Abronhill

Abronhill is a suburb in the south-eastern quarter of Cumbernauld, a new town in North Lanarkshire, about 15 miles from Glasgow, Scotland. The suburb was possibly the last built using the same basic design guidelines employed by the rest of Cumbernauld (e.g. underpasses and bridges to cross roads, etc.). The town has a shopping centre and three primary schools, along with three churches. Until 2014 it also had a non-denominational high school, but this was shut down due to financial reasons. Every street in the older part of the area is named after a tree.

The name Abronhill comes from the 17th century, during the English Civil War, when the area was named Abraham the Hebrew's Hill by the Covenanters. The name gradually corrupted into Abronhill. Until the 60s and 70s, the land that is now Abronhill was occupied by farms such as Whitelees, Glenhead, Low Abronhill and High Abronhill. The area on which Abronhill stands comprised working farms, until they were subsumed by the New Town. The farms had developed from the Fleming estate, the Flemings being the ruling family in the area, living at Cumbernauld Castle, who acquired the area after Robert the Bruce killed the previous laird, Red Comyn.

The local lords and the royalty of Scotland often came to hunt the deer and mysterious wild "white cattle" which roamed in the forest around Cumbernauld. While Mary, Queen of Scots was staying, on one occasion the roof of the castle hall fell in. She also planted a yew tree at Castlecary.

The original four Abronhill cottages of the area are from before the new town was built. They were originally built for the workers of the nearby farms, and are situated on the old Slamannan Road, which is now known as Broom Road. They can be found close to Cumbernauld Glen. Nearby is a historical site of interest, the Dovecote (Doocot in Scots), which was part of the original Flemmings estate and is from the 16th century, and has recently received a grant from the Scottish Wildlife Trust to be renovated.

Abronhill was used as the filming location for the Bill Forsyth film Gregory's Girl and its sequel Gregory's Two Girls, particularly the now demolished Abronhill High School.

The area around Abronhill is mainly farmland and woodland. Palacerigg Country Park is nearby. A railway and three streams run through this suburb rich in clay. There is also a small shopping centre, but this is falling into disrepair. Abronhill neighbours the small suburban area Whitelees, which is the home of its own primary school and housing estate.

Streets

References

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