Polmont facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Polmont
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 Top: Parkhill House, Middle: Union Canal, Bottom left: Old Polmont Reservoir and golf course Bottom right: Meadowbank Library. |
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 Polmont
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| Population | 5,040 (2020) |
| OS grid reference | NS936788 |
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| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FALKIRK |
| Postcode district | FK2 |
| Dialling code | 01324 |
| Police | Central Scotland |
| Fire | Central Scotland |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament |
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Polmont (Scottish Gaelic: Poll-Mhonadh) is a village in the Falkirk council area of Central Scotland. It lies towards the east of the town of Falkirk, north of the Union Canal, which runs adjacent to the village.
Due to its situation in Central Scotland, many locations can be seen from Polmont, ranging from the Ochil Hills and the River Forth, to Cairnpapple Hill. Although giving its name to Polmont Young Offenders Institution, the prison is in fact in Reddingmuirhead.
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History
The name Polmont derives from the Scottish Gaelic term Poll-Mhonadh, which translates into English as Pool of the Hill.
Old Polmont, situated on a raised beach overlooking the Firth of Forth and the Ochils, which was an important fort on the Roman Antonine Wall. This fort, embankment and water source has been marked out and can be visited in Polmont Woods, close to the M9 motorway.
Polmont was originally included within the parish of Falkirk, but was severed under the authority of the Court of Teinds (teind is the Scots word for tithe), and erected into an independent parish, in 1724. Nothing of the early history of Polmont has been recorded.
The newer, modern Polmont has developed mainly from the 1970s with the Gilston Estate, and further up towards the railway and station, now adjoining the village of Brightons.
During World War II, The now demolished St Margaret's School for girls was used by the Polish forces as a signals training school and soldiers from various Polish units were assigned to learn the trade of signalling.
Transport
Polmont railway station is located on the Edinburgh to Glasgow railway line. In 1984 a train collided with a cow that had strayed onto the rail line near Polmont. The crash left 13 people dead and 61 others injured.
The M9 motorway runs through the village between Polmont and Old Polmont, with two exit points on the east and west sides. There are numerous bus stops throughout the village, primarily situated on Polmont Main Street, which provide direct bus services to Edinburgh, Falkirk and Stirling. The nearest airport, Edinburgh Airport, is located approximately 17 miles (27 kilometres) to the east.
Culture
Polmont Parish Church was designed by John Tait in 1844.
Polmont is a parish and its religious community is primarily Christian, being home to a Church of Scotland in Old Polmont. The area also has a Christian denominational presence in the form of the Church of the Brethren and the Religious Society of Friends.
Scottish rock band Glasvegas have a song entitled 'Polmont On My Mind' on their debut album 'Glasvegas'.
Trivia
The first two people in the United Kingdom to contract swine flu in the 2009 outbreak (Dawn and Ian Askham) were from Polmont.
John Savage, BBC Mastermind Finalist 2013, lives in Polmont.
Economy
The economy of Polmont is based mainly upon relatively small scale private enterprise, such as pubs, cafes, hotels, take-aways and convenience stores. The majority of these are based in or around Polmont shopping centre, the focal point of local custom. Agriculture is also a central industry, with arable land consuming a sizeable proportion of the area. Polmont is home to the controversial Avondale Landfill, a large employer on the east of the village.
Due to the proximity to Grangemouth, a number of the population work at the Grangemouth refineries and port. Few of the population work in Polmont itself, leaving it something of a commuter town, largely to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
There are several hotels in the area, with the most well known being the Inchyra Grange, a redevelopment from one of the area's many former mansions.
Sport
Football
Polmont has an amateur football club. Since the 2014–15 season they have played in Division One Stirling & District AFA. The club play their home games at Meadowbank Bank, St. Margaret's in the east of the village. There was once a junior club representing the area but the club only lasted a few years.
The most famous sporting export of Polmont is Alex Raisbeck, who spent several years captaining Liverpool. He also represented Scotland on eight occasions, and was considered to have been one of the finest players of his generation, dating back to 1898. He captained Liverpool to their first ever English championship title in 1901 and did so again five years later.
The highest-profile Polmontarian currently playing at senior level is Derek Niven, formerly of Chesterfield.
Other sports
Despite its name, Grangemouth Golf Club is located on the outskirts of Polmont.
Within the boundaries of Grangemouth Golf Club is Millhall Reservoir, which is now a fishery. To the east of the clubhouse is Polmont Ski Centre, which includes an artificial ski slope.
Education
Polmont has provided primary level education since the 1700s. The original Parish School still stands across from the church; however, in the 1960s Polmont Primary School became overcrowded and relocated to a set of interlinked wooden huts on Greenpark Drive. Polmont Primary's colours are green and silver reflected in the uniform of green blazer, green/silver tie, grey shorts/skirts and white shirts/blouses. Further expansion of Polmont meant that the school again became overcrowded; finally, a permanent structure was built in the south west of Polmont and renamed St Margaret's Primary School.
Notable residents
- John Gibb Dunlop (1844–1913) Director of John Brown and Company creator of both RMS Lusitania and RMS Aquitania
- Gilbert Laurie of Polmont (1729–1809), Lord Provost of Edinburgh
- Johan Theodor Salvesen (1820–1865), joint founder of Christian Salvesen
See also
In Spanish: Polmont para niños
