| Grangemouth | |
Bo'ness Road, the main civic centre of Grangemouth |
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Grangemouth
Grangemouth shown within the Falkirk council area |
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| Area | 4.12 sq mi (10.7 km2) |
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| Population | 17,906 [1] (2001 census) |
| - Density | 4,346 /sq mi (1,678 /km2) |
| OS grid reference | NS935815 |
| - Edinburgh | 21.0 mi (33.8 km) SE |
| - London | 345 mi (555 km) SSE |
| Council area | Falkirk |
| Lieutenancy area | Stirling and Falkirk |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GRANGEMOUTH |
| Postcode district | FK3 |
| Dialling code | 01324 |
| Police | Central Scotland |
| Fire | Central Scotland |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Linlithgow and East Falkirk |
| Scottish Parliament | Central Scotland |
| Falkirk East | |
| Website | falkirk.gov.uk |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Grangemouth is a town and former burgh in the council area of Falkirk, Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, 2.7 miles (4.3 km) east of Falkirk, 4.3 miles (6.9 km) west of Bo'ness and 2.7 miles (4.3 km) south-east of Stirling. Grangemouth had a resident population of 17,906 according to the 2001 Census.[1]
Grangemouth's growth as a town relied mainly on its geographical location. Originally a bustling port, trade flowed through the town with the construction of the Forth and Clyde Canal in the 18th century. Nowadays, the economy of Grangemouth is focused primarily on the large petrochemical industry of the area which includes the oil refinery, owned by Ineos, one of the largest of its kind in Europe.[2] The town is twinned with La Porte, Indiana[3] and Créteil, Île-de-France, France as part of the Falkirk council area.
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Grangemouth was founded by Sir Lawrence Dundas in 1768 during the construction of the Forth and Clyde Canal. Originally under the name of Sealock,[4] which referred to the Forth and Clyde Canal and where it flowed into the River Forth.[5]
The settlement was then renamed Grangeburnmouth and then finally to Grangemouth, the present day name.[4] This refers to its position at the mouth of the Grange Burn which flows into the River Forth at this point.
As canal traffic that passed through the town the area became more prosperous, this was aided by the high tariffs at the port of Leith which caused more traffic to pass through Grangemouth instead. The re-opened canal no longer passes through the old part of Grangemouth, but joins the tidal River Carron, which has been deepened to allow access to the River Forth for canal traffic. After Sir Lawrence died in 1781 his son Thomas Dundas commissioned the architect Henry Holland[6] to re-plan the town, he designed the layout around the canal and its basin.
Grangemouth Port is one of the main ports in the UK with the largest container terminal in Scotland, with 9 million tonnes of cargo handled through the dock facilities each year.[7] There are links to the inter-modal freight facilities elsewhere in the town which use the town's motorway connections.
The town is equidistant between the two largest cities in Scotland - Glasgow and Edinburgh - which has led to a number of motels and hotels being set up to satisfy the demand for convenient, but lower-cost tourist and business accommodation.
The main industry of Grangemouth and the wider Falkirk council area is focused on the Grangemouth Refinery which employs a significant workforce and is one of the largest of its kind in Europe.
The Soap Works building which was used to manufacture soap and glycerine, and owned by the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society was established in 1897. This was the largest works of its kind in Scotland and employed a considerable number of local people. It was demolished in November 2005 to make way for a new Whyte and Mackay blending and bottling plant.
Grangemouth has an Air Training Corps Squadron, 1333 (Grangemouth) Squadron (located at the TA Centre in Central Avenue), an Army Cadet Detachment (also in Central Avenue) and a Sea and Marine cadet corps at Grangemouth Docks.
There are two general health practices, and a dentist's surgery in the town. The area is covered by NHS Forth Valley and with the recent downgrading of the Falkirk and Stirling Hospitals, all major services have been transferred to the newly built Forth Valley Royal Hospital in nearby Larbert.
Grangemouth has four primary schools: Bowhouse Primary School, Beancross Primary School, Moray Primary School and Sacred Heart R.C. Primary School. The former three are within the catchment area of Grangemouth High School and the latter is a catchment primary school for St. Mungo's High School. Grangemouth High School was recently rebuilt with new facilities such as an indoor swimming pool, dance studio, a gym, and an outdoor football pitch. For many years Grangemouth had a three-tier school system - the only area in Scotland to do so. This ended in 1988.
Grangemouth has access to three nearby train stations, Falkirk High, Falkirk Grahamston, and Polmont.
| Skinflats | Firth of Forth | Firth of Forth | ||
| Bainsford | Bo'ness | |||
| Grangemouth | ||||
| Falkirk | Polmont | Linlithgow |
Grangemouth has an international-standard sports stadium and sports centre. Grangemouth Stadium was built for the citizens of Grangemouth, partly funded by BP. The stadium has been extended to host a 150-metre running track, physio room, and weight-lifting. The stadium is used as the National Indoor Sports Stadium and for the Football Referees' Fitness Test for Stirlingshire.
A number of parks exist in the town which are used for sports and recreational activities. Inchyra Park, which is situated close to the stadium, Rannoch Park in the Bowhouse area which is situated at the point where the Grange Burn flows into the town, and Zetland Park in the centre of the town. Grangemouth Golf Club is actually located in the neighbouring village of Polmont.
The town has many amateur football teams, including Zetland AFC, Mahratta AFC and Bowhouse F.C.
Falkirk Juniors FC, who were established in 2011, play their home fixtures at the Grangemouth Stadium. They currently compete in the Scottish Junior Football Association, East Region, South Division.
Grangemouth also plays host to the Official Central Scotland 6-a-side Superleague which runs every week and involves teams from Grangemouth, Falkirk, Bo'ness and surrounding areas.
The town is also home to Grangemouth Stags Rugby Football Club.
An American football team called the Grangemouth Broncos is based in the town.
Many churches are located in Grangemouth: three Church of Scotland, two Catholic Churches, one Episcopal Church and several mission-type churches.
Grangemouth is twinned with La Porte, Indiana, USA, [3] and Créteil, France.
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