Glendale, Zimbabwe

Glendale is a village in the province of Mashonaland Central, Zimbabwe.

Naming

The village of Glendale was given it's name by Earl and Sir Raleigh Grey, Governors of 'Mashonaland' during the 18-19th centuries. The name comes from a town also called Glendale, situated in Northumberland in England where Earl Grey was born. The village of Glendale in Zimbabwe, is located in the Mazowe valley, about 85 km north east of Harare. The word 'Mazowe' derives from a ChiShona word meaning Elephants, of which there were many roaming that area in Zimbabwe.

Development

The Glendale village developed out of mining and commercial farming pursuits taking place in the area originally established during the 18-19th century (See: Rhodes and Rhodesia; The European conquest of Zimbabwe, 1884-1902 by Arthur Keppel-Jones). Farming and mining businesses flourished. New enterprises drew many peoples from surrounding and neighbouring regions of Zimbabwe within Southern Africa who came looking for work and long term employment. People were variously from Europe, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique. Glendale's rural council managed the growth and development of the village and Glendale's settled community lived peacefully together. Prior to 1900 the peoples of the area were made up of a collective of small to medium sized tribal groups who largely spoke the common and understood language of Chishona. Chief Chiweshe; a Chishona speaker, who is a Chief in the Chiweshe Communal Lands, north east of the Glendale village was an established Chief of the local area. In 2000 Zimbabwe's State sponsored Land Reform project disrupted further development in the village. Commercial farming and agriculture was disrupted as white, Zimbabwean farmers were cruely forced off their farms and out of their homes in Glendale. Many thousands of locally skilled and employed people, along with their families, were subsequently forced off the land and thus lost jobs and livelihoods.

Growth

The growth of the village took place alongside a railway that was built in the early 1900s. The railway brought goods and serviced the local community of farmers and miners and stretches north east beyond the village to the eastern areas of Zimbabwe. A general provisions store was built, and over the years other shops; including a post office, further established the village. Farming families bought land around the village area and carved farms out of virgin bush and mining companies developed close-by.

Demographics and industry

According to the 1982 Population Census, Glendale had a population of 6,076. Maize, cotton, cattle, pigs, wheat, dairy and citrus were farmed in the region. Glendale has a large railway depot, cotton depot and ginnery. A textile industry was developing in the village. Zimbabwe's leading iron pyrites producer, the Iron Duke Mine, is 15 km south of Glendale.

Buildings

The Glendale Inter-Denominational Church, the Glengrey Primary School, along with its associated community centre was established, and built by Major Anthony Browne. Major Browne's son Nicholas; who contributed to the growth of the area of Glendale through his years of participation on the Board of the Rural Council of Glendale, also re-built St. Peter's Church situated in Tsungubvi township; a suburb of the Glendale village. Major and Nicholas Browne; alongside loved ones, and other members of the families of Glendale's community, are buried in Glendale's Interdenominational Church's graveyard called the 'Glendale Church Garden of Rest'.