Rouken Glen
Encyclopedia
Rouken Glen is a park in Giffnock
, East Renfrewshire
, to the south-west of Glasgow
, Scotland
.
The lands of Rouken Glen Park originally belonged to the Scottish Crown
, and then to the Earl of Eglinton
, presented to Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton
on the marriage of his son in the year 1530 by James V
. It takes its name from the old Rock End Meal Mill in the glen, which dates back to the early 16th century. The remains of the meal mill can be seen at the foot of the waterfall, deep within the foliage and rhodedendron bushes high on the slope away from the pathway. Amongst the park's owners were the Crum family of Thornliebank
and Archibald Cameron Corbett, M.P.
for Tradeston
, Glasgow (later Lord Rowallan) who gifted the estate and mansion house to the citizens of Renfrewshire
. It was officially opened on 25 May 1906 and leased to Eastwood District Council
in June, 1984.http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/leisure/parks_and_recreation.htm
pond. Rouken Glen includes a large waterfall
surrounded by steep woodland; the waterfall is based on a natural waterfall, doubled in height to form a reservoir to supply the printworks downstream at Thornliebank during the early 19th century. There is a walled garden
in the grounds of the former manor, Birkenshaw house.
, when Rab gets a job sweeping leaves by the pond. A scene from the film Trainspotting
was also filmed in Rouken Glen, and the pondside cafeteria, 'Boaters', was featured in an episode of the BBC Scotland drama series Sea of Souls
.
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...
, East Renfrewshire
East Renfrewshire
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...
, to the south-west 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...
, 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...
.
History
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
, and then to the Earl of Eglinton
Earl of Eglinton
Earl of Eglinton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland.Some authorities spell the title: Earl of Eglintoun In 1859 the thirteenth Earl of Eglinton, Archibald Montgomerie, was also created Earl of Winton in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which gave him an automatic seat in the House of Lords,...
, presented to Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton
Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton
Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton was a Scottish peer.He succeeded his father Alexander Montgomerie, as 2nd Lord Montgomerie around 1470. He fought in the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488 against King James III of Scotland and was subsequently appointed Constable of Rothesay Castle by James IV....
on the marriage of his son in the year 1530 by James V
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
. It takes its name from the old Rock End Meal Mill in the glen, which dates back to the early 16th century. The remains of the meal mill can be seen at the foot of the waterfall, deep within the foliage and rhodedendron bushes high on the slope away from the pathway. Amongst the park's owners were the Crum family of Thornliebank
Thornliebank
Thornliebank is a small suburban village in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, south of Glasgow. It is served by Thornliebank railway station and lies to the east of the M77 motorway.-History:...
and Archibald Cameron Corbett, M.P.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Tradeston
Glasgow Tradeston (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Tradeston was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1955. It elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system.-Boundaries:...
, Glasgow (later Lord Rowallan) who gifted the estate and mansion house to the citizens 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...
. It was officially opened on 25 May 1906 and leased to Eastwood District Council
Eastwood, Strathclyde
Eastwood was one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996, lying south-west of the City of Glasgow....
in June, 1984.http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/leisure/parks_and_recreation.htm
Features
The glen has many of the typical features of an Edwardian urban park, such as a boating pond started in 1923 by Sir Robert McAlpine to replace a former curlingCurling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
pond. Rouken Glen includes a large waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
surrounded by steep woodland; the waterfall is based on a natural waterfall, doubled in height to form a reservoir to supply the printworks downstream at Thornliebank during the early 19th century. There is a walled garden
Walled garden
A walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...
in the grounds of the former manor, Birkenshaw house.
Trivia
The park features in an episode of Scottish comedy series Rab C. NesbittRab C. Nesbitt
Rab C. Nesbitt is a Scottish sitcom which began in 1988. Produced by BBC Scotland, it stars Gregor Fisher as an alcoholic Glaswegian who believed unemployment was the life for him...
, when Rab gets a job sweeping leaves by the pond. A scene from the film Trainspotting
Trainspotting (film)
Trainspotting is a 1996 British satirical/drama film directed by Danny Boyle based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh. The movie follows a group of heroin addicts in a late 1980s economically depressed area of Edinburgh and their passage through life...
was also filmed in Rouken Glen, and the pondside cafeteria, 'Boaters', was featured in an episode of the BBC Scotland drama series Sea of Souls
Sea of Souls
Sea of Souls is a BBC paranormal drama series, based around the fictional activities of a group of investigators into psychic and other paranormal events. Produced in-house by BBC Scotland, initially in association with Sony Pictures Television International, the series debuted on BBC One in the UK...
.