Upperton is a village in

North Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire ( sco, North Lanrikshire; gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It als ...

, Scotland, near Airdrie and

Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; gd, Comar nan Allt, meeting of the streams) is a large town in the historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth most-populous locality in Scotland and the most populated t ...

, about north-east of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. It lies close to the B803 between

Greengairs Greengairs is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Greengairs is shown on a map by Roy c.1754 under the name of Green Geirs. In toponymy the name means "green strips of grass". Lying southeast of Cumbernauld and north east of Airdrie, th ...

and

Slamannan Slamannan ( gd, Sliabh Mhanainn) is a village in the south of the Falkirk council area in Central Scotland. It is south-west of Falkirk, east of Cumbernauld and north-east of Airdrie. Slamannan is located at the cross of the B803 and B8022 ...

. Other nearby roads include Hulks Road towards the A73, Fannyside Road to Abronhill and the road to Caldercruix via Longriggend. The Avon Water flows through the village and meets the Shielhill Burn, a tributary of the River Avon, just outside the village. William Forrest's 1816 map of Lanarkshire shows the site as Upper Town. The Ordnance Survey map sites "Uppertown" on Shiel Hill.

Longriggend Fever Hospital and Remand Institution

Looking towards Longriggend Prison - geograph

Upperton was formerly a part the neighbouring village of

Longriggend Longriggend is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, with a population of approximately 200. It is situated on moorland 8 km north-east of Airdrie, in the parish of New Monkland. It is roughly half way between Upperton and Calder ...

and a

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

sanitorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

was built in the village. The hospital was converted into Longriggend Remand Institution which has now been closed and demolished.

Today's Village

Maintenance disputes between the Scottish Prison Service and North Lanarkshire Council have left residents angry about the neglect of the infrastructure around the 80 or so houses and flats built in the 1960s to house prison staff. A dilapidated Upperton flat made the BBC news as it was listed in an online auction for £1 although it eventually sold for £20,000.

Wind farm

The construction of a 9 turbine

wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turb ...

is currently underway on the outskirts of the village at Greendykeside, near Longriggend. At present, 2 wind turbines have been erected.

Transportation

Upperton has a bus connection with Airdrie.

References

Villages in North Lanarkshire Airdrie, North Lanarkshire {{NorthLanarkshire-geo-stub