Glen Village facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Glen Village Scottish Gaelic: Clachan a' Ghlinne
Stone bridge over the Union Canal to the south of Glen Village
Glen Village
Population	3,080 (2020)
OS grid reference	NS886784
• Edinburgh	23.2 mi (37.3 km) ESE
• London	344 mi (554 km) SSE
Civil parish	Falkirk
Council area	Falkirk
Lieutenancy area	Stirling and Falkirk
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Falkirk
Postcode district	FK1 2
Dialling code	01324
Police	Central Scotland
Fire	Central Scotland
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Falkirk
Scottish Parliament	Falkirk West
List of places UK Scotland 55°59′10″N 3°47′10″W / 55.986°N 3.786°W / 55.986; -3.786

Glen Village is a small community in the Falkirk area of Scotland. It's located at the southern edge of Callendar Park, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Falkirk town. Glen Village is right next to a larger housing area called Hallglen. These two places are often counted together in official population numbers.

Exploring Glen Village and Hallglen

Glen Village is about 1 mile south of Falkirk town centre. It's also only about a quarter-mile from Falkirk High railway station. This small community has around 180 homes. These homes are called cottage flats and were built in the 1930s. They were made for people who worked in the nearby coal mines.

Before these homes, there was an older community of miners' houses from the late 1800s. The coal mines in the area closed down by the 1960s. Glen Village used to be quite separate. Now, it connects to the bigger Hallglen housing estate. Hallglen was built in the early 1970s. It sits on a slope between the wooded Callendar Park estate and the railway lines.

Most of the local shops and services are in Hallglen. However, the local primary school is on the Glen Village side of the main road. A special footbridge connects the school to most of the homes. Glen Village used to have a community hall, a post office, and a bowling club. Sadly, all of these have now closed. Both the names Glen and Hallglen can be seen on an old map. This map was made by Timothy Pont in the 1590s.

View of Hallglen housing from the south

Looking west from Glen Village towards new housing at Lionthorn

New Homes and Connections

To the west of Glen Village, new homes were built in the early 2000s. This area is called Lionthorn. It connects to an older neighbourhood called Lochgreen. Because of these new developments, Glen Village is now almost continuously linked to the southern part of Falkirk. This includes the area around Falkirk High Station. This connected area has a population of about 3,000 people.

Similarly, the open fields to the east of Hallglen are now almost connected to new houses near Redding. Historically, these communities were about 2 miles apart.

Tunnels and History

Entrance to the Union Canal's 'Dark Tunnel'

Inside the tunnel

Right next to Glen Village is the Union Canal. Here, you'll find the Falkirk Tunnel, which is about 690 yards (630 metres) long. It was finished in 1821 and is known locally as the "Dark Tunnel." The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Falkirk line railway also runs through the Hallglen Railway Tunnel. This tunnel is similar in length and age. It was built in 1842 and is about 845 yards (773 metres) long. It passes through Glen Village and comes out at Hallglen.

Both the canal and railway tunnels were built in a special way. This was because William Forbes Sr and Jr, who owned the nearby Callendar House, didn't want the canal or railway to spoil their beautiful views. In the 2001 UK census, Glen Village and Hallglen together had a population of 3,488 residents.

Sports in the Area

Many local amateur football teams have come from this area. These include the Hallglen Hoofters and the former Chequers team. The Chequers team used to play their home games at Glen Park.