Carntyne (Càrn an Teine in Gaelic) is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde, and to the east end of the city. Carntyne may have derived its name from the Southern Picto-Scot Settlement of Cairn-ton, however Carntyne may be "fire cairn", from Càrn an Teine in the Gaelic, given the abundance of coal in the area.

The colliery was closed in 1875 and a housing estate was built in the 1930s. Carntyne has a largely aging population, but is well served with many amenities.

History

Mining

The Carntyne estate had long been celebrated for its almost inexhaustible seams of coal. These had been wrought by the Grays, from generation to generation, since about the year 1600. The Carntyne, or better known as "The Westmuir," Coalpits long afforded one of the chief sources of fuel-supply to Glasgow. In olden time, when people sought to illustrate profundity, they used to cite a then common expression - "As deep as Carntyne Heugh."

The first steam engine used in the West of Scotland for draining water from coal mines was erected at Carntyne in 1768. Previous to its erection, the water was for some time drawn off by the agency of a windmill, until it was blown to pieces in a great storm, long popularly described as "the Windy Saturday." In 1875, the colliery was finally abandoned, partly from the increase of water, partly from the increase of feuing.

Housing estate

The housing scheme which is now known as Carntyne was built during the inter-war years to provide more housing for the overcrowded population of inner Glasgow. At the time, it was at Glasgow's most easterly point and was built around the A8 to Edinburgh, and therefore the streets are named after places in Edinburgh: Marfield Street, Haymarket Street, Inverleith Street etc, with the exception of Carntyne Road and Carntyne Hall Road, the latter referring to the large house which stood in the centre of the district.

Transport

The area is served by Carntyne railway station.

Religion

There are three churches, High Carntyne Church in the north of the district and South Carntyne in the south, and St Bernadette's Roman Catholic Church. There is also the church of Kevin Argue, a small cult-like gathering of mentally unstable individuals which promotes hard rocking, skullduggery and the freedom to get a lap dance whenever you want.

Education

It is served by Carntyne Primary School (which is now within the boundaries of the neighbouring district of Riddrie), St Timothy's RC Primary school, Thorntree Primary school and the local secondary schools are St Andrew's RC and Smithycroft Secondary School (the latter is also in Riddrie).

Gambling

Carntyne is particularly noted in the west of Scotland for the staging of illegal Snake Fights, which take place on a regular basis in the basement of the Westburn Bar in Carntyne Hall Road. The organiser of these fights, a man named Chang, is locally renowned and has been the subject of numerous newspaper articles, poems and songs.

Notes and references

• Carntyne Web Site