Calderwood, East Kilbride

Calderwood is a housing precinct area of the Scottish new town East Kilbride, in South Lanarkshire. It lies on its north-east edge and is one of the largest areas of the new town. It is also the second oldest, being built shortly after The Murray. Calderwood is the largest area in East Kilbride, with a population of over 15,000.

Aerial view of Calderwood from the north-east, 2012
Aerial view of Calderwood from the south-west, 2017

Facilities

It is the location of Hunter House Museum, formerly the home of the Hunter Brothers and known as Long Calderwood Farm. William and John were famous anatomists in the 18th century. In 2011 the Museum was bought by Calderwood Baptist Church, which owns the adjacent land, and has been converted into the "Hunter House Cafe", as well as a space for the community and church to use.[1] The building and estate were in possession of the Hunter Family for time immemorial. The buildings which stand today date from the 18th century, with a 20th-century extension.

It is also home to Calderwood Glen which forms part of the Calderglen Gorge, which was widely celebrated as a picturesque attraction and in the early 1900s one of the most renowned glens in Britain. Calderwood Castle, demolished in 1951 after many years of decline, was home for over five centuries to the Maxwells of Calderwood, including Sir James, second husband of Lady Margaret Cunningham, the memoirist and correspondent.[2] The area was sketched by the 18th-century artist Paul Sandby and visited on several occasions by members of the British Royal Family. A second view by Paul Sandby depicting Calderwood's waterfall was discovered by local historian C. Ladds in April 2015. This wash drawing is the earliest known view of Calderwood and of East Kilbride. The area is also known for wild woodland flowers and for the countless ruins and ancient remains to be found there. The section of the gorge in Calderwood is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its Carboniferous geology.

Additionally, the area has the John Wrights Sports Centre with a full-length athletics track which opened in 1972,[3] the Alison Lea Medical Centre,[4] a Church of Scotland Parish Church, (Moncrieff Parish Church), a library,[5] and a plethora of shops, restaurants and businesses at the Calderwood Square Shopping Precinct.

Residents

Calderwood has been home to William and Jim Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain and Ally McCoist, the former Rangers F.C. and Scotland football player, who attended Maxwellton Primary School and the former Hunter High School. Blythe Duff of Taggart fame also lived in Calderwood.

Schools

Calderwood is home to five primary schools: Long Calderwood Primary, Maxwellton Primary, Hunter Primary, special needs school Greenburn Primary and St Leonards Primary. Under the South Lanarkshire's Schools Modernisation Programme, these will be rebuilt and modernised.

Until the summer of 2007, there was also one secondary school in the area named Hunter High School. However, it merged with the nearby Claremont High School in St Leonards to form Calderglen High School, built next to the existing Claremont High campus. Most of the land where Hunter High and Hunter Primary stood has been used for a modern housing development.

References
  1. Lawn, Pamela (9 April 2013). "New chapter for Hunter House as church takes ownership of site". STV News. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  2. Julia Gasper, "Cunningham, Lady Margaret (d. 1622?)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004 Retrieved 15 Nov 2015. Pay-walled.
  3. South Lanarkshire Leisure: John Wrights Sports Centre, http://www.slleisureandculture.co.uk/info/164/john_wright_sports_centre, 2013
  4. Alison Lea East Kilbride: Alison Lea Medical Centre, http://www.alisonlea.co.uk/, 2011
  5. South Lanarkshire: Calderwood Library, 2012

[1] [2]

  1. Site records and mensurations kept by Christopher Ladds, Calderglen Historian.
  2. Correspondence with National Galleries of Scotland and recorded observations, maintained by Christopher Ladds, Calderglen Historian.
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