Why visit Kilsyth
Townapedia lists 42 museums and landmarks, 6 parks and trails, 3 places to eat and 5 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Bar Hill, Corrie Spout, Bar Hill Roman Fort and Old Ironstone Mine.
Weather in Kilsyth
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About Kilsyth
Kilsyth (; Scottish Gaelic: Cill Saidhe) is a town and civil parish in North Lanarkshire, roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland. The estimated population is 10,380. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the religious revivals of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The town now has links with Cumbernauld at one time being part of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Council.
From the Wikipedia article Kilsyth (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Kilsyth on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Kilsyth
Things to do5
Corrie Spout
Waterfall · 2.6 mi
Waterfall in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK
Museums and landmarks42
Antonine Wall
Monument and historic site · 0.7 mi
Defensive fortification in Roman Britain
Westerwood Roman fort
Monument and historic site · 2.8 mi
Site of Roman fort on the Antonine Wall in central Scotland
Antonine Wall
Monument and historic site · 1.4 mi
A turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans and representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire at...
30 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds6
Restaurants and cafes3
History
There is archaeological evidence of settlement since Neolithic times The Romans recognised the strategic significance of Kilsyth; the Antonine Wall forts of Bar Hill and Croy Hill are clearly visible from the present-day town. In the Middle Ages, Kilsyth held a key strategic position on one of the main routes across the narrowest part of Scotland. It was the site of two, now ruined, castles at Balcastle and Colzium. These were shown in Timothy Pont's map of 1580 and can also been seen on Blaeu's map which was derived from it. The town officially came into being in 1620 although a barony of Kilsyth preceded this. Regarding the name of the town, modern research into Kilsyth's toponymy leads to different findings than earlier analysis.
The civil war Battle of Kilsyth took place on hillsides between Kilsyth and Banton in 1645. Kilsyth was later closely associated with the various attempts by the Jacobites to regain the crown. Bonnie Prince Charlie is reported to have spent the night in the town in January 1746. The battlefield is now under Banton Loch which is a largely artificial body of water used to feed the Forth and Clyde Canal, close to its highest elevation. The canal was cut through Dullatur Bog in 1769–1770 bringing economic benefit to Kilsyth. (It apparently disturbed many small toads which relocated by hopping northwards).
Read more of the history
The area was in the ownership of the Livingstone family at the time of the Battle of Kilsyth. As a reward for his support, Sir James Livingstone was made Viscount of Kilsyth by King Charles II in 1661. By 1715, the Livingstones were supporting the Jacobite rebels, and had their estates confiscated. Later landowners were the Edmonstone family, who built Colzium House in 1783 and rebuilt it in 1861. It is now a museum in a public park.
In 1826, Kilsyth was given burgh status, enabling it to have burgesses and a market.
Historically the parish was known as Moniabrugh, or one of its variants, with its name changing sometime in the 18th century. The town economy has shifted over the past three centuries from dairy farming, handloom weaving, tambouring and extractive industries to light engineering, transport and service industries. Many of the townsfolk of working age now commute to work in larger towns or Glasgow.
From the History section of Kilsyth on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Kilsyth
Arts and culture
Kilsyth has a prominent pedestrianized Main Street with commercial properties, parks and gardens at Burngreen and Colzium, hostelries such as the Coachman Hotel, the Boathouse and the Scarecrow pub, and a number of local restaurants including European, Indian, Chinese, and fish & chips. The nearby villages of Croy, Banton, Queenzieburn, and Twechar are within easy walking distance from Kilsyth.
Townhead reservoir, known locally as Banton Loch, is the site of the Battle of Kilsyth and is the main reservoir for the Forth and Clyde Canal. A thriving marina has been developed at Auchinstarry close to the climbing wall and lakes at the old quarry.
Kilsyth Lennox Golf Club was founded in 1899. The original nine-hole course was the Balmalloch area of the town, but moved in 1905 to the present position North East of the town. Between 1997 and 2002, the majority of the greens and tees were redesigned by Rocky Roquemore, the American Golf Course architect. The club hosts a Festival of Golf in the first week in July.
Kilsyth has a public swimming pool, open seven days a week, a public library, a small cottage hospital and health centre, and a range of recreational facilities such as tennis courts and bowling clubs. A feature of Burngreen Park is a children's road safety attraction with a model road layout and bikes, etc. for hire. It is also an accredited Walkers are Welcome town.
From the Wikipedia article Kilsyth, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Kilsyth
John LivingstonePresbyterian minister in the NetherlandsPhoto: Frans Hals, Public domain
William FinlaysonAustralian politician (1867-1955)Photo: Work of the Australian Government, Public domain
Paul ConwayBritish businessmanPhoto: Excalibur2, Public domain- Tom WalkerScottish singer-songwriter
- Charlie EganAustralian soccer player
- Graeme EnglishBritish wrestler
- Irv FrewScottish-born Canadian ice hockey player
- Bill DuncanScottish footballer (1880–?)
- Pat McCluskeyScottish footballer (born 1952)
- Jim WhyteScottish footballer (born 1944)
- Scott TaggartScottish footballer (born 1991)
- Alex GlenScottish footballer (1878-1966)
Born in Kilsyth, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Churches and places of worship7
Holy Cross RC Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.5 mi
Constarry Road, Croy, Kilsyth
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries7
Healthcare1
Map of Kilsyth
74 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Glasgow Airport (GLA) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 16 miles away.
- Croy 1 mi southeast, about 2 min by car
- Twechar 2 mi southwest, about 3 min by car
- Cumbernauld 3 mi southeast, about 5 min by car
- Kirkintilloch 4 mi southwest, about 7 min by car
- Lennoxtown 5 mi west, about 9 min by car
- Muirhead 6 mi south, about 9 min by car
- Dennyloanhead 6 mi east, about 9 min by car
- Head of Muir 6 mi east, about 10 min by car
- Stepps 7 mi southwest, about 11 min by car
- Coatbridge 8 mi south, about 13 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Kilsyth
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 005, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 007, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 004, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 001, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 012, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 010, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 002, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 006, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 003, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 011, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 008, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 06478 Kilsyth Methodist Church, Kilsyth 009, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bar Hill Fort 20090619 bath house from east, Otter, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bar Hill Roman fort well, Lirazelf, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Castle Hill trig point, Lirazelf, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ally447, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ally447, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ally447, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ally447, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ally447, CC BY-SA 4.0
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