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Continued

After the eastward loop of the river at Calderpark a magnificent railway viaduct once crossed at Roundknowe and it is at this spot it is thought that the Roman road called Whatling Street turned south and ran alongside the river. The present road bridge here once was the (southern) turnpike road to Shotts and Edinburgh (following - at the top of the hill - the Roman road) and this bridge is a very old structure.

About 150m further downstream the river forms the eastern boundary of the ancient lands of Daldowie and here between the present M74 and the Daldowie slip road off it is almost certainly the point where the Roman road crossed the Calder on its way to Cathures (Glasgow) via Mount Vernon and Tollcross.

An authoritive work on Roman Scotland, Chalmers 'Caldeonia' records;*

"The Roman road passed thence along the height to the southward of Bellshill, and must have crossed the 'West' Calder Water not far above its conflux with the Clyde"

Further downriver, just before it discharges into the Clyde the remains of a very ancient - bridge can be seen. This bridge was the first ever crossing over the river in this area, at least in recorded times.

The first photo of the remains of the first Calder bridge at Daldowie/Clydeside

Hamilton of Wishaw describes ;**

"And about a mile west from this village, just upon the highroad, stands a very good stone bridge, consisting of one arch, upon North Calder, just where it empties itself into Clyde."

The village refers to Uddingston and they came upon the bridge during a walking tour on which their book was based. This bridge was there at least 450 years ago and is probably the oldest remaining structure in the whole district.

We do know that the bridge carried the Glasgow to Carlisle turnpike road for over two hundred years, Cromwell crossed it and in 1745 the Young Pretender - Prince Charles Edward Stewart marched over it with his highland army on returning from his abortive invasion of England. To go a bit further back - 1301 to be precise, Edward Longshanks ('Hammer of the Scots') crossed the river in these parts - possibly the same ford as the Romans had used - in July of that year on his march to Glasgow, and returned by this way in September on the way to laying siege to Bothwell Castle.

So, this wee river of a mere twelve miles in length but which drains 50 square miles of North Lanarkshire into the Clyde- is shown to have played a major part in the industrial revolution of Lanarkshire, and, by extension - Scotland, the U.K and the British Empire. Heady stuff and a grandiose claim the reader may say but fact never the less.

Today the North Calder is mostly a forgotten back water, and except for the odd angler on remote and secluded banks the river has been left to regenerate itself, a good thing yes, but sad that the 150.000 odd people who live within a mile or so of it don't seem to realise it even exists. They don't know what they are missing, this wee river is spectacular in places and it is particularly gauling that the so called "North Calder Heritage Trail" in Coatbridge has hi-jacked the river's name as the trail goes nowhere near it. The lack of interest by the local councils and the countryside preservation groups in this natural asset is scandalous.

Calder meets the Clyde ***

If, after reading this the reader fancies a walk along the Calder, I would advise carrying a trekking stick, wearing sturdy boots and going during a spell of dry weather. The best times of the year would be when the foilage is bare and that means early spring or late autumn as the banks, gullys and ravines can be very dense and therfore fairly dangerous.

There is further narrative on almost every photo within the album and more photos will be added as time permits.

bibliography:

* 'Caledonia' : George Chalmers, FRS FSA, vol 1, pub. 1887

**Description of The Sheriffdom of Lanerk, by Hamilton of Wishaw (sibbald mss c.1650)

*** The rapids on the Clyde in the photo were a ford across the river in ancient times and still able to be forded in 1904 - according to George Henderson and J.Jeffrey Waddell in their excellent book "By Bothwell's Banks" pub. 1904.

A Poem about the River

Enter Photo Album

The historical information used is, as far as known factual. Considerable care has been taken in the research of it. That said, its still possible an error may have happened here or there and corrections will be made if found. All other content of the article is original work by the author.