Drumpellier
Encyclopedia
Drumpellier is a country park situated within North Lanarkshire Council, to the west of Coatbridge
. The park was formerly a private estate. The land was given over to the Burgh of Coatbridge
for use as a public park in 1919, and was designated as a country park in 1984 by the then Monklands
council, part of Strathclyde Regional Council. Drumpellier Country Park covers an area of 500 acres (2 km²) and comprises two natural lochs (one of which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI)), lowland heath, mixed woodlands and open grassland. The Monklands Canal lies towards the southern perimeter of the park. The loch
s and the canal attract a large number of water birds, both resident (such as swans and mallard ducks)and over-wintering migrants, and the loch shores and woodland floor provides an abundance of wild flora. The woodlands are also rich in bird life, small wild animals and many types of fungi.
The lochs at Drumpellier are part of a chain of kettle ponds formed towards the end of the last ice age. As the glacier
that covered most of Scotland slipped down towards the sea it churned up great tracts of land. This created the great lochs, such as Lomond and Linnhe, and also produced small pockets of water such as the Garnkirk
chain of Hogganfield
, Frankfield and the Bishops Lochs (an SSI that comes under Glasgow
City Councils administration) that include Drumpellier's Lochs, Woodend and Lochend.
have been found on the shores of Woodend Loch, and Lochend Loch once boasted a fine example of a crannog
, a dwelling place of iron-age man situated on stilts in open water for security and protection. The site of the crannog is depicted on Lochend Loch using small coloured buoys.
During the medieval period, Drumpellier was the farming grange of the Monks of Newbattle Abbey
, which gives rise to the name of Monklands
, the historical name for the surrounding area. The name Drumpellier itself means 'ridge where the wheat is stored'. Finally, the Monklands Canal lies at the south end of the park, and is a reminder of the great industrial heritage of Monklands
, providing an important link through Glasgow to the Clyde
and the high seas.
Additions were made to it in 1840 and 1850.
Andrew Buchanan was a Tobacco merchant who became Lord Provost of Glasgow in 1740. The son of a wealthy maltman, Buchanan took advantage of the Treaty of Union
which gave Scotland access to the English colonies and amassed a fortune through ownership of tobacco estates in Virginia
. He also acquired a considerable portfolio of property in Glasgow
. He purchased the Drumpellier Estate in 1739 and built Drumpellier House as his home two years later.
Though no supporter of their cause, he led a group of prominent citizens who met Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720-88), and was able to considerably reduce the amount of money demanded by the Jacobites
not to raze the city.
He was buried in the old Ramshorn kirkyard. In 1777, the family business failed when their tobacco estates were lost following the American Revolution
. Buchanan Street in Glasgow
is named after his nephew, another Andrew Buchanan.http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst3032.html
The Drumpellier estate was gifted to Coatbridge
in 1919. Many Glaswegians traveled by tram to Drumpellier during the 1920s and 30s, to spend their weekends camping in the park. The house was demolished in the 1960s. The estate is now a Country Park and golf course.
Sir James Stirling RN (28 January 1791 – 23 April 1865) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator, who was born in Drumpellier,. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia.
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
. The park was formerly a private estate. The land was given over to the Burgh of Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
for use as a public park in 1919, and was designated as a country park in 1984 by the then Monklands
Monklands
Monklands may refer to:*Monklands was formerly a local government district in the Strathclyde region of Scotland*Monklands Hospital in the area...
council, part of Strathclyde Regional Council. Drumpellier Country Park covers an area of 500 acres (2 km²) and comprises two natural lochs (one of which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI)), lowland heath, mixed woodlands and open grassland. The Monklands Canal lies towards the southern perimeter of the park. The loch
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
s and the canal attract a large number of water birds, both resident (such as swans and mallard ducks)and over-wintering migrants, and the loch shores and woodland floor provides an abundance of wild flora. The woodlands are also rich in bird life, small wild animals and many types of fungi.
The lochs at Drumpellier are part of a chain of kettle ponds formed towards the end of the last ice age. As the glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
that covered most of Scotland slipped down towards the sea it churned up great tracts of land. This created the great lochs, such as Lomond and Linnhe, and also produced small pockets of water such as the Garnkirk
Garnkirk
Garnkirk is a scattered settlement in North Lanarkshire, located a mile southwest of Muirhead.-External links:*...
chain of Hogganfield
Hogganfield
Hogganfield is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow, located to the north east of the city centre. The Hogganfield electoral region is Glasgow North. Hogganfield is surrounded by the Glasgow districts of Craigend, Ruchazie, Blackhill, Riddrie, Provanmill, Millerston, Robroyston and Stepps....
, Frankfield and the Bishops Lochs (an SSI that comes under Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
City Councils administration) that include Drumpellier's Lochs, Woodend and Lochend.
Ancient History
Man has also left his mark on the park area over many thousands of years. Flint tools of the Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
have been found on the shores of Woodend Loch, and Lochend Loch once boasted a fine example of a crannog
Crannog
A crannog is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes, rivers and estuarine waters of Scotland and Ireland. Crannogs were used as dwellings over five millennia from the European Neolithic Period, to as late as the 17th/early 18th century although in Scotland,...
, a dwelling place of iron-age man situated on stilts in open water for security and protection. The site of the crannog is depicted on Lochend Loch using small coloured buoys.
During the medieval period, Drumpellier was the farming grange of the Monks of Newbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey
Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which has subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.-Monastery:...
, which gives rise to the name of Monklands
Monklands
Monklands may refer to:*Monklands was formerly a local government district in the Strathclyde region of Scotland*Monklands Hospital in the area...
, the historical name for the surrounding area. The name Drumpellier itself means 'ridge where the wheat is stored'. Finally, the Monklands Canal lies at the south end of the park, and is a reminder of the great industrial heritage of Monklands
Monklands
Monklands may refer to:*Monklands was formerly a local government district in the Strathclyde region of Scotland*Monklands Hospital in the area...
, providing an important link through Glasgow to the Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
and the high seas.
Drumpellier House
The Drumpellier estate was purchased in 1735 by the tobacco merchant Andrew Buchanan (1690-1759). He was responsible for building the oldest part of Drumpellier House in 1736 and it was extended in the 1740s and 1750s.Additions were made to it in 1840 and 1850.
Andrew Buchanan was a Tobacco merchant who became Lord Provost of Glasgow in 1740. The son of a wealthy maltman, Buchanan took advantage of the Treaty of Union
Treaty of Union
The Treaty of Union is the name given to the agreement that led to the creation of the united kingdom of Great Britain, the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, which took effect on 1 May 1707...
which gave Scotland access to the English colonies and amassed a fortune through ownership of tobacco estates in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He also acquired a considerable portfolio of property in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. He purchased the Drumpellier Estate in 1739 and built Drumpellier House as his home two years later.
Though no supporter of their cause, he led a group of prominent citizens who met Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720-88), and was able to considerably reduce the amount of money demanded by the Jacobites
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
not to raze the city.
He was buried in the old Ramshorn kirkyard. In 1777, the family business failed when their tobacco estates were lost following the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. Buchanan Street in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
is named after his nephew, another Andrew Buchanan.http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst3032.html
The Drumpellier estate was gifted to Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
in 1919. Many Glaswegians traveled by tram to Drumpellier during the 1920s and 30s, to spend their weekends camping in the park. The house was demolished in the 1960s. The estate is now a Country Park and golf course.
Sir James Stirling RN (28 January 1791 – 23 April 1865) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator, who was born in Drumpellier,. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia.