Glendale, Zimbabwe

Glendale is a village in the province of Mashonaland Central, Zimbabwe. The village of Glendale in Zimbabwe was named by Earl Grey from Northumberland. Glendale is a Gaelic word meaning 'low lying fertile land'. It is located in the Mazowe valley of Zimbabwe, about 85 km north east of Harare. According to the 1982 Population Census, the village had a population of 6,076. Maize, cotton, cattle, pigs, wheat and citrus are farmed in the region. Glendale has a large railway depot, cotton depot and ginnery. A textile industry is developing in the village. Zimbabwe's leading iron pyrites producer, the Iron Duke Mine, is 15 km south of Glendale. The area was slowly settled over the years, and was established as a farming district in Zimbabwe. The people of Glendale used a mix of dedication, grit and administrative prudency into opening up and creating a successful farming district within the area. Glendale's community is made up of different families of diverse cultures and backgrounds. The Glendale area was originally sparcely populated by small tribal groups, occupying the open virgin savannah bush land where large herds of roaming wildlife would have been present.

In the years of President Robert Mugabe's ZANU 'land reform' rule in Zimbabwe, the area of Glendale was disrupted by supporters of Mugabe's land reform invasions which rendered large areas of previously productive agricultural lands into idle disuse that is left mostly uncultivated. The State government of Zimbabwe invaded, disrupted and forcibly evicted many farming families from Glendale. This brought a halt to former levels agricultural production in the district. Refer to Land Reform, Zimbabwe.

The Inter-denominaional church, and the Glengrey Primary School in Glendale was built by Major Anthony Henry Montague Browne. A commemoration stone within the foundations of the Glendale church was laid in the year it was build. Major Browne is buried in the Glendale church grounds. The Browne family supported Glendale's diverse community throughout their lives by being on the various Boards of the Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe in Mazowe. The Browne family donated land to the Glendale Country Club.