The name Glencraig means meadow of the rock and consists of four small estates  Inchgall, Contle, Clune and Templelands. The name Contle was used for the row of houses in the square of South Glencraig running parallel to the the Fitty Burn usual called the Glencraig or Cluny Burn, the Clune was land situated North of  Glencraig Burn to the Ore Burn, Inchgall Farm situated to the rear of where Glencraig Colliery was, and Templelands Farm situated to the south of the Ore Burn situated just north of St.Kenneths Chapel sadly soon to be demolished.

Although Glencraig was originated sometime in the 1830/1840s it was not until the sinking of Glencraig Colliery in 1895 that the village started to expand.

The building of the Rows in South and North Glencraig, the entry to South Glencraig beside the local Co-op and North Glencraig beside the site of  Glencraig Miners Institute.

The single story houses had two rooms a kitchen and bed room with scullery the a inside lavatory the double story houses in South Glencraig they had no scullery with the lavatory out side.

The kitchens had a partition that acted as a screen between two beds (usually wooden boards) and fire place that was used to heat the house, cook and heat water to wash the miner on his homecoming ( no pit baths then) after his shift.

The most common floor covering was a rag rug (no fitted carpets). Wash days were a real hazard for the housewife lifting a huge wooden tub heating water on the kitchen fire the any ironing done with solid metal irons heated in front of the fire.

It was in the late 1930s when electric lighting was installed but only three lighting points in the kitchen, scullery and room (not the toilet) no power points were allowed.

In South Glencraig the double story buildings had communal wash houses which had a coal fire boiler which came in handy for making dumplings for birthdays and Christmas.