Banknock

Banknock (Gaelic: "Baile nan Cnoc") is a village in the Falkirk unitary authority area in Scotland. Located on the Bonny Water, north of the Forth and Clyde canal and to the west of the A80 road which separates the village from Haggs, Banknock is a small community. It once had a railway station on the Kilsyth to Bonnybridge Railway a line which was built to serve the mines along the north side of the valley. Cannerton Pit was one of these and its spoil heap, locally called 'the Bing',was a local landmark. Upon the closure of the local mines, a brickworks was set up on the Cannerton site. The Kilsyth & Bonnybridge was used to transport bricks from Cannerton there being two simple staithes to the east of the station which showered bricks directly into railway wagons. Prior to the building of the railway, the Banknock mines were linked to the Forth & Clyde Canal by a waggon way which is still traceable today which roughly followed the line of the Bush Burn. This busy industrial site was once an important feature but is now disused and is just a vast wasteland. The former brickworks are the site of a possible housing development. Another employer in the village was the foundry which was at the Coneypark end of the village and owned by the Dobson family who lived in what is now Glenskirlie House Hotel.

Banknock used to be home to the Bankier Distillery which closed in 1928, and was finally demolished in 1981. [cite web|title=Bankier Distillery History|url= http://www.rls.org.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-530-879-C&PHPSESSID=sj3dlttqa7advfisetq4bufbg1&scache=3w8jukaoh3&searchdb=scran] . It was originally used for producing whisky, but was bought over and eventually used purely for storage. It no longer exists and all that remains are the foundations of the original buildings.

The part of the village where the Kilsyth Road crosses the Bush Burn was properly called Hollandbush and was the centre of the village with a Post Office, a Co-op Stores and the licensed grocers shop of Andrew Brown & Son. The Browns were a leading family in the village occupying substantial premises in the triangle between the main road, the Bush Burn and the waggonway.Banknock was a lively place on a Sunday for it was just far enough away from Kilsyth (a "dry" town) to satisfy the requirements of Scots Law regarding "bona fide travellers" hence the Hollandbush Inn stayed open pretty well all day and did a roaring trade satifying the thirsty Kilsythians!

Banknock Today

Banknock is split into two very distinct areas, Coneypark which is a small housing scheme west of the village, and the main housing scheme which is in the centre.

Banknock has a population of around 2,100 and many of the families are related, there are three main surnames in Banknock McGrellis,McGrandles,McGuire but there are also a large amount of new arrivals.

Banknock has two small shops and several takeaway restaurants. It also has a pub, The Hollandbush (reference to the village's former name) and a garage. The Glenskirlie House Hotel restaurant and wedding venue is located to the western end of the village.

Local Schools

The only school in Banknock is Bankier Primary School - which has been awarded three Green Flags for its efforts to recycle and reuse waste. Secondary school pupils attend Denny High School, the nearest secondary school. Catholic pupils attend St. Patrick's Primary School and St Modan's High School for primary and secondary education respectively.

Grid Reference

Below is the grid reference location of Banknock:-

*gbmapping|NS783789

External Links & References

* [http://www.glenskirliehouse.com/ Glenskirlie House website]

ee also

*List of places in Falkirk