Cumbernauld

The town of Cumbernauld in Lanarkshire, Scotland is a planned town that was created in 1956 in order to accommodate the ever growing number of population of nearby Glasgow City. Although Cumbernauld is a ‘new town’, there has been a settlement here since at least Roman times as a result of the proximity of the Antonine Wall; a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans marking the furthest and most northerly boundary of the Roman Empire and stretching between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. The settlement would have felt protected here and continued to grow and develop. There was once a castle here too, on the site of the current 18^th century Cumbernauld House. The original Cumbernauld Castle was a Norman-style motte and bailey and parts of it are still visible. The castle has been at the heart of key historic events and even played host to the royalty of Scotland, including Mary Queen of Scots. The community grew around the mining and quarrying industry that thrived following the building of the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Cumbernauld was designed to serve a clear purpose and as such has all the amenities, shops, eateries and pubs you would expect of a new town. Many of the buildings here were designed and built by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia; a Scottish architectural firm famous for their application of modernism in churches and universities. The architectural firm was founded in 1927 and their work has a distinct post-war period style that is recognisable. Cumbernauld may be recognised as the location for the film Gregory's Girl and its sequel, Gregory's Two Girls.