Once Britain's busiest crematorium, Daldowie is located next to the M74 motorway, 6 miles (10 km) east southeast of the centre of Glasgow, close to centres of population in North and South Lanarkshire. Overlooking the junction of the North Calder Water and the River Clyde, the austere ashlar building comprises a copper-domed centre block with twin chapels forming the wings in a symmetrical butterfly layout. Opening in 1955 as the Lanarkshire Crematorium, it was the work of William Watt, the Lanark County Architect. The foundation stone was laid by John Mann, Convenor of Lanarkshire County Council, on the 26th September 1952. The crematorium was constructed on the site of the former Daldowie House, built c.1740 by George Bogle of Daldowie and extended in the 1830s by a local iron-master, John Dixon.
Cremations reached a peak with over 4300 taking place in 2003, but fell back after the building of alternative facilities, principally Holytown Crematorium (2004) and South Lanarkshire Crematorium (2006), but also the more distant Roucan Loch Crematorium by Dumfries (2005). Daldowie is now Scotland's busiest with around 2987 cremations per annum (2017). The crematorium is surrounded by extensive Gardens of Remembrance. Notable funerals that have taken place here include those of rally champion Colin McRae in 2007 and actor Gerard Kelly in 2010.
The crematorium buildings were B-listed in 1992 and it is now run by Glasgow City Council.
