East Renfrewshire
Encyclopedia
East Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. Until 1975 it formed part of the county
of Renfrewshire
for local government purposes along with the modern council areas of Renfrewshire
and Inverclyde
. Although no longer a local authority area, Renfrewshire still remains the registration county
and lieutenancy area
of East Renfrewshire.
The East Renfrewshire local authority was formed in 1996, as a successor to the Eastwood district, along with Barrhead
, which came from Renfrew district. It borders onto North Ayrshire
, East Ayrshire
, Renfrewshire
, South Lanarkshire
and the City of Glasgow.
The leader of East Renfrewshire Council is Cllr Jim Fletcher (Labour - Giffnock & Thornliebank) and the Civic Leader is Provost Alex Mackie (Liberal Democrat - Giffnock & Thornliebank).
A 2001 survey showed that about half of Scotland's Jewish population lives in East Renfrewshire.
Walter McCreadie, JP (Former councillor of Renfrew District Council and East Renfrewshire Council)
Marianne Grant (Holocaust survivor)
Alex McLeish
(Former manager of Scotland football team; current manager of Aston Villa FC)
Sir Harry Burns
(Chief Medical Officer for Scotland)
Ian Drysdale (Former councillor of Strathclyde Regional Council and East Renfrewshire Council)
Allan C Steele, MBE
, JP, ACII (First Provost of East Renfrewshire Council (two terms); former councillor of Eastwood District Council and Strathclyde Regional Council)
poll, East Renfrewshire was voted the second best place in the UK to raise a family, ranking just behind East Dunbartonshire
on the northwest side of Glasgow.
In January 2008 East Renfrewshire became the first Scottish local authority to create a Facebook
page to publicise its services.
• denotes coalition parties
The local newspaper is the Glasgow South and Eastwood Extra, which is delivered free to homes and businesses.
Also in the 15th century began the building of Cathcart Castle, completed C.1450 with an impressive view over the landscape in all directions. It was at this castle Mary Queen of Scots supposedly spent the night before her defeat at the Battle of Langside in May of 1568. The Castle was Demolished in 1980 for safety reasons.
The surrounding lands were known collectively under the name “Lee”, but separated into the smaller districts as they are today in 1678, when John Maxwell, owner of the lands was found guilty of assisting the covenanting cause and forced to give up his lands, and his servants were sent as slaves to the West Indies. The area’s around his house were named ‘Williamwood’ after the mansion itself and the lower parts of the lands of ‘Lee’ were adequately renamed ‘Netherlee’.
Clarkston, although the busiest of the modern districts, was the last village to be built, starting in 1793. It expanded rapidly when many of the workers of the Giffnock Quarries (opened in 1835 and whose honey-coloured stones can be found in Glasgow University, Central Station, the old Co-op building on Morrison St, and many buildings worldwide) moved there due to the linking of the two sites by rail in 1866.
Around this time the lands towards Glasgow, (predominantly Netherlee and most of Muirend and Cathcart) remained farmlands, dominated by the massive ‘Bogton’s Farm & Dairy’ building (situated where the former Safeway supermarket - first in Scotland - now stands on Clarkston Rd) owned by John M. Hamilton, dairy farmer and horse enthusiast. The lands to the left of his farm were a training ground for his horses, and his favourite was a Spanish horse by the name of “Toledo”, which cinema builder William Beresford Inglis took as the name of his Toledo Cinema which was built on that spot in 1933. The cinema was closed on 21 October 2001 to make way for 30 new 2 bedroom flats, but the art-deco façade was kept and restored.
The building of the cinema was in response to the need for entertainment in the area, which had since grown to a population of around 4,000. New stone residential buildings had been built over the period of 15 years due to resource shortage during the war, the last house not being finished until 1925, at first being used to house evacuees during World War I.
In 1941, Rudolf Hess
, one of Adolf Hitler's top deputies within the Nazi Party, parachuted into a field near Eaglesham on a secret mission to meet the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon for peace negotiations. The botched landing led to his capture and arrest.
Growth continued slowly during the second half of the 20th century, however tragedy struck when at around 3pm on 21 October 1971, a huge gas explosion tore out the heart of the Clarkston shopping area. The blast killed 20, and injured more than 100, as the blast caught a passing bus and forced the upper-level car park to collapse. A plaque mourning the event can be found at the entrance to the train station, together with an anniversary plaque and tree in the car park of nearby Clarkston Library/Halls.
East Renfrewshire has a strong legacy in education and in 2007, St. Mark's RC Primary in Barrhead
received an outstanding HMIe report with 11 'excellents', making St. Mark's the highest ranked school in Scotland. The second highest ranked school in Scotland is also in East Renfrewshire; Our Lady of the Missions Primary School in Giffnock
achieved nine "excellents" in its HMIE report in October 2006.
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
of Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
for local government purposes along with the modern council areas of Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
and Inverclyde
Inverclyde
Inverclyde is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire - which current exists as a registration county and lieutenancy area - located in the west...
. Although no longer a local authority area, Renfrewshire still remains the registration county
Registration county
A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration purposes....
and lieutenancy area
Lieutenancy area
Lieutenancy areas are the separate areas of the United Kingdom appointed a Lord Lieutenant - the representative of the British monarch. In many cases they have similar demarcation and naming to, but are not necessarily conterminate with, the counties of the United Kingdom.-Origin:In England,...
of East Renfrewshire.
The East Renfrewshire local authority was formed in 1996, as a successor to the Eastwood district, along with Barrhead
Barrhead
Barrhead is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. As of the 2001 census its population was 19,813....
, which came from Renfrew district. It borders onto North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...
, East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders on to North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway...
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
and the City of Glasgow.
East Renfrewshire Council
A 2001 survey showed that about half of Scotland's Jewish population lives in East Renfrewshire.
Honorary Freemen
The following six persons have been appointed as Honorary Freeman of East Renfrewshire under section 206 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 for being persons of distinction or persons who have rendered eminent service to the area:Walter McCreadie, JP (Former councillor of Renfrew District Council and East Renfrewshire Council)
Marianne Grant (Holocaust survivor)
Alex McLeish
Alex McLeish
Alexander "Alex" McLeish , is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager, who is currently managing English Premier League club Aston Villa...
(Former manager of Scotland football team; current manager of Aston Villa FC)
Sir Harry Burns
Harry Burns (doctor)
Sir Henry "Harry" Burns has been the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland since September 2005.Burns attended Glasgow's St. Aloysius College. In 1974 he graduated in medicine from the University of Glasgow. He started a career in general surgery, and for five years he was a consultant surgeon at the...
(Chief Medical Officer for Scotland)
Ian Drysdale (Former councillor of Strathclyde Regional Council and East Renfrewshire Council)
Allan C Steele, MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
, JP, ACII (First Provost of East Renfrewshire Council (two terms); former councillor of Eastwood District Council and Strathclyde Regional Council)
Readers Digest Poll
In a 2007 Reader's DigestReader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
poll, East Renfrewshire was voted the second best place in the UK to raise a family, ranking just behind East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire
This article is about the East Dunbartonshire council area of Scotland. See also East Dunbartonshire .East Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders onto the north-west of the City of Glasgow. It contains many of the suburbs of Glasgow as well as containing many of...
on the northwest side of Glasgow.
In January 2008 East Renfrewshire became the first Scottish local authority to create a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page to publicise its services.
Political composition
| Party | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
7 | |
| • | Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
7 |
| • | SNP Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.... |
3 |
| • | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
2 |
| • | Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... |
1 |
• denotes coalition parties
Demographics
The results of the 2001 census were as follows:- White - 96.19% - 86,196
- White British - 93.49% - 83,776
- White Irish - 1.3% - 1165
- Other White - 1.4% - 1255
- Mixed Race - 0.21% - 188
- South Asian - 2.93% - 2,626
- Indian - 0.77% - 690
- Pakistani - 1.98% - 1774
- Bangladeshi - 0.01% - 9
- Other South Asian - 0.17% - 153
- Black - 0.071% - 63
- Black Caribbean - 0.03% - 27
- Black African - 0.04% - 35
- Other Black - 0.001% - 1
- Chinese - 0.38% - 340
- Other - 0.21% - 197
Business
East Renfrewshire is home to many small to medium businesses. The interests of these businesses are looked after by the East Renfrewshire Chamber of Trade & CommerceThe local newspaper is the Glasgow South and Eastwood Extra, which is delivered free to homes and businesses.
History
The earliest evidence of human activity in the area is traces of an iron-age fort in the Busby area and a pre-Roman settlement in Overlee. These early buildings that predate any maps show the land around would have been suitable for farming, which retained its importance thousands of years later, when the earliest documentation of habituation was of the 230 residents of Muirend in 1435, when the village was surrounded by farmland. The villagers however, were predominantly Irish and worked at the paper mill on the nearby river cart. The farmlands were owned by the Maxwells, a rich and influential family who owned land and important buildings all over Glasgow, growing and building more with each generation, including the building of the local landmark, Pollok House in Pollok Park in C.1700.Also in the 15th century began the building of Cathcart Castle, completed C.1450 with an impressive view over the landscape in all directions. It was at this castle Mary Queen of Scots supposedly spent the night before her defeat at the Battle of Langside in May of 1568. The Castle was Demolished in 1980 for safety reasons.
The surrounding lands were known collectively under the name “Lee”, but separated into the smaller districts as they are today in 1678, when John Maxwell, owner of the lands was found guilty of assisting the covenanting cause and forced to give up his lands, and his servants were sent as slaves to the West Indies. The area’s around his house were named ‘Williamwood’ after the mansion itself and the lower parts of the lands of ‘Lee’ were adequately renamed ‘Netherlee’.
Clarkston, although the busiest of the modern districts, was the last village to be built, starting in 1793. It expanded rapidly when many of the workers of the Giffnock Quarries (opened in 1835 and whose honey-coloured stones can be found in Glasgow University, Central Station, the old Co-op building on Morrison St, and many buildings worldwide) moved there due to the linking of the two sites by rail in 1866.
Around this time the lands towards Glasgow, (predominantly Netherlee and most of Muirend and Cathcart) remained farmlands, dominated by the massive ‘Bogton’s Farm & Dairy’ building (situated where the former Safeway supermarket - first in Scotland - now stands on Clarkston Rd) owned by John M. Hamilton, dairy farmer and horse enthusiast. The lands to the left of his farm were a training ground for his horses, and his favourite was a Spanish horse by the name of “Toledo”, which cinema builder William Beresford Inglis took as the name of his Toledo Cinema which was built on that spot in 1933. The cinema was closed on 21 October 2001 to make way for 30 new 2 bedroom flats, but the art-deco façade was kept and restored.
The building of the cinema was in response to the need for entertainment in the area, which had since grown to a population of around 4,000. New stone residential buildings had been built over the period of 15 years due to resource shortage during the war, the last house not being finished until 1925, at first being used to house evacuees during World War I.
In 1941, Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
, one of Adolf Hitler's top deputies within the Nazi Party, parachuted into a field near Eaglesham on a secret mission to meet the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon for peace negotiations. The botched landing led to his capture and arrest.
Growth continued slowly during the second half of the 20th century, however tragedy struck when at around 3pm on 21 October 1971, a huge gas explosion tore out the heart of the Clarkston shopping area. The blast killed 20, and injured more than 100, as the blast caught a passing bus and forced the upper-level car park to collapse. A plaque mourning the event can be found at the entrance to the train station, together with an anniversary plaque and tree in the car park of nearby Clarkston Library/Halls.
East Renfrewshire has a strong legacy in education and in 2007, St. Mark's RC Primary in Barrhead
Barrhead
Barrhead is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. As of the 2001 census its population was 19,813....
received an outstanding HMIe report with 11 'excellents', making St. Mark's the highest ranked school in Scotland. The second highest ranked school in Scotland is also in East Renfrewshire; Our Lady of the Missions Primary School in Giffnock
Giffnock
Giffnock is a wealthy, dormitory suburb of Glasgow in the East Renfrewshire Council area, within the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
achieved nine "excellents" in its HMIE report in October 2006.