Calderbank

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Calderbank
Calderbank at sunset.
Calderbank Location within North Lanarkshire
Population	1,560 (2022)[1]
Council area	North Lanarkshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
List of places UK Scotland 55°50′35″N 3°58′06″W / 55.84306°N 3.96833°W / 55.84306; -3.96833

Calderbank is a village outside the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.^[2] It lies east of the M73, on the west bank of the North Calder Water. The village lies 13 miles (21 km) east of Glasgow city centre and around 34 miles (55 km) west of Edinburgh. Other nearby towns include: Airdrie (2.5 miles (4.0 km)), Coatbridge (4 miles (6.4 km)), Bellshill (4 miles (6.4 km)) and Motherwell (5 miles (8.0 km)). It has a population of about 1,560 (2022)^[3]

The village has two small convenience shops; a post office; a fish and chip shop; Kebab shop; Ice Cream shop; a pub; bowls club and community centre. The village has a primary school for ages 4-11 years old.

The village also has a church. The church does not have a grave yard.

The village's name is of a doubtful etymology. The first part of the name refers to the North Calder Water, the small river that flows through the village: however the second element is unknown.^[4] Some sources suggest the second element is from Old English benc "bench". A record of the name from 1182 as Celdrebec suggests this.

The village is famous for being the birthplace of the Vulcan, the world's first iron boat, which sailed from Calderbanks Iron Works to the River Clyde and plied the Scottish canals first with passengers and then with cargoes of iron and coal.

The Vulcan is depicted on the ‘Welcome to Calderbank’ sign as you enter the village.

Iron from the Calderbanks works was used to build the Queen Mary cruise liner. The Monkland Canal was extended to the west of the village in the late 18th century and was used as a route to transport coal to Port Dundas in Glasgow 12 miles (19.3 km) away. This part of the canal has been preserved between the village and Sikeside on the outskirts of Coatbridge. And other parts of the canal can be seen in Coatbridge town centre and Drumpelier country park, however much of the canal was covered in the 1950s and 1960s by the M8 motorway which actually runs with the meanders of what was the canal (yet under the motorway large pipes still run water which feed the Forth and Clyde canal today).

Calderbank was the site of early Christian settlement, by monks from Newbattle Abbey in the Borders. This gave the local area the name of Monklands.

Many local residents of Calderbank fought in the First World War 1914-1918. They are commemorated on the village war memorial. Individuals include Helen McKenzie; a nurse and only female resident of Calderbank to be killed in the First World War. Her name is present on the war memorial in the village. Also included are Francis Murray and George Murray; aged 15 and 16 who lied about their age in order to serve their country in the First World War. Both names are present on the war memorial in the village.

Calderbank: an industrial and social history^[5]

• Media related to Calderbank at Wikimedia Commons
• Calderbank at Gazetteer for Scotland

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