Glen Village

Description

Around 1 mi south from Falkirk town centre and about 1/4 mi from Falkirk High railway station, Glen Village is a small settlement containing around 180 cottage flat homes built in the 1930s for workers at nearby coal mines. and the mines themselves closed by the 1960s. Falkirk was originally isolated, which was constructed in the early 1970s on an incline between the Callendar Park wooded estate and the railway. Hallglen is where most local amenities are situated (except the local primary school which is on the Glen Village side of the main road, being connected to the majority of local housing by a pedestrian footbridge). The village formerly held a community hall, post office and a bowling club, but all have now closed.

To the west, the building of the Lionthorn private housing development in the early 21st century, which in turn adjoins the older Lochgreen neighbourhood, has created a near-continuous suburban chain between Glen Village and the southern part of Falkirk proper around Falkirk High Station, also with a population of around 3,000. Similarly, the open fields to the east of Hallglen almost connect with a cluster of newbuilds on the periphery of Redding, although historically the communities were 2 mi apart.

Adjacent to the village is the Union Canal where there is the 690 yd Falkirk Tunnel which was completed in 1821, it is known locally as the "Dark Tunnel". The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Falkirk line railway runs through the Hallglen Railway Tunnel which is of similar length and age – built 1842 and 845 yd long – as it passes Glen Village, emerging at Hallglen. Both were constructed as William Forbes Sr and Jr, the powerful successive owners of nearby Callendar House, did not want the canal or the railway to spoil their views of the landscape. In the 2001 UK census, Glen Village and Hallglen were recorded as having a combined population of 3,488 residents.

Sport

Many local amateur football clubs have come from the area, including the Hallglen Hoofters and the former Chequers team who played their home matches at Glen Park.

References

References

1. {{Scottish settlement population citation
2. link. (6 October 2020 , Explore georeferenced maps ([[National Library of Scotland]]))
3. link. (6 October 2020 , Explore georeferenced maps ([[National Library of Scotland]]))
4. link. (6 October 2020 , Explore georeferenced maps ([[National Library of Scotland]]))
5. [https://canmore.org.uk/site/134355/policy-colliery Policy Colliery], Canmore
6. [https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/opinion/looking-back-on-the-glen-1-2769674/amp Looking back on 'the Glen']{{Dead link. (November 2020, Falkirk Herald, 2 February 2013)
7. but nowadays it adjoins the larger housing estate of Hallglen,[https://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst2693.html Hallglen], [[Gazetteer for Scotland]]
8. [https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/people/hallglen-is-being-left-to-rot-says-councillor-1-4219351/amp 'Hallglen is being left to rot' says councillor]{{Dead link. (June 2024)
9. [https://www.hallglen.falkirk.sch.uk/ About Our School], Hallglen Primary School
10. [https://statistics.gov.scot/atlas/resource?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fstatistics.gov.scot%2Fid%2Fstatistical-geography%2FS02001720 2011 Intermediate Zone: Falkirk - Lochgreen and Lionthorn], Scottish Government Statistics
11. "Falkirk, Union Canal, Canal Tunnel". [[Canmore (database).
12. "Union Canal". Falkirk Local History Society.
13. [https://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst91051.html Hallglen Railway Tunnel], [[Gazetteer for Scotland]]
14. [http://www.falkirk.gov.uk/services/corporate_neighbourhood/policy_performance_review/research_information/PDFs/census_information/No3.pdf No 3 - 2001 Census Population of settlements and wards] {{webarchive. link. (June 3, 2011 www.falkirk.gov.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-27)