Halfway is a largely suburban area in the town of Cambuslang, Scotland, located within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. It borders the smaller areas of Lightburn, Cairns, Flemington, Drumsagard and Hallside.
Halfway is the largest component of the Cambuslang East ward of South Lanarkshire CouncilElection special: Cambuslang East residents want action from councillors, Daily Record, 20 April 2017 which has an overall population of around 16,000.
History and amenities The district was named in the days of the Glasgow to Hamilton stagecoach when passengers would stop halfway between the destinations to change the horses, have a rest etc. There is a long history of coal mining in the areaBuildings of Scotland: Glasgow (page 504), Elizabeth Williamson, Anne Riches, Malcolm Higgs, 1990, Housing Conditions of Miners 1910: Cambuslang Parish, Scottish Mining website (especially around Flemington),Flemington, Gazetteer for Scotland but no colliery is still in operation. It also has the older name of Gilbertfield, referring to the nearby ruined 'castle' of that name (as it is known locally - it is, in fact, a stately home) which still stands to the south. It was owned by Hamilton of Gilbertfield. He was a friend of Robert Burns and wrote a poem about William Wallace called Blind Harry's Wallace, a rendering into contemporary English of a medieval Scots poem, which was eventually used as the basis for the screenplay that became the Mel Gibson blockbuster Braveheart.
The area sits to the south of Dechmont Hill, an extinct volcanic rock above sea level. There is evidence, written by the Welsh chroniclers, that King Arthur's 12th battle, the battle of Calaan, took place there against the two sons of his rival Caw, (or Cawn), king of Strathclyde.The Battles of King Arthur, Drumchapel, 2011
Halfway is home to two places of worship, Flemington-Hallside Parish Church (adjacent to the area's single residential tower block, Logan Tower)The Story of Rosebank Tower, Tower Blocks UK, 16 September 2019 and St. Cadoc's Roman Catholic Chapel south-west of the main road in the Cairns post-World War II housing estate, named after the now-demolished mansion 'The Cairns'.Glasgow, Cairns House, CanmoreCairns House, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire (Demolished), ipernity There is also a lawn bowling club, a fuel filling station, a local park with play area, a public library, a small medical centre and a typical selection of local shops, takeaways and public houses. All these amenities are located either on the main thoroughfare, Hamilton Road (A724), or just off it.
There is no train station in the immediate area, although northern parts of Halfway are within walking distance of Newton railway station. The main road is on a bus route between Glasgow and Lanarkshire (the same route taken by the historic stagecoaches mentioned above).
Education Primary schools in the area include St. Cadoc's RC,St Cadoc’s Primary welcomes first pupils, Urban Realm, 4 October 2013 Cairns (immediately next to St Cadoc's), Hallside and Park View. All were rebuilt in the 2010s, except Park View which only opened in 2014 to alleviate overcrowding at nearby Hallside. After Cairns Primary was re-located on the site of the old mansion a few hundred yards to the west of its original 1950s site,Cairns Primary School, Urban Realm, 2012Our School, Cairns Primary School the old buildings were used as a decant facility by other schools in the district while theirs were rebuiltDemolition day looms for St Bride's Primary School, Kenny Smith, Daily Record, 31 October 2013Hallside Primary set to be extended, Douglas Dickie, Rutherglen Reformer, 14 September 2016, via PressReader meaning for several years there were three schools on a single suburban street, one with pupils who did not live nearby – it was hoped that the traffic congestion problems frequently experienced by localsParents promise further action after crossing patrol at Cambuslang school is rejected, Jonathan Geddes, Daily Record, 19 December 2018 would be alleviated once this modernisation process was completed across the region in early 2020,Council's £1.2 billion school modernisation programme ends in Hamilton, Daily Record, 5 January 2020 but later that year it was noted that this was still a concern for many parents.Cambuslang mum's concerns kids could be killed leaving school, Niki Tennant, Daily Record, 7 October 2020
Older children normally go on to Trinity High School, Cathkin High School or Stonelaw High School, depending on which primary school they attended.
A standalone pre-school facility, Lightburn ELC, was built on the site of the miners' welfare club on Mill Road, opening in 2021 (not to be confused with Millburn ELC, its sister facility located in Newton).First day smiles light up Lightburn ELC, South Lanarkshire View, 28 June 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021
Gilbertfield In March 2017, an application by Persimmon Homes to build almost 400 houses in land immediately to the north of Gilbertfield Castle was approved by South Lanarkshire Council's planning committee; this was somewhat controversial as the land had previously been designated Green belt. Various concerns were raised by local residents, community councillors (representing Halfway/Cambuslang East ward), the Lowland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association who have a rifle range adjacent to the site,Cambuslang, Dechmont Rifle Ranges, Canmore and Clare Haughey and James Kelly, MSPs for the area, which were presented to the committee along with a 1300-signature petition opposing the development, without success. Revisions had already been made to the plans after the Scottish Environment Protection Agency objected to the builder's initial submission in 2016.
A proposal for a further development directly incorporating the castle was publicised in May 2020.A ruined castle with a bloody history could be at the centre of a housing development, The Scotsman, 18 May 2020
Notable residents Charlie Hill, boxer Scott Harrison, boxer Bernard Ponsonby, TV political news reporter Kyle Hutton, footballer Mick McGahey, miners' union leader Margaret Ferrier, politician
References
External links
Halfway Community Council