Abronhill

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Area of Cumbernauld, Scotland

title: "Abronhill" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["areas-of-cumbernauld", "housing-estates-in-scotland"] description: "Area of Cumbernauld, Scotland" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abronhill" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Area of Cumbernauld, Scotland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]

Field	Value
official_name	Abronhill
country	Scotland
static_image_name	Central Scotland from the air (geograph 5847074, cropped).jpg
static_image_caption	Abronhill and Whitelees in Cumbernauld
static_image_alt	An aerial photo showing Abronhill and Whitelees in Cumbernauld. Westfield, Kilsyth and the Carron Valley Reservoir are also shown.
os_grid_reference	NS785762
map_type	Scotland
post_town	GLASGOW
postcode_area	G
postcode_district	G67
dial_code	01236
constituency_westminster	Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch
gaelic_name	Cnoc Abraim
unitary_scotland	North Lanarkshire
lieutenancy_scotland	Dunbartonshire
constituency_scottish_parliament	Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
coordinates
::

All of the roads in the older part of Abronhill were named after a tree for example Cedar Road or Oak Road. This is in contrast to other parts of the New Town where historic local placenames or famous Scots or their art were incorporated into the street names. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Pine_Road,Abronhill-geograph.org.uk-_1567034.jpg" caption="Pine Road, Abronhill"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Abronhill_Shopping_Mall_-geograph.org.uk-_3585514.jpg" caption="accessdate=5 August 2016}} all had schools in the 19th century.[http://www.scottishmining.co.uk/157.html Scottish Mining site with Groome's Text] Reference to Arns school at the bottom of the article on Cumbernauld"] ::

The area around modern Abronhill is still mainly farmland and woodland, although there is a new housing estate with 600 homes due to be built to the north of Forest Rd . Palacerigg Country Park and Fannyside Lochs are nearby. There is also a small shopping centre, but this is falling into disrepair which has upset some of the residents. Abronhill has expanded in recent years with the development of Whitelees, which boasts its own primary school and housing estate, and Cherry Avenue which is built on the site of the former Glenhead primary school. This school was originally St.Lucy's RC Primary School, however, falling roll at the nearby non-denominational Glenhead Primary School, saw the two schools swap locations.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Herd's_Hill,West_Fannyside-geograph.org.uk-_1618102.jpg" caption="Herd's Hill, West Fannyside, named after Covenanting lookout man]]The name Abronhill comes from the 17th century, during the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]], when the area was named ''Abraham the Hebrew's Hill'' by the [[Covenanters]]. The name gradually changed to ''Abram's Hill'' and then to ''Abronhill''. There was a period in Scotland when it was a capital offense to preach at unauthorized religious assemblies so the Covenanters chose meeting places like this hilltop with an eye on escape. Ringleaders caught at these banned meetings would face the boot, or thumbscrews, or worse during the period known as [[The Killing Time]]. The death penalty was imposed on those who refused to swear an oath deliberately designed offend their conscience. Field executions were authorized so there were no lengthy trials. Locally covenanters were also reported to have met at Herd's Hill on Fannyside to worship without the king's restrictions. At least two local farmers had all their property confiscated at trials they did not attend."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Kilt_Farm,Abronhill-geograph.org.uk-_251082.jpg" caption="date=2016-08-09 }} The money was given to the [[Scottish Wildlife Trust]] Other local industry which pre-dates the new town includes weaving and mining. Entrances to old mines can be seen at the Glen and other places around the area."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Old_Entrance_to_Vault_Glen_-geograph.org.uk-_1598038.jpg" caption="Entering the Glen from Broom Rd, Abronhill near the Dovecote"] ::

To the west of Abronhill and separating it from Kildrum is a deep geographical divide called the Vault Glen. Through the Vault Glen runs a river, a pipeline which carries sewage and the railway line. The river, initially called the Glencryan Burn, starts from Fannyside Lochs and runs through Glencryan Reservoir and down to Forest Road, the main road to Abronhill. The river then runs under the road and its name changes to The Red Burn on the other side, behind Cumbernauld Academy. (On older maps the river was sometimes still called Glencryan Burn for part of its way through the Vault Glen). There are four footbridges connecting Abronhill with the rest of the town: one on either side of Cumbernauld Academy, one close to Abronhill Primary School and one at Broom Road. This Red Burn is the one from which Cumbernauld's Gaelic name is derived. There is a gruesome story about how the Red Burn (or Redburn) itself was named. It involves the killing of Roman soldiers whose bodies were dumped in the river at Castlecary making it run red.[[File:Dovecote - geograph.org.uk - 1604586.jpg|thumb|right|Dovecote (pronounced Doo'cot), Vault Glen near Broom Rd.]]

References

(2010). "Cumbernauld: The Conception, Development and Realisation of a Post-war British New Town". Edinburgh College of Art.
[http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14&lat=55.9604&lon=-3.9176&layers=1&b=1 zoomable map with Bing map underneath] Auld map from the [[National Library of Scotland]]
(1845). "The Parish of Cumbernauld". The New Statistical Account of Scotland.
[http://www.scottishmining.co.uk/157.html Scottish Mining site with Groome's Text] Reference to Arns school at the bottom of the article on Cumbernauld
[http://www.paperclip.org.uk/Cumbernauld/abronhill.htm Complaints about the state of Abronhill] photos of all the worst bits from 2007
[http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=55.9628&lon=-3.9537&layers=6&b=1 zoomable map with Bing map underneath] All the farms on one map
[http://btckstorage.blob.core.windows.net/site2667/CHttpHandler.pdf Excellent stylised map from Friends Of Cumbernauld Glen] Map including Vault Glen
[http://www.environmentalkeyfund.com/casestudies.html Dovecote Repair Fund] {{Webarchive. link. (2016-08-09 The money was given to the [[Scottish Wildlife Trust]])
(22 June 2014). "Abronhill Primary pupils kick-start burn clean up".
(1864). "Castlecary and the great Roman wall". Charles Jeffrey.

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