Editing Airdrie, North Lanarkshire (section)

===1850 to 1920===
[[File:Airdrie Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1227063.jpg|thumb|left|[[Airdrie Town Hall|Sir John Wilson Town Hall]]]]
The enormous growth in population was not due to high birthrate, but instead due to an influx of residents from the [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]] and predominantly Ireland. This followed the [[Highland Potato Famine|Highland potato famine]] of the mid-1840s and also reflected the change from cottage industry to [[heavy industry]] in the area. Most of the Irish immigrant population were involved with [[mining]] and labouring.
This led to an increase in ironwork [[Foundry|foundries]] around the area. Because of this explosion in industry, [[Rail transport|railway]] links were established starting in 1826.<ref name="JamesKnox"/>{{rp|p=72}} By 1862, the Airdrie and Bathgate Junction Railway provided a direct link to Edinburgh with Airdrie South Station providing the starting point for trains to Glasgow.<ref>{{cite web|title=O.S. Map with zoom and Bing overlay|url=http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=55.8655&lon=-3.9797&layers=168&b=1|website=National Library of Scotland|publisher=Ordnance Survey|access-date=30 December 2017}}</ref>

In August the [[Public Libraries Act 1850|Public Libraries Act (Scotland) 1853]] was passed, and in November [[Airdrie Public Library]] became the first in Scotland.<ref name="Mort">{{cite book|last1=Mort|first1=Frederick|title=Lanarkshire|date=1910|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|page=151|url=https://archive.org/stream/lanarkshire00mortuoft#page/150/mode/2up/search/airdrie|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="JamesKnox"/>{{rp|p=117-119}}
[[File:Rear of Airdrie library - geograph.org.uk - 1227072.jpg|thumb|right|Rear of Airdrie library with Observatory Dome]]
The dramatic rise in population and industry prompted the need for more accessible water supplies. Until the mid-1800s, various wells were put in place feeding from surrounding streams in the area. These served to provide many houses with private wells. By 1846 Airdrie and Coatbridge Water Company was founded to construct (along with Forth and Clyde Canal Company) the reservoir at Roughrigg.<ref name="JamesKnox"/>{{rp|p=110-112}}

Journalism in Airdrie began with "The Airdrie Literary Album" in 1828. Several local newspapers began appearing around this time notably the [[Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser]] in 1855, which is still the most popular local paper today.<ref name="JamesKnox"/>{{rp|p=125-129}} The prison was legalised in 1859 and had 51 cells.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Groome|first1=Francis Hindes|title=Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland : a survey of Scottish topography, statistical, biographical, and historical|date=1882|publisher=T.C. Jack|location=Edinburgh|page=36|edition=Vol 1|url=https://archive.org/stream/ordnancegazettee01groo/ordnancegazettee01groo#page/36/mode/2up/search/airdrie|access-date=5 January 2018}}</ref>

Airdrie Working Men's Club was established in 1869.<ref name="JamesKnox"/>{{rp|p=150-151}} Also around this time, [[association football|football]] and [[cricket]] began to emerge as popular sports. Following the codification of association football rules a local team called Excelsior was formed in 1878 which would later be renamed [[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]. Horse race meetings were also held in the town (1851–1870) but this land became the golf course for the newly formed Airdrie Golf Club in 1877.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airdriegolfclub.co.uk/page.aspx?pid=59237|title=About us|publisher=Airdrie Golf Club|access-date=8 October 2022}}</ref>

[[Education]] posed a major problem with severe overcrowding in the few schools available, therefore three new school boards were established. In the early 1830s there were about 800 pupils while the town had about 7,000 residents.<ref name="William Blackwood and Sons">{{cite book|last1=Begg|first1=James|title=The new statistical account of Scotland.|date=1845|publisher=William Blackwood and Sons|location=Edinburgh and London|pages=244–245|edition=Vol 6|url=https://archive.org/stream/b21365805_0006#page/n261/mode/2up/search/airdrie|access-date=3 January 2018}}</ref> Fees were routinely charged within the schools with the belief they should be self-supporting until an act of Parliament of 1889{{which|date=April 2024}} relieved some of the infant classes in schools of this burden. [[Airdrie Academy]] was built in 1849 and by 1919 all school boards were dissolved and Lanarkshire Education Authority took over responsibility for education throughout [[Lanarkshire]].<ref name="JamesKnox"/>{{rp|p=112-116}}

[[Airdrie Public Observatory]], one of only four public observatories in the UK (second oldest and smallest) – all in Scotland, was founded in the first library building in 1896, and is still operated in the present building by the Airdrie Astronomical Association a Scottish [[space exploration|astronautic]] and [[astronomy]] society and registered charity.<ref name="JamesKnox"/>{{rp|p=120-121}}

By the turn of the 20th century [[variety show]]s were becoming popular in the area and by 1911 the Pavilion in Graham Street was built which after initially being used as a music hall started showing cinematographic pictures. Unfortunately it was destroyed by fire in 1917 but was rebuilt in 1919 and finally closed in 1970. The New Cinema was opened in 1920 in Broomknoll Street but it too has since closed. The town had no suitable venue for larger functions so in 1912 the [[Airdrie Town Hall|Sir John Wilson Town Hall]] was opened (following an offer of £10,000 from Sir John Wilson).<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num= LB20947|desc= Stirling Street, Sir John Wilson Town Hall Including Gatepiers |access-date=29 March 2021}}</ref>

On 9 July 1918 nineteen miners died in the [[Stanrigg Mining Accident|Stanrigg Pit Disaster]]. The pit was situated in boggy land and collapsed after being saturated by heavy rainfall.<ref name="SMW">{{cite web|title=Stanrigg 9th July 1918|url=http://www.scottishmining.co.uk/45.html|website=Scottish Mining Website|access-date=12 May 2017}}</ref>