The district was named in the days of the Glasgow to Hamilton stagecoach when passengers would stop halfway between the destinations to change the horses, have a rest etc. There is a long history of coal mining in the area, but no colliery is still in operation. It also has the older name of Gilbertfield, referring to the nearby ruined 'castle' of that name which still stands to the south. It was owned by Hamilton of Gilbertfield. He was a friend of Robert Burns and wrote a poem about William Wallace called Blind Harry's Wallace, a rendering into contemporary English of a medieval Scots poem, which was eventually used as the basis for the screenplay that became the Mel Gibson blockbuster Braveheart. The area sits to the south of Dechmont Hill, an extinct volcanic rock above sea level. There is evidence, written by the Welsh chroniclers, that King Arthur's 12th battle, the battle of Calaan, took place there against the two sons of his rival Caw,, king of Strathclyde.See Halfway is home to two places of worship, Flemington-Hallside Parish Church and St. Cadoc's Roman Catholic Chapel south-west of the main road in the Cairns housing estate. There is also a lawn bowling club, a fuel filling station, a local park with play area, a public library, a small medical centre and a typical selection of local shops, takeaways and public houses. All these amenities are located either on the main thoroughfare, Hamilton Road, or just off it. There is no train station in the immediate area, although northern parts of Halfway are within walking distance of Newton station. The main road is on a busy bus route between Glasgow and Lanarkshire. Primary schools in the local area include Cairns, St. Cadocs RC, Park View and Hallside, all rebuilt in the 2010s except Park View which only opened in 2014 to alleviate overcrowding at nearby Hallside. Older children normally go on to Trinity High School, Cathkin High School or Stonelaw High School, depending on which primary school they attended.
Gilbertfield
In March 2017, an application by Persimmon Homes to build almost 400 houses in land immediately to the north of Gilbertfield Castle was approved by South Lanarkshire Council's planning committee; this was somewhat controversial as the land had previously been designated Green belt. Various concerns were raised by local residents, community councillors, the Lowland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association who have a rifle range adjacent to the site, and Clare Haughey and James Kelly, MSPs for the area, which were presented to the committee along with a 1300-signature petition opposing the development, without success. Revisions had already been made to the plans after the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency objected to the builder's initial submission in 2016. A proposal for a further development directly incorporating the castle was publicised in May 2020.
