Viewpark facts for kids
Viewpark is a small urban development north-east of Uddingston in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Viewpark is adjacent to Tannochside, and is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of Bellshill. Viewpark is often considered a district of Uddingston despite falling under the jurisdiction of a separate local authority. It has a population of 15,841 as of 2014, which is quite large for an urban neighbourhood in Scotland, it is a similar size to Bathgate in West Lothian and Calderwood in East Kilbride.
Viewpark was originally built to house miners and was erected quickly Construction work on "The Scheme" starting late 1950s and with houses down to Laburnum Road being occupied around the beginning of the 1960s. These supplement housing built adjacent and parallel to the "Top Road" - the Old Edinburgh Road where could be found the Police Station (whose siren continued to sound practice air raid warning into the 1960s) alongside the local football ground and opposite The Royal Oak Bar. Dominic's Shop (now long closed) alongside "The Lane" allowing quick access to the adjoining community and the local swing park on Douglas Street - named for the association with the Douglas (Home) estate the houses were built upon. . The older houses were originally called "The Raws". Viewpark grew steadily at this time to support housing demand in an area which was thriving at the time with industries such as Mining and Ranco and the Caterpillar Tractor Co which opened its doors in 1959 thus creating a boom in the population of the area which is known today as Viewpark.
1956 and the main thoroughfare in Viewpark, Laburnum Road, often referred to as "The Burma Road", in reference to its length, was well underway in its construction. That same year, the local council set up what has now become Burnhead Bowling Club, along with an adjacent tennis court. A new church was built, Burnhead Parish Church, on Laburnum Road, opposite its junction with Burnhead Street.
Located near the older housing within Viewpark is the Glen, also known locally as the "Viewpark Glen" which expands across Uddingston, Bothwell, Hamilton, Coatbridge and Motherwell. Within the Glen lies famous Roman ruins such as a Roman bridge as well as tombs dating back centuries further.
The demolition of the miners homes, referred to as The Miners Rows, in Tannochside, which released land for the erection of the Caterpillar Tractor Co. led to an influx of displaced families into the Viewpark area. However, no one was complaining, gone was the "hole in the wall bed", and in its place, a brand new home, with separate bedrooms, kitchen areas, and indoor bathing and toilet facilities. A modern wonder indeed! A similar fate befell the Miners Rows at Cockhill, located due east of Laburnum Road. That land has now been utilised as a football field, with a shopping area on the north side of Old Edinburgh Road. Kerrs Farm at Cockhill, also disappeared, and that land, which extended between Laburnum Road and the new bypass road, the A725, was used to create Righead Industrial Estate.
A shopping complex was added in the centre of the new housing complex, aptly located in Market Place, just off Burnhead Street, opposite the old rose gardens (now long gone) - now replaced by the Community Centre, a Sports Complex, and a Medical Centre. This being immediately opposite the Gala Day Park where the local Miners Welfare would organise their annual MayDay celebration where each child was presented with a Tunnock's Box of cakes and fancies after competing in games and races. That park is still there. The hollow track that can be seen visibly running from top to bottom close to the footpath a visual reminder of the severe winter of 1963/64 when a slide was maintained in the one spot for months on end and was repolished and enjoyed by local children each and every day through those days of wild (and wonderful) weather when birds froze in the trees along with the milk on your doorstep.
Viewpark was home to one of Celtic Football Club's most famous players, Jimmy 'Jinky' Johnstone who lived near the old St.Columbas Primary School. This was built adjacent the local Catholic Church on Old Edinburgh Road. The 1960s concrete 4 storey school building that most people will remember has since been knocked down and its extensive grounds exploited to provide for private housing. The 1960s building was itself constructed to replace an older wooden school dating to some years prior. This original having been demolished after an outbreak of fire in that wooden structure (strangely) one Sunday around 1963. Children attending the school then being bussed/distributed around the surrounding Catholic schools such as Holy Family School in Mossend whilst construction on that "new" school took place.
A local "Junior Secondary" was built at the corner of Laburnum Road and New Edinburgh Road - Saint Catherine's (opened 1968) - after much campaigning by local activists whose children had previously required to journey each day to St. John's, Uddingston or to Our Lady's High School, Motherwell for their secondary education. (Councillor Charlie Hebenton and local schoolteacher Catherine McCourt (née Keegans) being key participants in the campaign at the time).
In 2014, plans were put in place with the local council to construct an ASDA food store across the road from John Paul Primary School, near the Viewpark Glen, where the newer modern school which combined and accommodates the pupils of St.Columba and St. Gabriels Primary School. However, the plans to build the ASDA store were scrapped because the Scotmid store near it rejected.
Thorniewood United, a junior football club, is based in the area.
Contents
Sport
Thorniewood United, a Scottish Junior Football Association club playing in the West Region, is based in the area at Robertson Park just off Old Edinburgh Road. Other local amateur football clubs include Viewpark United, playing in the Airdrie & Coatbridge Sunday AFL Premier Division, and Calderbraes FC.
Viewpark Boxing Club was founded in 2004, run by the Murphy family, locally-successful fighters (including Lawrence Murphy, a former WBU Middleweight Champion). The club is based at Burnhead Community Centre and other local facilities in the area.
Education
St Columba's Primary School was on Old Edinburgh Road. The original wooden structure was demolished after fire damage in the early 1960s. The replacement school building has since been knocked down and replaced by private housing.
St Catherine's Junior Secondary was built at the corner of Laburnum Road and New Edinburgh Road. It opened in the late 1960s after campaigning by local activists whose children had previously had to travel to Uddingston or Motherwell for secondary education.
St John Paul II Primary school, which sits on the corner of Laburnum Road and Old Edinburgh Road, was created as a result of the amalgamation of St Columba's and St Gabriel's primary schools in May 2006.
Tannochside Primary School and Nursery Class was opened on 23 August 2006 as the amalgamation of the old Tannochside Primary and Burnhead Primary and is situated on Douglas Street, at the end of Burnhead Street.
Fallside Secondary School is a small facility (housed in a building dating from 1911) for pupils with special educational and behavioural needs.
Notable people
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- Margaret, Duchess of Douglas, was daughter of James Douglas of Mains (12th) and obtained her title by marriage to Archibald Douglas, 1st Duke of Douglas (part of the Red Douglas family, and a distant relation). Margaret and Archibald married late in life, did not have children, and the title of Duke of Douglas became extinct on Archibald's death. The estates of Douglas became the subject of a legal battle (known as the Douglas Cause) between Archibald Steuart (the Duke of Douglas' nephew) and the Duke of Hamilton, who inherited the remaining titles of Douglas. Margaret supported Archibald, who was granted the estates after appeal to the House of Lords. In her will, she left money to purchase lands to be called Douglas-Support.
- Sir James Hamilton, 2nd Baronet purchased Douglas Support in 1691 from Sir Archibald Hamilton, 1st Baronet and had plans drawn up for Rosehall Estate in the grounds of the area now known as Douglas Support, where he would live with his wife, Frances. He died childless on 15 March 1750 and the estate and baronetcy passed to his brother Hugh, who died unmarried in 1755. The title became extinct and Rosehall passed first to Hamilton’s half-sister, Margaret, and thereafter to her eldest son, Archibald Hamilton of Dalzell.
- General Sir Thomas Monteath Douglas succeeded to the estate of Douglas Support under the entail of the Duchess of Douglas, and took the name Douglas in addition to his own. He never returned to India, but was promoted in due course to be major-general on 20 June 1854, lieutenant-general on 18 March 1856, and full general on 9 April 1865. In March 1865 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in recognition of his long services during the early years of the century. He died at Stonebyres in Lanarkshire in October 1868.
- Footballer Jimmy Johnstone, affectionately known as 'Jinky', played for Celtic and the Scotland national team and was born and lived in Viewpark throughout his life. A memorial garden containing a statue of Johnstone was opened in 2011 in the grounds of the former St. Columba's Primary School, which he had attended.
- Footballer and assistant manager, John Robertson is a Scottish former professional footballer. He provided the assisting cross for Trevor Francis to score the only goal when Nottingham Forest won the 1979 European Cup Final. A year later he scored when Forest retained the trophy 1-0 this time against Hamburger SV. At Forest he also won promotion from the 1976-77 Football League Second Division, the 1977-78 Football League First Division, the UEFA Super Cup, two Football League Cups, the 1978 FA Charity Shield and the Anglo-Scottish Cup. He also played for the full Scotland national football team, scoring the winning goal against England in 1981 and against New Zealand in the 1982 FIFA World Cup. From 2000-2005, he was the assistant manager at Celtic, serving under former teammate at Nottingham Forest, Martin O'Neill. He then followed O'Neill to Aston Villa again as assistant manager, which was to prove as his last major role at time of writing, between 2006 and 2010. In 1997, FourFourTwo magazine declared that John Robertson was 63rd in the 100 greatest footballers of all time. He was also voted No 1 Nottingham Forest player of all time, forcing Stuart Pearce into second place, in a 2005 poll run by fans. Robertson retained this position in 2015 in a poll to celebrate Forest's 150th anniversary.
- Kevin Budinauckas is a football goalkeeper who played for Stenhousemuir, Partick Thistle, Clyde, Brechin City on loan and Stranraer in the senior game. He also had a couple of spells in junior football at Wishaw and Linlithgow Rose, Cumnock, Pollok and Armadale.
See also
In Spanish: Viewpark para niños
