Salsburgh
Encyclopedia
Salsburgh is a small semi rural former coal mining
village
in the heart of greenbelt surrounded by farmland in the district of North Lanarkshire
, Scotland
, the closest major town to the village is Shotts
3 miles to the South East and Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
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
easily seen as visitors enter the village from the east on the B7066 Whitburn
to Newhouse
road.
Salsburgh is also the locale for the Black Hill Transmitter
due to its high position which makes it tower 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 transmitter is quite a prominent feature after dark for miles around, due to the coloured red lights which prevent aircrafts from striking the tower.
The village is known to have one of the lowest crime rates in North Lanarkshire due to its rural location. With its 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 and not many places can boast of 'two landmarks' and 'a natural spring well'.
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 coal suppliers.
Footballer
Salsburgh was home to footballer Jamie Dolan
who is sadly no longer with us, he was aged 39.
More on Jamie and his lengthy career in football can be read on the Jamie Dolan
wiki page.
Nat Muir
Athlete / Runner
Runner and Athlete Nathanuel 'Nat' Muir was also a resident of Salsburgh, more info on Nat can be read here
.
Smarter Salsburgh are a sustainable group who seek to obtain funding to assist in providing a better environment for the local community, these have included creation of new open spaces with garden and play areas etc.
Community Council provide information pertaining to planning, local interest surrounding the village and further awareness of events in the village.
Tenants & Residents Association deal with issues to do with housing and elements of issues with your home.
This is the second time the village has hit the headlines, the first being after the incident of the bridge being destroyed by a crane driver.
Reference:
http://www.stv.tv
STV's YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/STVNews
Dec 1st 2010 STV News at 6 Report:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp8w65CKN4E
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the heart of greenbelt surrounded by farmland in the district of North Lanarkshire
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...
, 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...
, the closest major town to the village is Shotts
Shotts
Shotts is a small rural town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located almost halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh . As of the 2001 census, the population was 8,235...
3 miles to the South East and Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
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
Hillock
A hillock or knoll is a small hill, usually separated from a larger group of hills such as a range. Hillocks are similar in their distribution and size to small mesas or buttes. The term is largely a British one...
easily seen as visitors enter the village from the east on the B7066 Whitburn
Whitburn
Whitburn is the name of more than one place:* Whitburn, South Tyneside, England* Whitburn, West Lothian, ScotlandWhitburn can also refer to the following people:*Joel Whitburn, music historian*Vanessa Whitburn, radio producer...
to Newhouse
Newhouse
-Places:* New House, County Durham* Newhouse, North Lanarkshire* Newhouse, Edinburgh * Newhouse, Utah, a ghost town-People:* Donald Newhouse , publisher* Flower A...
road.
Salsburgh is also the locale for the Black Hill Transmitter
Black Hill Transmitter
The Black Hill transmitting station is a facility for FM and TV broadcasting at Black Hill , on Duntilland Road, Salsburgh, North Lanarkshire, Scotland which is near the town of Airdrie. It has a guyed mast 306.6 metres tall, bringing the antennas to a height of 540 metres above sea level...
due to its high position which makes it tower above the M8 motorway opposite the church and can be seen as far as Bathgate
Bathgate
Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway west of Livingston. Nearby towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Whitburn, Livingston, and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is away...
, West Lothian to the east and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to the west. The transmitter is quite a prominent feature after dark for miles around, due to the coloured red lights which prevent aircrafts from striking the tower.
The village is known to have one of the lowest crime rates in North Lanarkshire due to its rural location. With its 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 and not many places can boast of 'two landmarks' and 'a natural spring well'.
History
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'.Geography
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 coal suppliers.
Population
The 2001 census recorded a population of 1,230, it is now estimated that the village currently is populated by 2,500 residents.Notable natives
Jamie DolanFootballer
Salsburgh was home to footballer Jamie Dolan
Jamie Dolan
James Dolan was a Scottish former professional footballer, who played for Motherwell, Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, Livingston, Forfar Athletic and Partick Thistle....
who is sadly no longer with us, he was aged 39.
More on Jamie and his lengthy career in football can be read on the Jamie Dolan
Jamie Dolan
James Dolan was a Scottish former professional footballer, who played for Motherwell, Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, Livingston, Forfar Athletic and Partick Thistle....
wiki page.
Nat Muir
Athlete / Runner
Runner and Athlete Nathanuel 'Nat' Muir was also a resident of Salsburgh, more info on Nat can be read here
Hamlets associated with Salsburgh
There are several small hamlets which are normally associated with the village and are dotted in and around the immediate vicinity of the village itself, these hamlets are Forrestfield, Shottsburn, Dewshill, SouthBlair and NewhouseNewhouse
-Places:* New House, County Durham* Newhouse, North Lanarkshire* Newhouse, Edinburgh * Newhouse, Utah, a ghost town-People:* Donald Newhouse , publisher* Flower A...
.
Salsburgh councillors
The local councellors are Cllr. Jim Robertson, Cllr. Charlie Kefferty and Cllr. McMillan from the Fortissat ward.Local Groups
There are several local groups in the village which have been setup to provide a service to the community.Smarter Salsburgh are a sustainable group who seek to obtain funding to assist in providing a better environment for the local community, these have included creation of new open spaces with garden and play areas etc.
Community Council provide information pertaining to planning, local interest surrounding the village and further awareness of events in the village.
Tenants & Residents Association deal with issues to do with housing and elements of issues with your home.
Snow Joke: Salsburgh Hits The News
On Wednesday 1 December 2010 Salsburgh was featured on STV News' Main Headlines in a report regarding the severe snow and weather conditions that has hit the UK. In the report, the reporter 'senior reporter Mike Edwards' spoke to several residents about the difficulties in getting around and how residents of the small community were coping.This is the second time the village has hit the headlines, the first being after the incident of the bridge being destroyed by a crane driver.
Reference:
http://www.stv.tv
STV's YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/STVNews
Dec 1st 2010 STV News at 6 Report:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp8w65CKN4E