Glenrothes
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| Glenrothes | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Rathais | |
  Glenrothes shown within Scotland |
|
| Population | 38,927 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| - Edinburgh | 32 miles |
| - London | 444 miles |
| Council area | Fife |
| Lieutenancy area | Fife |
| Constituent country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GLENROTHES |
| Postcode district | KY6-KY7 |
| Dialling code | 01592 |
| Police | Fife |
| Fire | Fife |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| European Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Glenrothes |
| Scottish Parliament | Central Fife Mid Scotland and Fife |
| List of places: UK • Scotland | |
Glenrothes is a town situated in the centre of Fife, in east central Scotland. It is approximately equidistant between Edinburgh and Dundee and is the largest town in Fife,by area, covering 2,229 hectares of land (5508 acres).[1] Glenrothes was the second new town to be designated in Scotland under the New Towns (Scotland) Act 1946. It was established in 1948 and was created to attract new employment and population to mid-Fife with the creation of the Rothes Colliery, a major coal mine. The pit closed in 1961, only 4 years into production because of unstemmable flooding problems and a decline in coal requirements nationwide. However other industries were attracted to the town and it became an economic growth point for central Scotland establishing itself as an important Silicon Glen centre. Today Glenrothes has a population of 38,927 people based on recent population projections [2], is the administrative centre for Fife and has been successful in attracting employment to Fife, in particular a high number of modern industrial companies.[3] The town has well-tended parks and landscaping, [4] a plethora of sculptures and artworks and one of Scotland's largest single level indoor shopping malls [5]. The town also has a variety of religious and educational institutions and has good transport links with the rest of Scotland. [6]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Background
Glenrothes was designated in 1948 under the New Towns (Scotland) Act 1946 as Scotland's second post-war new town. The original town plan was to build a new settlement for a population of 32,000-35,000 people. The land where Glenrothes now sits was largely agricultural and once contained a number of small rural communities. Originally the new town was going to be centred on Markinch, however the village's infrastructure was deemed unable to withstand the substantial growth required to realise a new town. Leslie and Thornton were also considered but as a consequence an area of 5,370 acres that sits between all of these villages was chosen. The land taken was previously an area of great natural beauty. The policies of Balbirnie House, Leslie House, Balgeddie House falling under the land ownerships of the Balfour, Rothes, Aytoun and Balgonie estates were all incorporated in the Glenrothes designated area. [7] [8] The land was sub-divided into areas or "precincts" which were named after the hamlets already established (e.g. Woodside, Cadham), the farms which once occupied the land (e.g. Rimbleton, Caskieberran, Collydean) or historical stately homes in the area (e.g. Balgeddie, Balbirnie, Leslie Parks). [7][8]
The name Rothes comes from the association with the north-east Scotland Earl of Rothes, family name Leslie. The Leslie family owned much of the land historically. Glen (Scottish for valley) was added to prevent confusion with Rothes in Moray, and because the town lies on the Leven valley. [7][8] [9]
The primary reason for the designation of Glenrothes was to house miners who where to work at a new super coal mine. This was to be the most modern of the day and was built west of Thornton, an established village south of Glenrothes. The Super Pit was named the Rothes Colliery and it was officially opened by the Queen in 1957. About 5,000 miners were to be required to produce 5,000 tonnes of coal per day, and huge railway yards were established. The pit was to have a working life of 100 years. The planned long-term benefits were to be huge, and the driver for economic regeneration for central Fife. At its peak the Rothes Colliery employed over 1,500 miners. In 1961, 4 years after opening, the huge investment was written off and the mine closed as a result of un-stemmable flooding and geological problems. Ironically, miners who'd worked in older deep pits in the area had fore-warned against the development of the Rothes Pit for this very reason. The closure of the state-of-the art facility left the huge enclosed concrete wheel-towers standing at Thornton for many years as a forlorn symbol of what could have been. [7][8] [10]
Originally the main industry in the Glenrothes area was paper-making (Tullis-Russell and the other mills along the Leven Valley) and coal mining. Unlike East Kilbride, Cumbernauld or Livingston Glenrothes was not originally to be a Glasgow overspill new town, although it did later take this role. It was however populated in the early 1950s in large part by mining families moving from the West of Scotland, particularly the Glasgow area, though many re-settled from the declining Lothian coalfields too. [7][8]
The pit's closure was devastating and further development of Glenrothes was almost stopped. The pit's closure did help change the fortunes of the town for the better. Central Government changed the town's role and appointed Glenrothes as one of the economic focal points for Central Scotland. The Glenrothes Development Corporation were succesful in attracting a plethora of modern electronics factories moved into the town. The first big overseas electronic investor was Beckmans Industries in 1959 followed by Hughes Industries in early 1960s. A number of other important companies followed and Glenrothes became a major hub in Scotland's Silicon Glen. [7][8][9]
A further boost to the town during the 1970s saw it become the centre of Fife Council's operations. This took the role from Cupar which was formally the County Town of Fife. Fife House (the headquarters of Fife Council) and other Fife Council buildings are situated in Glenrothes' town centre. Fife Constabulary and Scottish Enterprise Fife also have their headquarters in the town. Today Glenrothes is the administrative centre for Fife. [7][8][9]
[edit] Glenrothes Development Corporation
The planning, development, management and promotion of Glenrothes was the responsibility of the Glenrothes Development Corporation (GDC), a quango appointed by the Secretary of State for Scotland. Fife Council were responsible for implementing the infrastructure in the town such as schools, parks and roads. [9]
The GDC was wound up in 1995, and was asked to undertake any last major works required in the town with the aid of a grant. The Leven Bridge crossing Riverside Park and the Kingdom Centre Phase 4, including the Rothes Halls were some of the last major projects undertaken. Property and assets of the town were either sold off to private companies or passed onto the responsibility of Fife Council. The winding up of the GDC meant that Glenrothes was no longer designated a new town. Development and management of the town would now be undertaken by Fife Council. The development corporation left its lasting legacy on the town by overseeing the development of 15,378 houses, 480,692 square metres of industrial floorspace, 68,328 square metres of office floorspace and 53,603 square metres of shopping floorspace by 31 December 1995. [8]
[edit] Glenrothes Today
Glenrothes today is considered a clean, generally well maintained and quietly successful modern town.[9] While much of the townscape consists of unexceptional 20th century developments, Glenrothes has many surprises. Early residential areas of Glenrothes present some of the best examples of post war social housing, two of which won Saltire Society Awards. Three of the towns earliest churches, St. Margaret's, St. Paul's and St. Columba's, are now listed buildings.
The historical stately homes, Balbirnie House, Leslie House and Balgeddie House are all located in Glenrothes.[11] Balbirnie House, former home of the Balfour family, was occupied by the Glenrothes Development Corporation (GDC) between 1981 until its wind up in 1996. The grounds of the mansion house were bought and developed in 1969 by the GDC to become Balbirnie Park and golf course. The former stable block of the house has been developed as the Balbirnie craft centre and Balbirnie House itself is now a luxury hotel. Balgeddie House, located in the northwest of the town, has also been converted into a high quality hotel. [7][8]
Leslie House, former home of the Rothes family, was once an eventide home owned by the Church of Scotland and most recently is set to become luxury apartments.[12] Much of the former grounds of Leslie House have been used to create Riverside Park. Collydean precinct hosts a ruin of a 17th century laird's house called Pitcairn House. [7][8]
Glenrothes was the first Scottish new town to appoint a town artist in 1968. [7] Today, as a result, there is a large variety of artworks and sculptures scattered throughout the town (around 132) made from a variety of materials such as bronze, fibre glass, bricks, sandstone and concrete. The sculptures range from giant flowers, giant hands, a dinosaur, toadstools, the Good Samaritan, a horse & chariot, dancing children, a seated old couple, crocodiles and marching Hippos. [9]
Landscaping in Glenrothes often leaves the impression that many of the housing areas have been built in parkland. The town has won the "Best Kept Town & Village Competition" in Fife for the second time as a result of the high standards of landscaping.[13] Housing has generally been built to high standards, especially when compared to other social housing areas in Scotland. [9] Glenrothes is undoubtably modern however old buildings still exist and have been carefully integrated into the modern fabric of the town. It has been described as leaving the impression of pleasant modernity.[14]
Glenrothes serves a wider area as both a service, employment and retail centre. There are a number of attractive villages surrounding the town each unique in their own respect. The surrounding villages are Markinch, Leslie, Thornton, Coaltown of Balgonie, Star of Markinch, Milton of Balgonie (with Balgonie Castle) and Kinglassie. Slightly further afield are Falkland, Freuchie, Windygates, Kennoway, Muirhead, Auchmuirbridge and Scotlandwell.
[edit] Geography
Glenrothes lies in mid-Fife between the agricultural Howe of Fife in the north and east and Fife's industrial heartland in the south and west. It is located approximately equidistant between the cities of Edinburgh (32 miles) and Dundee (27 miles). Its OS Grid reference is NO281015.
The northern parts of the town lie upland on the southern fringes of the Lomond Hills Regional Park. The central parts of the town lie on land between the southern lip of the River Leven Valley, a green lung which passes east west through the town, and the Warout Ridge. Southern parts of Glenrothes are largely industrial and lie on land which gently slopes south towards the Lochty Burn and the village of Thornton.
| Destinations from GLENROTHES | |||||||||||
| Perth | Falkland |
Cupar | |||||||||
| Kinross |
|
Leven | |||||||||
| Lochgelly | Kirkcaldy |
Buckhaven | |||||||||
[edit] Built environment
Glenrothes' layout was based on an irregular grid. The first town masterplan set out self-contained residential precincts with their own primary schools, local shops and community facilities. Separating industry as far as possible from housing areas in planned industrial estates was a key element of the plan. This was a step change from the unplanned and polluted industrial towns and cities of the previous centuries where cramped housing and dirty industry were built in close proximity to one another. The idea for Glenrothes was to provide a clean and healthy environment for the town's residents regardless of their social background. "Through traffic" would bypass housing precincts by distributor roads which would connect each precinct to a purposely designed town centre and to the industrial estates. Another element that was adopted was the use of roundabouts at junctions instead of traffic lights allowing traffic to flow freely.
At first Glenrothes developed in a linear fashion starting at Woodside in the east and progressing westwards. Housing was a mixture of low-rise mixed housing and flats. The first masterplan was implemented as far as South Parks and Rimbleton housing precincts. [7][8]
Early Glenrothes precincts, developed under the first masterplan, were based on Ebenezer Howard's Garden City principles and this is reflected in their housing styles and layouts.
A second town masterplan was designed in the 1960's following Glenrothes' change of role and was to accommodate an increased population target of 50,000-70,000. New areas of land in the north and south of the designated area were brought into production for new development. The irregular grid layout was retained however housing precincts were to become less self-contained and would share local facilities in a new neighbourhood centre format. The road network was to be upgraded to deal with projected increases in car ownership. New housing estates were developed in the west, south and then northern parts of the town. The precincts of the 1960s and 70's, developed under the second masterplan, were based on principles of Radburn, separating as far as possible footpaths from roads. The townscape changed with a mixture of higher densities and new architectural styles.
Housing precincts from the 1980s onwards have largely been developed by the private sector and more reflect today's aspirations of low density suburban living. [9] Most of this housing was developed in the northern parts of the town.
Large portions of land in the south of the town were developed for industrial purposes. The second master plan was used until the wind-up of the Development Corporation in 1995. [7][8]
Glenrothes came late into high rise development and as a result it has only a single tower block, which is located adjacent to other tall buildings in the town centre. The townscape is largely low rise until the town centre is reached where flats and clusters of taller buildings have been used. [9]
[edit] Housing Precincts
- Alburne Park
- Auchmuty
- Balbirnie
- Balfarg
- Balgeddie
- Bankhead
- Cadham
- Caskieberran
- Collydean
- Coul
- Finglassie
- Formonthills
- Forresters Lodge
- Leslie Parks
- Macedonia
- Newcastle
- Pitcairn
- Pitcoudie
- Pitteuchar
- Rimbleton
- South Parks
- Stenton
- Tanshall
- Whinnyknowe
- Woodside
[edit] Climate
Temperatures in Glenrothes, like the rest of Scotland, are relatively moderate given its northern latitude. Fife is a peninsula, located between the Firth of Tay in the north, the Firth of Forth in the south and the North Sea in the east. Summers are relatively cool and the warming of the water over the summer results in warm winters. Average annual temperatures in Glenrothes range from a max of 18°C to a min of 9°C. [15]
[edit] Demographics
Scotland's Census 2001 showed that Glenrothes has a population of 38,679. The demographic make-up of the population is much in line with the rest of Scotland, with 30-44 year olds forming the largest portion of the population (23%). Despite the aging population in Scotland, Glenrothes has 2% fewer pensioners than the Scottish average. [16]
Recent population estimates show the population of Glenrothes in 2006 to be 38,927. The wider Glenrothes Area including the adjacent villages supports an estimated population of 50,167. [17]
Over 29% of the population in Glenrothes are in lower managerial and professional occupations which is a substantially higher proportion of people than both the Fife and Scottish averages [18].
[edit] Government & Politics
Glenrothes is covered by 4 tiers of Government from European to local level. At European level Glenrothes is represented as part of Scotland within The Mid-Scotland & Fife constituency. The town is represented at the British Government level as the Glenrothes UK parliamentary constituency. At the Scottish level Glenrothes falls within both the Central Fife and Mid Scotland and Fife constituencies. Glenrothes is located within the unitary authority of Fife, one of the 32 Unitary Authorities of Scotland. At the Local level the Glenrothes Area is divided into 3 multi-member wards. [19]
[edit] Economy
Glenrothes' economy is currently strong with unemployment levels in line with the Scottish average. Glenrothes provides the highest number of jobs (approx 36,000) of any single settlement in Fife [20] This situation is particularly evident when compared to the more deprived towns in the travel to work area, Kirkcaldy and Levenmouth. [21][22] Employment in Glenrothes is largely concentrated in the town centre and in the industrial estates.
[edit] Town Centre and Shopping
Glenrothes town centre is located on the southern lip of the Leven Valley. It is bounded by a ring road, has been purposely planned, contains no residential element and is largely enclosed. These are all factors which distinguish it from Fife's other town centres.
The Kingdom Centre forms the main shopping element of the town centre. The shopping mall currently contains over 100 shops as well as a variety of cafes, the town's central library, the Rothes Halls- the town's theatre and a ten pin bowling alley. The town's main bus station is located adjacent to the southeast end of the mall.[23]
Shopping in Glenrothes is to be significantly enhanced in the near future with major expansion of the Kingdom Centre proposed at North Street. A Sainsbury's superstore (one of the largest stores proposed in Scotland) along with non-food shopping and a new multi-storey car park are proposed as part of the development. [24] [25] [26] Proposals have also been put forward to regenerate older phases of the mall at Albany Gate and a further retail extension is proposed at Marchmont Gate. [27] [28][29]
A variety of other premises including a bingo hall, a night club, offices, pubs, bars, restaurants, churches, a hotel, a post office, a vet, dentists, banks and building societies surround the outside of the Kingdom Centre.
The town centre has also been extended at Queensway where retail and leisure outlets have been developed, replacing what was once industry. Land to the north of Queensway is to be developed into a new shopping park which is to be anchored by ASDA's first Scottish eco-store. [30] [31]
An out of centre retail park has also been built at the Saltire Centre with large bulky goods and out-of-town retailers. Planning permission has been granted for the redevelopment of the Saltire Centre. This will include new roundabout access, increased retail floorspace and a new drive-thru restaurant. [32]
Glenrothes also has a number of neighbourhood shopping centres located at strategic points throughout the town. These contain parades of small shops and a variety of public facilities. The first of these to be built was the Woodside Centre. The Glenwood Centre, the Glamis Centre and the Cadham Centre followed as the town developed.
[edit] Industry
Glenrothes employment premises are largely modern and are located in a number of attractive, well landscaped industrial and employment sites, all of which are well connected with the Central Scotland road network. The entrance to each estate is clearly defined with the use of obelisk boundary markers.
Employment sites in Glenrothes are concentrated in the south of the town and at sites around the town centre. Each estate has been named, these are: Bankhead, Westwood Park, Eastfield, Fife Airport, Pentland Park, Queensway, Southfield, Viewfield and Whitehill. These estates are largely managed by Fife Council and Scottish Enterprise Fife.
The highest proportion of jobs in Glenrothes are in the manufacturing and the public administration sectors. Traditional industries are still existent in the area, with paper manufacturing being one of the town's largest employers. The Tullis Russell plant is the last operational paper manufacturer in Glenrothes following the closure of two smaller plants in the area. The plant is currently in the process of selling its surrounding land to developers in order to fund a biomass powerstation. [33]
Manufacturing accounts for around 20% of employment in Glenrothes [34] [35] and a Silicon Glen background continues to play an important role in Glenrothes' economy. A number of high tech industrial companies are located in Glenrothes largely specialised in electronics and engineering manufacturing.
Semefab, based in Eastfield, is the UK's Primary Centre for the development of Micro Electric Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nanotechnology. This is expected to contribute £53 million to the Scottish Economy. [36][37]
Raytheon are global leaders in the hi-tech and defence markets and a recent project will see the company's Queensway branch supply products to the aerospace and telecommunications industries. [38]
Other major companies in Glenrothes include Brand Rex (fibre optics manufacturing), Velux (roof windows manufacturing), BI Technologies (electronics manufacturing), Compugraphics (photomask development), CRC Group (technology repair services), Bosch Rexroth (hydraulics manufacturing), Phoenix Precision (precision engineering), Micronas (semi-conductor manufacturing), Virgin Media (call centre), Cullen Building Products (construction suppliers), and Amazon.co.uk (online retailer). The latter is the most recent company to locate in Glenrothes and take advantage of it as an employment base.
There are signs now however that the town's economy is beginning to diversify to service sector and other forms of employment in line with national trends. This is evident with new office developments at Viewfield and Pentland Park and the mix of uses emerging at Queensway and Bankhead.
[edit] Public sector
Fife's prominent local authority headquarters building is located at North Street in the town centre. Many of the other council departments are contained in a number of the town centre's office blocks. Fife Constabulary have established their modern headquarters at a site on Detroit Road in Viewfield. Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland share a local office at the Pentland Park, the Inland Revenue also have an office in this business park.
[edit] Landmarks
Landmarks in Glenrothes vary from buildings and bridges to hills, sculptures, churches and henges. The most prominent landmarks in the town include the Leven Bridge which towers over Riverside Park, the Tullis Russell factory chimneys towering in the east of the town and Raeburn Heights and Fife House which both sit at the western corners of the town centre. These are the most recognisable tall structures in Glenrothes which can be seen from afar.
The Lomond Hills form a natural backdrop to the town when looking north and can be seen from as far away as Edinburgh and the Lothians in the south, and Tayside in the north.
Glenrothes is home to the remains of ancient stone circles which can be seen at Balbirnie and Balfarg in the northeast of the town.
A number of Glenrothes' artworks and sculptures act as landmarks at major gateways into the town, such as the Giant Irises at Leslie Roundabout, and the Glenrothes Gateway Totum at Bankhead Roundabout.
St. Columba's Church, designed by architects Wheeler & Sproson, is an A-listed structure of architectural significance. It also marks an important gateway to the town centre at St. Columba's Roundabout.
There are two other gateway landmarks, located just outside Glenrothes. The B-listed Markinch Railway Viaduct marks the town gateway from Levenmouth in the east. This structure spans the River Leven Valley carrying the main East Coast rail line.
To the west of Glenrothes is the B-listed Cabbagehall Railway Viaduct, which once carried a branch line connecting Leslie to Markinch over the River Leven Valley. This marks a main gateway entrance to Glenrothes from Leslie and now carries a major cycle/footpath, Böblingen Way, connecting Leslie with Glenrothes.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Sports & recreation
Glenrothes has a number of well maintained parks at Riverside, Balbirnie, Warout, Gilvenbank, Tanshall, Dovecot, Carleton and Stenton. Around one third of land in Glenrothes has been devoted to the provision of open space. [7][8] The town boasts good sports facilities with 2 golf courses (Glenrothes and Balbirnie), a football stadium at Warout and a main sports complex at the Fife Institute (FIPRE). There is also a planned new floodlit skatepark which is to be constructed on the site of the existing skateboard ramps in Riverside Park. [39]
The local football club is the Glenrothes F.C., a junior side who play at Warout Park. Glenrothes also has a rugby club based at Carleton Park and a cricket club who play at Riverside Park.
There are plans to build a new multi-million pound sports centre on the site of the existing Fife Institute by early 2009. [40] [41] The Scottish Football Association (SFA) is exploring the possibility of creating a "community hub" for football at the Fife Institute as part of the sports funding package. This would provide high quality football pitches for Central and East Fife. [42]
[edit] Theatre & Civic Centre
The Rothes Halls complex acts as the civic heart of Glenrothes. It is located in the Kingdom Centre and is used as the town's theatre and its exhibition, conference and civic centre. The theatre has capacity for over 1,000 people split between 2 main halls. [43] The flexible nature of the complex means it can cater for a large variety of events. The Stereophonics, Ocean Colour Scene, and Ken Dodd are among some of the well-known acts to have performed there. Plays, an annual beer festival, model railway exhibitions and acts from a number of tribute bands are also some of the many events hosted at Rothes Halls. [44] The town's central library and a cafe also form part of the Rothes Halls complex.
[edit] Media
Glenrothes has a weekly newspaper, the "Glenrothes Gazette" which is operated by the Fife Free Press group, and which is published every Wednesday.
The Courier, a daily newspaper operated by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, covers news in the Fife and Tayside area including Glenrothes.
Kingdom FM operates on 95.2 and 96.1 MHz. This station broadcasts from the former Haig factory in the village of Markinch located immediately east of Glenrothes and operates as a local radio network.
Forth One broadcasts from Edinburgh and covers the south Fife area, including Glenrothes. It operates on a wave length of 97.3 MHz(FM). Forth 2 sister station to Forth One operates on a wave length of 1548 kHz (Medium Wave).
Tay FM broadcasts from Dundee and primarily covers the north Fife area, including Glenrothes. It operates on a wave length of 102.8 MHz(FM). Tay AM also broadcasts from Dundee and operates on 1161 kHz (AM)
These two latter radio stations operate on a regional basis covering most of East Central Scotland.
[edit] Famous people
Famous people include the trumpeter John Wallace, the actor Dougray Scott and Henry McLeish, the former First Minister of Scotland who lived there, having been brought up in neighbouring Kennoway. Glenrothes town centre is home to the building involved in the notorious "Officegate" scandal, which led to McLeish's resignation as First Minister in 2001.
[edit] Twin town
Böblingen in Germany.
Glenrothes High School has operated a successful school exchange with the Albert Einstein Gymnasium in Böblingen for a number of years.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Road
Glenrothes has direct dual-carriageway access to the M90 via the A92 Trunk Road. The A92 passes north/south through the town and connects Glenrothes with Dundee in the north and Edinburgh in the south. The A911 road passes east/west through the town and connects it with Levenmouth in the east and Milnathort and the M90 in the west.
[edit] Bus
A central bus station is located in Glenrothes Town Centre where Stagecoach operate regular services to adjacent towns and cities.
[edit] Train
The Glenrothes Area contains two train stations. Glenrothes with Thornton railway station is located in the village of Thornton to the south of Glenrothes. It lies on the Fife Circle Line. Markinch railway station is the nearest station to Glenrothes Town Centre (approx 1.5 miles). It lies on the Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line and also has connections to Perth and the Highland Main Line to Inverness. The station has recently been upgraded with a new station building, longer platforms, and park and ride facilities. Regular bus services link the station with Glenrothes and Leven Town Centres. [45]
[edit] Airports
Edinburgh Airport is the nearest major airport to Glenrothes. It is within a 45 minute drive of the town and has regular flights to London, other UK destinations and beyond. Dundee Airport also, to a lesser extent, operates daily flights to London and is within 40 minutes drive of the town.
Glenrothes is also home to an airfield, Fife Airport (ICAO code EGPJ), which is used by Tayside Aviation to train pilots. The airport is able to accommodate private light aircraft and also contains a small restaurant.
It was originally intended that the airport would serve the industrial areas of the town for transport of key employees to and from Glenrothes and would potentially support flights to London. [7][8]
[edit] Ferry
Within 20-25 minutes drive is a ferry terminal at Rosyth which has daily links to Zeebrugge, Belgium in mainland Europe.
[edit] Education
[edit] Primary
Glenrothes has 12 non-denominational primary schools. These are:
- Carleton Primary School
- Caskieberran Primary School
- Collydean Primary School
- Newcastle Primary School
- Pitcoudie Primary School
- Pitteuchar East Primary School
- Pitteuchar West Primary School
- Rimbleton Primary School
- South Parks Primary School
- Southwood Primary School
- Tanshall Primary School
- Warout Primary School
There is one denominational school in Glenrothes. This is:
- St. Pauls Primary School
The John Fergus School, adjacent to Warout Primary, serves children with learning difficulties.
[edit] Secondary
The town also has 3 non-denominational High Schools:
- Auchmuty High School
- Glenrothes High School
- Glenwood High School
Catholic pupils are served by St. Andrews High School in Kirkcaldy.
[edit] Further
Glenrothes also has its own college campus at Stenton Road adjacent to the Fife Institute. Formally Glenrothes College it has recently merged with Fife College in Kirkcaldy to become the Adam Smith College. This is now Scotland's third largest college and has particular strengths in the creative arts and industries, applied technologies and media. The Glenrothes campus is set to be improved in the near future with a new campus being proposed to replace the existing one. [46]
St.Andrews, Scotland's oldest university, is within 30 minutes drive of the town. Glenrothes is also within commuting distance of the universities in Dundee, Edinburgh and Stirling.
[edit] Places of Worship
Glenrothes is home to a number of churches. The three earliest are now listed buildings. These are St. Margaret's Church in Woodside (Grade-C listed), St. Paul's RC Church in Auchmuty (Grade-B listed), and St. Columba's Church on Church Street (Grade-A listed) in the town centre. St. Paul's RC was designed by architects Gillespie, Kidd and Coia[47] and has been described as "as the most significant piece of modern church architecture north of the English Channel". [48] In 1993 it was listed as one of sixty key monuments of post-war architecture by the international conservation organisation DoCoMoMo. St. Columba's has recently received lottery funding for its restoration [49].
Other churches in the town are;
- Collydean Baptist Church
- St. Lukes Church, Auchmuty
- St. Ninians Church, Tanshall
- Christs Kirk, Pitteuchar
- Christs Kirk on the Hill, Pitcoudie/Cadham
- The Glenrothes Baptist Church, Town Centre
- The Salvation Army, Caskieberran
The town also has places of worship for Jehovah's Witnesses and for Muslims.
[edit] Pictures
 The Leven Bridge soars over Riverside Park |
 Leslie House, former home of the Rothes family |
 The Dream sculpture, Auchmuty |
 Giant hands sculpture, Collydean |
 The Good Samaritan sculpture, Riverside Park |
 Dinosaur Sculpture, Caskieberran |
 Crocodiles Sculpture, Pitcoudie |
 The Henge, Balfarg |
[edit] References & Notes
- ^ Fife Council (2006/07) Glenrothes Economic Profile [1]
- ^ Fife Council (2008) Population Estimates for Towns and Villages in Fife [2]
- ^ Fife Council (2006/07) Glenrothes Economic Profile [3]
- ^ Glenrothes Gazette article (September 2007),[4]
- ^ Fife Council (2006) Glenrothes Town Centre Profile [5]
- ^ Fife Council (2007) Central Fife Parliamentary Constituency Economic Profile[6]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Ferguson, Keith (1982). A History of Glenrothes.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Ferguson, Keith (1996). A New Town's Heritage, Glenrothes 1948-1995.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Cowling, David (1997). An Essay for Today- The Scottish New Towns 1947-1997.
- ^ Glenrothes Gazette(2008) Glenrothes HistoryThe Glenrothes Gazette, 2009-01-20. Retrieved on January 24, 2008
- ^ Fife Council 2003, Glenrothes Local Plan Proposals Map [7]
- ^ Leslie House Development Reference [8]
- ^ Glenrothes Gazette article (September 2007),[9]
- ^ Undiscovered Scotland website, Glenrothes featurepage [10]
- ^ Weather.co.uk website Glenrothes Climate Stats[11]
- ^ Scrol Census Data
- ^ Fife Council (2008) Population Estimates for Towns and Villages in Fife [12]
- ^ Fife Council (2006/07) Glenrothes Economic Profile [13]
- ^ Fife Council plan of Glenrothes Area [14]
- ^ Fife Council (2006/07) Glenrothes Economic Profile [15]
- ^ Fife Council (2006/07)Kirkcaldy Economic Profile [16])
- ^ Fife Council (2006/07)Levenmouth Economic Profile [17])
- ^ Fife Council (2006) Glenrothes Town Centre Profile [18]
- ^ Clarke, Debbie (2007) £35m Glenrothes shops plan go-ahead Glenrothes Gazette 2007-12-13. Retrieved on December 21, 2007
- ^ Warrender, Claire (2007) Glenrothes town centre plan backedThe Courier, 2007-12-10. Retrieved on December 10, 2007
- ^ Purnell, Fiona (2007) Shops plan - first look Glenrothes Gazette, 2007-07-25. Retrieved on July 31, 2007
- ^ Elliott, Claire (2007) Kingdom Centre, Glenrothes Shopping-centre.co.uk, 2007-07-01. Retrieved on July 25, 2007
- ^ Kelly, Charlene (2007)Sainsbury’s Glenrothes plan comes step closerThe Courier, 2007-06-11. Retrieved on June 29, 2007
- ^ Kingdom Centre website, development plans [19]
- ^ MacDonald Estates website Glenrothes- Tullis Russell Joint Venture[20]
- ^ Glenrothes Gazette (2007) Shopping Revolution in Glenrothes[21]
- ^ Fife Direct, planning applications online [22]
- ^ Glenrothes Gazette (2007) FIRM HOLDS ITS BREATH [23]
- ^ Fife Council (2006/07) Glenrothes Economic Profile [24]
- ^ Fife Council (2007) Manufacturing Profile [25]
- ^ Semefab news article, SEMEFAB TO OFFER UK’S FIRST MEMS OPEN ACCESS FACILITY [26]
- ^ Fife Council (2006)Sector Profiles- Electronics [27]
- ^ Glenrothes Gazette (2007) BUSINESS ROCKETS FOR RAYTHEON [28]
- ^ Fife Direct Planning applications Online [29]
- ^ Glenrothes Gazette (2007) NEW MOVE FOR £15 MILLION COMPLEX [30]
- ^ Glenrothes Gazette (2007) Glenrothes sports centre funding [31]
- ^ The Courier (2008) Fife Sport Strategy Unveiled [32]
- ^ Rothes Halls website [33]
- ^ Rothes Halls performance lineup [34]
- ^ First Scotrail news article, STATION IMPROVEMENTS WORK- Markinch Interchange Contract Awarded [35]
- ^ Adam Smith College press release, COLLEGE ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR NEXT STAGE OF CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT [36]
- ^ Miles, Gabrielle (2008) St Paul's marks its golden jubilee Glenrothes Gazette[37]
- ^ Marwick, Tricia (2001)Scottish Parliament Official Report (Col735)- Architecture & the Built Environment [38]
- ^ The Scotsman (2007) £1.1m LOTTERY CASH FOR CRUMBLING CHURCHES[39]
Primary sources
- Ferguson, K (1982) A History of Glenrothes (Glenrothes Development Corporation)
- Ferguson, K (1996) A New Town's Heritage: Glenrothes 1948-1995 (Glenrothes Development Corporation)
- Cowling, D (1997) An Essay for Today: Scottish New Towns 1947-1997 (Rutland Press, Edinburgh)
- Links Media (2005)&(2006) Glenrothes and surrounding villages (Cupar)
[edit] External links
- Film- New Day, Glenrothes
- Scotland on Film new town archive
- Film- New Towns in Scotland
- Glenrothes on FifeDirect
- Glenrothes on Undiscovered Scotland
- Fife News
- Glenrothes Spoon - community site
- Kingdom Shopping Centre, Glenrothes
- Rothes Halls, Glenrothes
- Glenrothes Economic Profile
- Adopted Glenrothes Area Local Plan 2003
- Central Fife Parliamentary Constituency Economic Profile
- Glenrothes Twinning Association
- Collydean Baptist Church
- Salvation Army, Glenrothes
[edit] Further interest
Rothes Colliery
Town Rivalry, Glenrothes Vs Kirkcaldy
- "Glenrothes Could Become Top Town"
- "Town Wars: The Gloves Are Off!"
- "The Future - A Merged Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy"
- "Kirkcaldy Hits Back in Furious Row"
New Towns
- "The Dissappointing New Towns of Great Britain
- "New Towns: Can They Be Given New Life?"
- "Building Towns for the future"
- "Glasgow Overspill"
Town Art
Glenrothes Meteorite
Glenrothes Whisky
