Broomhouse

Did you know Broomhouse was once a bustling mining village? Picture this: the late 1800s. Smoke billows from colliery chimneys. The air is thick with coal dust. This small community thrived. The Mailcoach pub stood proudly on Hamilton Road. It was a vital stop for mail coaches traveling between Glasgow and England. This was before the M74 motorway. The road was more important then. It was better maintained than most roads. Another pub the Smugglers Inn existed across the street. It didn’t survive into the 21st century though. Life was tough for the miners and their families. They lived in modest cottage flats. They had a community hall and park. A railway line connected Broomhouse to the rest of the world. Broomhouse railway station served passengers from 1878 to 1927. It was part of the Glasgow Bothwell Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway line. Nearby Boghall was another mining hamlet. It’s now the site of the Dogs Trust regional headquarters. The railway line closed in 1961. The decline of local industries sealed its fate. The Rutherglen and Coatbridge line was already there. It was owned by the same company. There were two country estates in Broomhouse. Calderbank House became a maternity hospital in 1919. It later housed a care home before its demolition in 2002. Calderpark House was demolished in the 1930s. Mining destabilized the area. The land became Glasgow Zoo also known as Calderpark Zoo. It opened in 1947. It closed in 2003 due to financial issues. The zoo’s ruins stood abandoned for years. Broomhouse became part of Glasgow in 1974. It was previously part of Old Monkland Lanarkshire. Broomhouse was designated a Community Growth Area in the early 2000s. This brought new houses and developments. The area transformed into a modern affluent commuter suburb. Large villas sprang up replacing the old mining village and the zoo. Residents initially worried about a lack of local shops. They had to travel to Baillieston or Uddingston. A Premier Inn and Beefeater restaurant opened near Junction 3A of the M74. This solved some of the problems. The Muirhead Road Bridge over the railway was widened. This improved access to Baillieston. The construction caused a year-long road closure. The only access was pedestrian access. Broomhouse has no schools. Children attend schools in Baillieston. There are few recreational facilities apart from children’s play areas. Calderbraes Golf Club is nearby. Famous residents include Nicola Sturgeon the former First Minister of Scotland. Donald McKinlay a Liverpool F.C. captain was born in Boghall. Tom Boyd a Celtic F.C. captain grew up in Broomhouse. Broomhouse’s history is a captivating blend of mining industry zoological wonders and modern development. The transformation is remarkable. Broomhouse stands as a testament to Glasgow’s ever-evolving landscape.