helped contribute to the eventual demise of the site. Opening in 1996, the factory was expected to create 3,000 local jobs. However, employment never rose above 1,200 and the factory was empty by 2003. The company was forced to repay £8 million of the £20 million funding grant it received from
3850-562: The manufacture of plastics. Harthill is sometimes considered an isogloss , as it is around here that there is a distinct change from the West Central Scots accent spoken further into Lanarkshire to the East Central Scots spoken in West Lothian. Around 15 miles (24 km) to the north-west, Castlecary is another location alongside a motorway perceived to denote a shift between dialects as well as local authorities . In 1767
3927-445: The motorway - at least 3 have been demolished or reused from the 1960s dubbed Bridges to Nowhere . A few incomplete structures remain. The cause of most traffic congestion on the urban section is traffic from the M73 and M80 routes onto the eastern section of M8 which within 2 miles (3.2 km) reduces from five lanes to two on the Kingston Bridge approaches. Prior to the construction of
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#17330855089834004-563: The motorway, which was designed by Buro Happold , opened in October 2008 and cost £5 million, completed the redevelopment. The land is still owned by Transport Scotland and the current site operator is BP . The number 900 bus links Harthill with Edinburgh and Glasgow every 15 minutes from the Harthill service station. A park and ride system operates for car and bike owners for direct access to these centres. Local bus connections terminate here also. Local industries comprise food distribution and
4081-520: The neighbouring St Patrick's in Coatbridge. From the late 1970s early 1980s Harthill pupils could attend Calderhead High in nearby Shotts. Harthill Primary School was the last school building to stand on the original site of the first school in Harthill Main Street. The two-storey building of some imposing stature was demolished after the opening of Alexander Peden Primary School further west along
4158-544: The new road has been successful in reducing traffic levels on the urban section of the M8. Coatbridge A89 Stirling , Kincardine Bridge ( M80 ) Download coordinates as: Harthill, Scotland Harthill is a rural village split between North Lanarkshire and West Lothian in Scotland , with most of the village in North Lanarkshire. It is located about halfway between Glasgow , 21 miles (34 kilometres) to
4235-697: The north of Scotland to the Southern Uplands . Successive failed attempts were made to build the southern flank of the Glasgow Inner Ring Road envisaged by the Bruce Report of the late 1940s. The eastern section had been planned to run north/south close to the High Street of Glasgow, through or under Glasgow Green to the southside of the Clyde. Public opinion was strongly against this and the eastern section
4312-455: The old bing towards Covenanter Road in Eastfield. The land needed for this footpath hadn't been included in the initial sale of farmland and the council entered negotiations with the farmer, these were unsuccessful but had delayed the planning permission process by two years. When building work was almost complete, the School Boards of Harthill Primary and Benhar Primary, wasted no time including
4389-628: The parish of Kirk o'Shotts. Until the Scottish Protestant Reformation in 1560 the Kirk o'Shotts location was a Catholic place of worship. St. Catherine's Chapel was built in 1450. It was dedicated to "the blessed Virgin and Catherine of Sienna ". Little evidence of the original church remains. After the Reformation, the church became 'Shotts Kirk'. The present building was opened on 26 October 1821 and cost nearly £3,000. The spire of this Church
4466-520: The park also houses one of Scotland's largest nurseries, Papillon Nursery and one of the Dakota Hotels (although not part of the Maxim estate it is very close by and built in keeping with the park's image). Current tenants include: Aviva , Balfour Beatty , Foundever , Linear Group, Proact IT, Policy Expert, Regus , Ricoh , SEPA , TClarke and Vaillant . 55°49′53″N 3°58′46″W / 55.83147°N 3.97937°W / 55.83147; -3.97937 M8 motorway (Scotland) The M8
4543-412: The remaining unfinished section between Baillieston (J8) and Newhouse (J6) was built, alongside other major improvements enhancing connectivity to the local road network, M73, and M74. The new section was fully opened on 30 April 2017. On 6 December 2019, the Southbar interchange (J29a) was reopened to facilitate regeneration in the Bishopton area, having been previously closed during the 1970s. From
4620-454: The service station incorporated a landmark motorway footbridge and a corporate business suite which could be leased for meetings or events – being half-way between Scotland's two major cities. It was never a success as the M8 is basically a 45-mile commuter route. The service station, known as Harthill Services, was completely redeveloped around 2006 and renamed Heart of Scotland services . A modern and stylish replacement footbridge bridge over
4697-417: The single roomed James Wilson school which was now unfit for purpose. The Shotts School Board built Harthill school on the Main Street and its adjacent headmaster's house, which was considered to be extravagant accommodation for his requirements when built. By 1872 Parliament had passed the Scottish Education Act which required all children to receive education from the ages of five to twelve. Pupils who failed
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#17330855089834774-428: The so-called "Big Heids" which are three red upturned shipping containers with tubes making the shape of human heads. The Maxim Office Park is a recent addition opening in March 2010. With 10 buildings totalling over 756,000 sq ft (70,200 m). Built in a single phase, Maxim is also the UK’s largest speculatively built office park. Eurocentral was the name given to a former factory near Holytown operated by
4851-423: The surface buildings and the headframes. The men had to escape through a connecting passage to Southrigg Colliery near Shotts . The pit was reconstructed and continued in operation until 1960. On 1 January 1947, The NCB (National Coal Board) took over control of all local pits. Many pits nationally needed modernisation and investment. The country's industrial, transport and housing infrastructure needed re-built. By
4928-400: The village . With the advent of motorway-building in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s, the M8 was planned as one of a core of new motorways, designed to replace the A8 road as a high-capacity alternative for intercity travel. The motorway was constructed piecemeal in several stages bypassing towns, beginning in 1965 with the opening by Minister of State for Scotland George Willis of
5005-404: The war Polkemmet House was used both as a war hospital and accommodation for Polish soldiers who had fled Nazi-occupied Poland to continue fighting from Britain . In 1945 Polkemmet House became the 'Trefoil School', originated during the war when a group of people associated with the Girl Guide movement volunteered to take care of handicapped evacuee children there. It was officially opened as
5082-410: The water at bay, which lead to an unrecoverable flooding of the pit. The only evidence remaining of Polkemmet colliery is a few buildings on the corner of Dixon Terrace (Whitburn) and the building which is now Buildbase. If you stand facing the buildings with your back to the council tip, the windings stood to the right and the canteen was near where the bend on the road now is. A steam engine known as
5159-450: The west, and Edinburgh , 25 miles (40 km) to the east. It lies on the River Almond about 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (4 km) west of the small town of Whitburn . The closest major towns are Bathgate , 6 miles (9.7 km) away, and Livingston , 10 miles (16 km) away. Major towns within North Lanarkshire, such as Wishaw , Airdrie , Motherwell , Coatbridge and Bellshill are all around 10 to 15 miles (15 to 25 km) to
5236-555: The west. The M8 motorway bypasses the village and Harthill has a service station named after it. Harthill grew up as a result of the coal mining industries of North Lanarkshire, and some of the original old miners' homes remain. Originally part of Linlithgowshire , it was eventually split between the ancient counties of West Lothian and Lanarkshire . The village of Greenrigg is adjacent to Harthill on its east side and lies in West Lothian. Some remaining miners' homes, otherwise known as 'miners rows', are also in Greenrigg, along with
5313-542: Was Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Lothian and Justice of the Peace. He was Unionist MP for the Linlithgowshire constituency between 1931 and 1935. He married Cecilia (Olive) Wilson-Filmer , the eldest daughter of Lord Queensborough . She reputedly had an income of around £50,000 per year from her grandfather William Collins Whitney , an American multimillionaire. As an MP, Sir Aidrian then spent more time in London and Leeds Castle in Kent . The Baillie family ceased to be resident at Polkemmet from around this time. During
5390-438: Was erected in 1866 on top of the local natural stone used as a pulpit by the Covenanter prophet Alexander Peden to preach to outdoor conventicles . As was common with many Covenanter preaching places across Scotland at that time, the location of the Peden stone is in a remote and difficult to find area and hidden from general view. The Peden Stone is maintained by a local Covenanters committee. An annual open service, known as
5467-441: Was erected in 1988 by the Shotts and District Covenanters Memorials Association - this was also destroyed by vandals. After a local fundraising campaign by villagers from Harthill, the monument was replaced in 2007. A service of dedication took place on Sunday 12 October 2008. The unveiling ceremony was carried out by Gilbert Cox, Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire with the officiating minister the Reverend A. Douglas Lamb, Moderator of
5544-497: Was known as 'Sideheads' with the name having been given to a building there known as Sideheads. This building was close to where the now category B listed Viewfield house now stands on the Main Street. 1795 Parish records note a James Main of Muirhead Lands and Mathew Hanney as farmers in the area. Most people in the surrounding area at this time were farmers or farm labourers. An entry in Reg. Prov. Coun. Vol X dated 1616 makes reference to
5621-563: Was licensed. Elizabeth Burns (daughter of Robert Burns ) lived here at one point in the Halfway House with her husband, John Bishop, being employed as an overseer on the Polkemmet Estate, and in the nearby Whitburn churchyard there is a memorial to her. Rev Alexander Carlyle (26 January 1722 – 28 August 1805) a former moderator of the Church of Scotland and autobiographer, wrote in 1744 of
5698-488: Was opened. Costing £2,400 and seating 660, the opening ceremony was celebrated on the first Sabbath of April 1877 by the ordination of the Reverend Alexander Watt the missionary to the charge of the new church. The Reverend Taylor of Avondale preached and presided. In the afternoon a large number of Presbytery, etc. dined together at the residence of Sir William Baillie where the customary toasts were given. In 1879
5775-522: Was shelved, with a much later M74 connecting the far-eastern areas of Glasgow. This section, which is an extension of the M74 was built to a different route, intended to funnel long-distance traffic from the north and south which is bound for the southern Clyde Coast and allow it to bypass the urban section of the M8. Following many years of intensive political discussion and legal battles, the M74 completion began in 2008 and opened in June 2011. Indications are that
5852-496: Was struck by lightning and completely destroyed on 23 July 1876. There is still evidence of the original cemetery watch-house walls which was a building used for families of the deceased to 'watch' over their graves for body snatchers intent on stealing bodies to sell to the medical communities in Edinburgh and Glasgow for dissection (see the Burke and Hare murders , for this old phenomenon). The census returns for 1841 showed Harthill had
5929-414: Was that the school should be made available for Sunday Church services. The former school kitchen building is now owned by Eastfield & Harthill Flute Orchestra, and is utilised as their practice venue. The hall has been renamed Benhar Hall in recognition of the miners who formed the orchestra in 1935. Harthill Public School — later renamed as Harthill Junior School. During the 1870s a new school replaced
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