East Kilbride

East Kilbride ; Scottish Gaelic Cille Bhrìghde an Ear
	Buildings in East Kilbride
Coordinates	55 ° 46 ′ N , 4 ° 11 ′ W Coordinates: 55 ° 46 ′ N , 4 ° 11 ′ W
	East Kilbride
	East Kilbride
Residents	74,395 2011 census
administration
Post town	GLASGOW
ZIP code section	G74, G75
prefix	01355, 0141
Part of the country	Scotland
Council area	South Lanarkshire
British Parliament	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
Scottish Parliament	East Kilbride

East Kilbride ( Scottish Gaelic : Cille Bhrìghde an Ear) is a town in the Scottish Council Area of South Lanarkshire . It is the sixth largest city in Scotland and the largest of the Scottish New Towns . In 2011 the population was around 74,395.

East Kilbride is in an elevated position about 15 km south of Glasgow and 8 km west of Hamilton . To the east, the Rotten Calder River flows north towards the Forth of Clyde.

history

The place was already settled in prehistoric times, as shown by grave finds at Kype Water. There are also finds of Roman coins nearby. The current name can be traced back to St. Bride (Saint Brigida of Kildare ), who founded the monastery of Kildare in Ireland in the 6th century and was later venerated in Scotland.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the place only had around 900 inhabitants. The proximity to Glasgow meant that East Kilbride became a thriving commuter community. In 1930 the place received Large Burgh status and in 1947 it finally became the first New Town in Scotland.

Attractions

St Bride's Catholic Church (Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, 1962–63)

The city has little old building fabric. The town center is dominated by The Town Center , the largest shopping center in Scotland and the tenth largest in Europe. It consists of six individual malls: The Plaza (since 1972), Princess Mall (1984), Olympia (1988), Southgate (1989), Princes Square (1997) and Center West (2003). An arts and culture center is currently being added, which will include a 1000-seat theater, a conference center for 500 people and a museum.

The Catholic Church of St Bride's, which was built in 1962 by the firm Gillespie, Kidd & Coia in the formal language of brutalism , is of architectural importance .

Between East Kilbride and Glasgow is the National Museum of Rural Life .