Castlecary
Encyclopedia
Castlecary is a small village on the border between the North Lanarkshire
and Falkirk
council areas in Scotland
. It is close to the new town
of Cumbernauld
.
Castlecary is like many other settlements in the area tied to the Roman
history of Scotland. The route of the Antonine Wall
passes close to the village. A Roman camp existed at Castlecary, first constructed around the year 80 AD, possibly during the fourth campaign season of governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola
. Excavated in 1902, the Roman fort was probably devastated by the 2nd century.
There is little in the village today which is sited to the west of the A80 road
and south of the Forth and Clyde canal
, save for the local Castlecary House Hotel. The nearby Castlecary brickworks in Allandale at one stage provided local employment, but the site is now derelict and awaiting redevelopment. One suggested use of this site has been the construction of a new "park and ride" railway station, which will be called Allandale
. It had been previously suggested that the station be called Castlecary, but representations were made to the scheme's sponsors not to call it this given the existence of a Castle Cary station
in Somerset
and the potential for confusion between the two.
There was previously a Castlecary railway station but it is now closed. This was the site of a rail accident
on 10 December 1937, when two trains collided with one another. The accident cost the lives of 35 people, with a further 179 injured.
Castlecary also lends its name to a viaduct which crosses the A80. These are commonly known as the "Castlecary Arches".
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
and Falkirk
Falkirk (council area)
Falkirk is one of the 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland. It borders onto North Lanarkshire to the south west, Stirling to the north west, West Lothian to the south east and, across the Firth of Forth to the north east, Fife and Clackmannanshire...
council areas in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is close to the new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
of Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld is a Scottish new town in North Lanarkshire. It was created in 1956 as a population overspill for Glasgow City. It is the eighth most populous settlement in Scotland and the largest in North Lanarkshire...
.
Castlecary is like many other settlements in the area tied to the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
history of Scotland. The route of the Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
passes close to the village. A Roman camp existed at Castlecary, first constructed around the year 80 AD, possibly during the fourth campaign season of governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. His biography, the De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him.Born to a noted...
. Excavated in 1902, the Roman fort was probably devastated by the 2nd century.
There is little in the village today which is sited to the west of the A80 road
A80 road
The A80 is a road in Scotland, running from the A8 to Moodiesburn, north east of Glasgow. Prior to the M80 opening, the A80 was one of Scotland's busiest trunk roads.-Original Route:The A80 was once the main route from Glasgow to Stirling...
and south of the Forth and Clyde canal
Forth and Clyde Canal
The Forth and Clyde Canal crosses Scotland, providing a route for sea-going vessels between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. The canal is 35 miles long and its eastern end is connected to the River Forth by a short stretch of the River...
, save for the local Castlecary House Hotel. The nearby Castlecary brickworks in Allandale at one stage provided local employment, but the site is now derelict and awaiting redevelopment. One suggested use of this site has been the construction of a new "park and ride" railway station, which will be called Allandale
Allandale railway station
Allandale railway station was a rail station proposed for the line between Cumbernauld and Falkirk near the villages of Allandale and Castlecary. The station was recommended in the Scottish Executive's "Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies", published in January, 2003 as Castlecary railway...
. It had been previously suggested that the station be called Castlecary, but representations were made to the scheme's sponsors not to call it this given the existence of a Castle Cary station
Castle Cary railway station
Castle Cary railway station serves a largely rural area of the county of Somerset in England. The station is situated approximately north of the town of Castle Cary, and south of Shepton Mallet....
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and the potential for confusion between the two.
There was previously a Castlecary railway station but it is now closed. This was the site of a rail accident
Castlecary (East Dunbartonshire) rail accident
Two rail accidents near Castlecary have occurred in Scotland. One of these was in 1937 and one in 1968.- 1937 :An accident occurred on the evening of 10 December 1937, at Castlecary in Scotland, in snowy weather conditions...
on 10 December 1937, when two trains collided with one another. The accident cost the lives of 35 people, with a further 179 injured.
Castlecary also lends its name to a viaduct which crosses the A80. These are commonly known as the "Castlecary Arches".