In the Gaelic Gart is a field and Cos is a hollow - so Gartcosh could be the field in the hollow.  
In the mid 1800s Gartcosh was a just a few scattered farms and houses  - but it had a railway station!   The railway was built to transport coal to Glasgow and by 1837 there were three sopping places - including to one at Gartcosh.  There were a number of small mines quite near to the station.  Because there was very little traffic the station was very basic and did not have the luxury of a waiting room or a platform..  The farms in the area included Gartcosh farm, Johnston farm, Whitehill, Croftfoot, Heathfield and the estate of Woodneuk.

In 1863 the Gartcosh Fireclay Works was established (on the site where John G Russel had a container base but is now a housing estate known as Heathfield Park).  They produced a variety of ornamental products as well as utilitarian products such as cattle and horse troughs.  They ceased operations in the 1950s when supplies of fireclay were exhausted.

In the 1865 William Gray decided to take advantage of the railway and he started an Ironworks. The works were originally called Woodneuk Iron Works - it was probably built on the Woodneuk estate.  William Gray was in partnership with Archibald and James Gray.  The firm who operated the ironworks were Grays and Watson. The Grays were in partnership with William Watson.  In 1866 the works had 10 puddling furnaces,  2 heating furnaces and a rolling mill. However the firm got into difficulties and, in sequestration,  was offered for sale at £4500 in November 1866.  There were no takers but were re offered in 1867 and was bought by E & W Smith from Glasgow for £4250.    The Smith brothers intended to exploit a new process for making steel from pig iron that had been invented by Robert Miller. 

They formed the Gartcosh Iron & Steel Co.  In 1871 this company went into sequestration and was taken over by Smith & McLean in 1872.  

Smith & McLean were merchants, manufacturers, galvanizers, steel and iron plate and sheet rollers.  They owned Clyde Galvanizing Works at Mavisbank and Port Glasgow, the Iron & steel works at Milnwood and Gartcosh Rolling Mills and Iron & Steel Works.

In the early 1870s  warrants were issued for the arrest of a number of workers, at Gartcosh, for desertion of service.  It appeared they had gone on strike because the owners had stopped the beer cart from delivering the usual supplies to the men.  They had instead sent two barrels of sour milk!

By 1930 Colvilles had acquired the majority of ordinary shares in Smith & McLean Ltd.   By 1953 they had acquired the whole share capital.  In conjunction with their strip mill at Ravenscraig, Colvilles set up a cold reduction steel mill which went into production in January 1963.

By 1986 British Steel had closed the Gartcosh Steelworks.

Lochend Road- Gartcosh C1900