Cumbernauld Village
Cumbernauld Village (often referred to locally as just the Village) is an area of the new town of Cumbernauld. Whilst Cumbernauld is a new town, having been first planned in 1956, the Village itself has a pre-mediaeval history, with a Roman settlement being built in the area due to its proximity to the Antonine Wall. After the Roman period the settlement remained and grew to such an extent that the Comyn family built their chapel there. The Flemings (who would become the Earls of Wigtown) later took over the Comyns' castle in Cumbernauld. In the 18th century this was replaced by Cumbernauld House
By the Seventeenth century the main industry of the Village was hand loom weaving, but this subsequently changed as due to the village's proximity to the Forth and Clyde canal and rich source of natural minerals and stone it became a site of mining and quarrying. The Village was also the site of a number of tenant held farms on the Flemings' estate. The 19th century Groome's Gazetteer states [Cumbernauld is] "A picturesque old place, sheltered to E and SE by the grounds of Cumbernauld House, it was created a burgh of barony in 1649, and has a post office under Glasgow, a branch of the Royal Bank, a local savings' bank, 2 chief inns, gas-works, many new handsome villas, and a cattle-fair on the second Thursday of May. The parish church here is an old building, containing 660 sittings; the Free church dates from 1826, having belonged to the Original Secession, but has been lately almost rebuilt; and there is also a new U.P. church. Handloom weaving of checks and other striped fabrics is still carried on, but mining and quarrying are the staple industry. Pop. (1861) 1561, (1871) 1193, (1881) 1064.
As the mining industry declined the village was further boosted by the decision to site a new town in the vicinity, with Cumbernauld lending its name to this new town.
Today
Today, Cumbernauld Village is quite characteristically different from most of the rest of the town, as it contains a high number of local amenities, and its structure of having pavements beside the roads in the Village is quite unlike the rest of the planned new town, with the possible exception of Condorrat which, like Cumbernauld Village, is a settlement of many years' standing before the new town's construction.
Cumbernauld Village has an active local community and local people are involved in the Village Community Council and in Cumbernauld Village Action for the Community. The latter is a community group campaigning for improvements to the amenity of the Village.
Cumbernauld United FC
Cumbernauld's non-league (junior) football team, Cumbernauld United, play in the Village at Guy's Meadow stadium. Cumbernauld United also have a full youth academy with teams at all age groups from under 6 upwards, considered by many as one of the best in Central Scotland. All of United's teams play on the main Guy's Meadow pitch or on the impressive Astroturf facility which surrounds the stadium, Hat-Trix soccer complex.
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Cumbernauld Village Coordinates: 55°57′47″N 3°59′13″W / 55.96294°N 3.98684°W