Bonhill
Encyclopedia
Bonhill is a town in the Vale of Leven
area of West Dunbartonshire
, Scotland
. It is sited on the Eastern bank of the River Leven
, on the opposite bank from the larger town of Alexandria
.
fishing rights on the east bank of the River Leven at the Linbrane pool. Bonhill Parish was noted in a charter of 1270 as “the parish of Buthehille”, and the name became Bonyle about 1550, with the variants Bonuil and Bonill appearing before Bonhill was adopted by 1700. In 1650 this small poor parish was enlarged, and since then the Parish has included most of the towns and villages in the Vale of Leven.
The village of Bonhill itself featured an early church, and a ford across the River Leven on the drovers' road to Glasgow. The first modern church was built close to the river in 1747, and it was replaced in 1835 by the present Church of Scotland
building on the site of an earlier small church. Various churches of other denominations were constructed from 1830, but closed in the 1960s.
The textile finishing industry came to Bonhill with a printworks, the Dalmonach Works which started in 1786. It burnt down in 1812, and was rebuilt by Henry Bell. A second textile works opened in 1793, and two more works had begun by 1840. Some closed shortly afterwards, but one lasted to 1936. The Dalmonach Works itself featured a school outside the main gates, serving children from the area as well as children employed in the works. After the works closed in 1929, its buildings were used an army barracks during World War II
, and subsequently occupied by various smaller companies before the buildings were demolished in 2006, leaving only the school which remains as a listed building.
The town rapidly expanded in the 1960s and 1970s when many residents of Glasgow
were moved there when the old slums and tenements were demolished. This process was known as the "Glasgow overspill". The new council run housing schemes were characterised by a high incidence of poverty and unemployment, but the town has changed somewhat with the addition of private housing schemes (such as the Strathleven Park estate) from the late 1970s onwards.
Due to a lack of planning when the new housing was built, Bonhill suffers from a lack of amenities. Most of these are located mainly in Alexandria, just across the river Leven and Dumbarton, two miles to the South. It serves as a commuter town to Dumbarton and beyond.
According to the 2001 National Census, Bonhill's population is 9,574.
Vale of Leven
The Vale of Leven is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven.The areas name lends itself to Alexandria's local football club, Vale of Leven F.C., the secondary school, Vale of Leven Academy, and the Vale of Leven District General Hospital, as well as other local...
area of West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. Bordering onto the west of the City of Glasgow, containing many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages as well as the city's suburbs, West Dunbartonshire also borders onto Argyll and Bute, Stirling, East...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is sited on the Eastern bank of the River Leven
River Leven, Dunbartonshire
The River Leven is a stretch of water in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, flowing from Loch Lomond in the North to the River Clyde in the South...
, on the opposite bank from the larger town of Alexandria
Alexandria, Scotland
Alexandria is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The town is situated on the River Leven, four miles north-west of Dumbarton.As of 2001, the population of the town is 13,444...
.
History
The area is mentioned in a charter of 1225 giving the monks from Paisley AbbeyPaisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery, and current Church of Scotland parish kirk, located on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west central Scotland.-History:...
fishing rights on the east bank of the River Leven at the Linbrane pool. Bonhill Parish was noted in a charter of 1270 as “the parish of Buthehille”, and the name became Bonyle about 1550, with the variants Bonuil and Bonill appearing before Bonhill was adopted by 1700. In 1650 this small poor parish was enlarged, and since then the Parish has included most of the towns and villages in the Vale of Leven.
The village of Bonhill itself featured an early church, and a ford across the River Leven on the drovers' road to Glasgow. The first modern church was built close to the river in 1747, and it was replaced in 1835 by the present Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
building on the site of an earlier small church. Various churches of other denominations were constructed from 1830, but closed in the 1960s.
The textile finishing industry came to Bonhill with a printworks, the Dalmonach Works which started in 1786. It burnt down in 1812, and was rebuilt by Henry Bell. A second textile works opened in 1793, and two more works had begun by 1840. Some closed shortly afterwards, but one lasted to 1936. The Dalmonach Works itself featured a school outside the main gates, serving children from the area as well as children employed in the works. After the works closed in 1929, its buildings were used an army barracks during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and subsequently occupied by various smaller companies before the buildings were demolished in 2006, leaving only the school which remains as a listed building.
The town rapidly expanded in the 1960s and 1970s when many residents of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
were moved there when the old slums and tenements were demolished. This process was known as the "Glasgow overspill". The new council run housing schemes were characterised by a high incidence of poverty and unemployment, but the town has changed somewhat with the addition of private housing schemes (such as the Strathleven Park estate) from the late 1970s onwards.
Due to a lack of planning when the new housing was built, Bonhill suffers from a lack of amenities. Most of these are located mainly in Alexandria, just across the river Leven and Dumbarton, two miles to the South. It serves as a commuter town to Dumbarton and beyond.
According to the 2001 National Census, Bonhill's population is 9,574.