Salsburgh

Salsburgh
Salsburgh
 Salsburgh shown within North Lanarkshire
Population 1,230 (2001 Census)
OS grid referenceNS825625
Council areaNorth Lanarkshire
Lieutenancy areaLanarkshire
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town SHOTTS
Postcode district ML7
Dialling code 01698 870/1
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK ParliamentAirdrie and Shotts
Scottish ParliamentAirdrie and Shotts
List of places
UK
Scotland

Coordinates: 55°50′29″N 3°52′41″W / 55.84136°N 3.87795°W / 55.84136; -3.87795

Salsburgh is a semi rural former coal mining village in greenbelt farmland within the district of North Lanarkshire, Scotland, the closest major town to the village is Shotts 3 miles to the South East and Airdrie 6 miles to the North West. Salsburgh is perhaps best known for the Kirk O' Shott's Church (affectionately known as "The M8 Church") which sits on a hillock and is fairly visible as visitors enter the village from the east on the B7066 Whitburn to Newhouse road.

There has been a community in the area for over 600 years, although the present village dates back to 1729. At that time only a row of four houses existed, named "Muirhall, Girdhimstrait, Merchanthall and Craighead". Craighead was home to a Mr. Young and his wife Sally, and when Mr. Young sold some of his land to construct more houses it was decided that it would be named "Sallysburgh". Through time the name was shortened to Salsburgh: Sal being the shortened version of Sally.

The village is known to have one of the lowest crime rates in North Lanarkshire due to its rural location. Salsburgh has various scenic walks, picturesque views for miles and areas which have remained untampered with by man such as the Riven Loch where much wildlife can be discovered, the many that have settled in the village have discovered its quaint and charming friendly community.

Coal Mining Past

Duntilland

Duntilland Collierie began production in 1896 with a work force of just under 200, their main production was specializing in coal types of/in manufacturing, anthracite and steam. It closed in 1951 and was owned and operated by Coltness Iron Co. Ltd.

Fortissat

Fortissat Collierie began production in 1870 with a work force of just under 300, their main production was specializing in coal types of/in house and steam. It closed in 1949 and was owned and operated by Shotts Iron Co. Ltd.

Ardenrigg

Ardenrigg Collierie began production in 1926 with a work force of just under 300, their main production was specializing in coal types of/in anthracite. It closed in 1963 and was owned and operated by Ardenrigg Coal Co. Ltd.

Dewshill

Dewshill Collierie began production in 1896, it is not known the population of their workforce, their main production was specializing in coal types of/in anthracite. It closed in 1943 after being redeveloped in 1923 and was owned and operated by Coltness Iron Co. Ltd, the pumping shaft eventually sunk in 1957.

Hirstrigg

Hirstrigg Collierie began production sometime around after 1880 with a work force of between 200 - 300, it is not presently known what coal type they specialized in. It closed sometime around the 1940s and was originally owned and operated by Hirst Coal Co. Ltd (Glasgow) then latterly became under the ownership of Garscube Coal Co. Ltd (Edinburgh). [1]

Facilities

Kirk O' Shott's (Shottskirk) Public/Primary School

Kirk O' Shott's is the name of the local school which opened initially in 1700 in a rented building in the southern edge of the old Shottskirk churchyard however it was decided that a new school would be built opposite the Church on what is now Newmill Canthill Road and officially opened in 1799. Due to an increase in school roll the original school was deemed no longer viable and as such a new school was built to the east end of the village and was opened in August 1912 as "Shottskirk Public School" which later reverted to its original roots as Kirk O' Shott's in 1958 as a Junior / Secondary School. Kirk O' Shott's Public School still thrives today as a busy public Primary School serving the local community of Salsburgh and surrounding hamlets and proudly celebrated its centenary year on 12 August 2012. Kirk O' Shott's remains a public school open to all denominations.

Kirk O' Shott's (Shottskirk) Parish Church

Kirk O' Shott's Parish Church is the name of the local Church which serves the parish of Salsburgh, Shotts and surrounding area. The Church was formerly a Catholic place of worship under the name St. Catherines taken from Catherine of Sienna. Close on five hundred and fifty years ago Bothwell and Shotts formed one Parish which stretched from the Clyde to Linlithgowshire, and from the North to the South Calder. In this large area there were four places of worship, one of which was situated in the middle Bothwellmuir at "a desert place called Bertram-Shotts". Bertram was reputed to be a Giant who lived in the area and terrorised travellers on the Glasgow/Edinburgh road. A reward was offered for his capture - dead or alive - and was claimed by William Muirhead who lay in wait for Bertram when the latter came to his favourite drinking place - a spring of water on the hillside above Shottsburn. He hamstrung him and, as the giant lay laughing up at him, he cut off his head with the words, "Will ye laugh-up yet?" It was on Bertram's plot of land that St. Catherine’s Chapel was built in 1450. It was dedicated to "the blessed Virgin and Catherine of Sienna". After the Reformation of 1560, Kirk o’Shotts otherwise known as Shottskirk or the affectionately titled "M8 Church" became a Protestant place of worship. The old church of St Catherine’s must have suffered many changes and required frequent changes since its foundation, but of these there is no account before 1640. In that year the Presbytery met at Shotts and ordered that the church be repaired and partly rebuilt, but it was more than eight years before the work was completed. The site of the old church is marked by the headstone erected to Samuel Meuros, who was session clerk and school master from 1794 to 1837. He was also Precentor, and it was his wish to be buried where his old desk had stood; thus he lies - still at his post! On the back of the stone is the following inscription: "Here stood the Precentor’s desk in the Kirk of Bertram Shotts which was rebuilt and extended in 1642" . This stone and the burial ground of the Inglis’s of Murdoston, which was inside the old church, give us a clear idea of the site.

Shottskirk Cemetery is reported to be haunted by a mysterious grey figure who vanished to and from the mist when a driver reported to have hit a grey figure on the B7066 road which runs adjacent to the Church and graveyard.

St. Catherine's Well / "Kate's Well"

St. Catherine's Well or "Kate's Well" is a natural holy spring well on holy ground at the foot of Kirk O' Shott's Parish Church otherwise known as (Shottskirk) in the village of Salsburgh, North Lanarkshire. The well dates back to the 14th century and derives from the Churches former past when it was once a Catholic place of worship as St. Catherines Chapel which has origins from Catherine of Sienna.

Kate's Well was also the scene of the local legendary giant Bertram de Shotts demise where his head was decapitated as he drank from the well.

The Transmitters

Salsburgh is also the locale for the twin BlackHill Transmitters due to its high position towering above the M8 motorway opposite the church and can be seen as far as Bathgate, West Lothian to the east and Glasgow to the west. The transmitters are quite a prominent feature after dark for miles around, due to the coloured red lights which prevent aircraft from striking the towers.

The Kirk o'Shotts transmitting station is also nearby, which formerly carried a TV service and today carries DAB radio.

Pre-Fab's (Pre-Fabricated Buildings)

Not many know that Salsburgh was one of the first ever places in Scotland to have a "pre-fab", a pre fabricated building with corrugated steel walls built, the first every pre-fab was built in the village in 1945.

Schools & Nurseries

Places of Worship

Geography

Neighbouring towns, villages and places.
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire Plains, North Lanarkshire Blackridge, West Lothian
Newhouse Harthill, Scotland
   Salsburgh  
Carfin Hareshaw Shotts

Homes

Throughout the years there have been a variety of mixed styles of properties in the village, beginning with Pre-Fabs (prefabricated structures with tin roofs) which were then replaced with more substantial council authority brick-built homes. The village today consists of detached, semi detached, terraced, bungalows, cottages, miners row cottages (most of which are council authority and/or privately owned former local authority properties) and also fully renovated former derelict properties and new builds such as Salsburgh Meadows and the new builds situated in sections of Main Street. The mix of old (miners rows) and new (Salsburgh Meadows) makes the village quaint and gives it a certain charm retaining the old buildings from years gone by.

Salsburgh is one of the only places in North Lanarkshire that doesn't have a gas main, the reason cited as it wasn't cost effective when the pipies were being laid. Services are provided independently by oil/LPG and surprisingly coal suppliers.

Most if not all street names within the village have some significance to the villages history and/or former residents from its past.

Landmarks

Kirk O' Shott's Parish Church : 'The M8 Church'
Blackhill Transmitters

Other landmarks include the footbridge which crosses the B7066 main road, which was struck by a careless crane driver in 2009[2] which was rebuilt and reopened in 2014.

Population

The 2001 census recorded a population of 1,230, it is now estimated that the village currently is populated by 2,500 residents.

Nearby towns and villages

Government and Local groups

Salsburgh Councillors

The local Fortissat ward councillors are:

Local Provost

MP

MSP

Local Groups

There are several local groups in the village which have been set up to provide a service to the community.

Notable natives

Jamie Dolan Professional Footballer

James Dolan (22 February 1969 in Salsburgh – 31 August 2008) was a Scottish professional footballer, who played for Motherwell, Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, Livingston, Forfar Athletic and Partick Thistle.

After he retired from the senior game, he spent four years as player-manager of Scottish Junior Football Eastern Region South Division side Broxburn Athletic, and also played for Bathgate Thistle in the Scottish Junior Football East Super League.

Derek Whiteford Professional Footballer

Derek Whiteford (born 13 May 1947 in Salsburgh was a Scottish football player and manager and started his senior career with Hibernian, but was soon given a free transfer. He signed for Airdrie and served the club with distinction, making over 400 appearances, including the 1975 Scottish Cup Final. After retiring as a player, he managed Albion Rovers, Dumbarton and then Airdrie. Whiteford resigned as Airdrie manager in 1987 because he lost enjoyment for the game, and decided to concentrate on his then principal career as a physical education teacher. Whiteford died in 2002, aged 54.

Nat Muir Long Distance Runner

Nathaniel "Nat" Muir (born 12 March 1958) is a Scottish retired long-distance runner. He competed at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships on ten occasions, four times as a junior from 1974 to 1977 and six times as a senior between 1978 and 1987.[1]

He is from Salsburgh North Lanarkshire who took up athletics in 1970 while at primary school in Chapelhall. He was encouraged by his fellow pupils to join the Shettleston Harriers running club, and his first race was the Lanarkshire Relays in 1970, which saw him earn the fastest individual time in his age group.[2]

Muir's career has seen some ups and downs and he has been described as, "One of Scotland's best ever distance runners: possibly also one of the country's unluckiest in that he never had the success at the very topmost level that his ability and dedication deserved".[3]

Bertram de Shotts Local Legendary Giant

Bertram de Shotts is known locally as a legendary Giant that roamed the then village of Shotts,[3] and outlying village of Salsburgh Scotland in the 15th Century. Shotts was then a dreary moorland place on the Great Road of the Shire. The road was an important route for tradesman carrying their wares around Scotland. Bertram de Shotts habitually savaged packmen and peddlers for treasure carried along the Great Road. Such was the menace of Bertram de Shotts, King James IV of Scotland ordered his death. Bertram de Shotts was probably in fact seven or eight feet high, yet nonetheless, his presence merited Giant status.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.salsburghheritagegroup.co.uk/13.html
  2. ↑ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/miracle-escape-lorry-destroys-bridge-2832089
  3. ↑ http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/shotts/shotts/
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