Monklands Memories - Airdrie & Coatbridge areas

Cardowan, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, situated to the south of Stepps, is a residential area on the north-eastern outskirts of Glasgow which grew around Cardowan Colliery, Garnkirk Fire-clay works, and clay mines in the immediate area.

In 1852 John Hurll and John Young formed Hurll, Young & Company and established the Cardowan Fire Clay Works.  In 1862, they bought the neighbouring Heathfield Works from Ferguson, Miller & Company.  In 1865 they partnered with James Dunnachie to form the Glenboig Fire Clay Company. 

The resulting partnership broke up in 1873, and John Young took over the Heathfield & Cardowan works, which became know as John Young & Sons.  The partnership (Hurll, Young, and Dunnachie) reformed in 1882 as the Glenboig Union Fire Clay Company but John Young & Sons was put into liquidation in the late 1880s and the assets were purchased by John Faill who restructured the company as the Heathfield & Cardowan Fire Clay Company Limited. 

The clay at Cardowan was of the highest quality, similar to the Garnkirk clay nearby. The fireclay products included firebricks, blast-furnace blocks, gas retorts and fittings, ornamental vases, garden edgings, and plain and ornamental chimney pots. Both bricks and the more specialised products were hand-made. During the mid-1890s output was 60-70 tons per day

The Cardowan works was abandoned by 1913 but the Heathfield works continued producing until 1970.  Site noted as being an earthworks by 1979.  Heathfield & Cardowan Fire Clay Company, Ltd. (ca. 1880-1970)

Works: Heathfield, Cardowan and Glasgow fire clay works, Garnkirk, ca. 1852 - 1970

Cardowan Colliery

The mine at Cardowan was the site of several accidents including the explosion of 1927 in which on the 1st of August at 3:50pm 3 men were killed. (John Kilpatrick, Maurice M'Bride, George Jackson)

A further explosion occurred in 1932 on November 16 in which 11 men were killed. (William Bradley, Michael Flynn, Peter Frati(formerly Jacobelli), William McAlister, John McNab, James McVey, Richard Maroney, George Mullen, James Reynolds, John Watt, John Whiteford)

Then again in Jan 1982 there was another explosion at some 1700 feet underground and 2 miles from the pithead, resulting in 41 injuries. The mine finally closed at the end of 1983.