Whitecraigs
Encyclopedia
Whitecraigs is an affluent, dormitory area of the towns of Giffnock
and Newton Mearns
, East Renfrewshire
within the county of Renfrewshire
, in the West central Lowlands
of Scotland
. It is located 6 miles (10 km) South of Glasgow. Its' close proximity to Glasgow effectively makes it a suburb, although it is administratively separate. It has some of the best property and schools in Scotland, making it an attractive place to live. It is located to the East of the M77 motorway
. It forms part of Greater Glasgow
.
, which is still standing. Later there was an inn, the Red Lion, as Mearns was located on the main coach route to Ayrshire
.
The railway reached Giffnock in 1864 while it was still a rural village. The new rail connection boosted the local coal, limestone and sandstone industries. Most importantly it made commuting into Glasgow feasible which caused the expansion of Giffnock into the modern suburb that it is today.
The area is served by Whitecraigs railway station
, the station lies on the Neilston branch of the Cathcart Circle
which is managed by First Scotrail
. The station was opened in 1903 and has 2 platforms. The line was electrified in 1962 and has since provided a half an hour service throught the day (Monday to Saturday) with extra peak hour trains (Mondays to Fridays) and in 2005 a half hourly Sunday service has also been provided.
There is also a bus line that runs through Whitecraigs into the centre of Glasgow which is also managed by First Scotrail
.
, who was The Open Championship
winner in 1883 and also designed the Ailsa course at Turnberry
. Alterations to the course where made in the 1930s by James Braid
who won The Open Championship
5 times between 1901 and 1910.
Many golfing events have been hosted by the Whitecraigs Golf Club. The club was visited by the United States
Ryder Cup
teams of 1929 and 1933. The teams included many golfing legends such as Walter Hagen
, Gene Sarazen
and Horton Smith
. Whitecraigs hosted the World Seniors' Golf Championship in 1976. In 1983 the world famous Jack Nicklaus
visited the club to play an exhibition match and run a clinic.
The tennis club provides various coaching programmes and county team competitions for all age groups.
holds many events all year round. The club has a gym and 2 squash courts as well as rugby pitches. The club house has 6 changing rooms, a players bar, a lounge room, a large hall and a board/committee room.
The Whitecraigs RFC is a rugby union team which is based at the Whitecriags Rugby Club. The team currently competes in the Scottish Premiership Division 2. Whitecraigs RFC has previously won a few local awards including the SRU / SHE Club of the Month, March 2009 and the SRU / SHE Club of the Month, February 2008.
. The school was given the best report ever received by a Scottish Secondary school which consisted of 7 "excellents" and 10 "very goods". Due to the high standard of the school there was controversy when the East Renfrewshire
Council tried to limit the number of students enrolling.. This school was also the first state-funded school to stop using the Standard Grade
examinations. St Ninian's High School also has attainment higher than the national average in every year group which sits examinations (S4 through S6). It also has almost twice as many students going into Higher Education than the national average for Scotland.
Another school in the Whitecraigs area is the Belmont House School
, which was founded in 1929 as boys' preparatory school in Giffnock. They moved to their current location of the former Mansion House of the Broom estate in 1934, expanding to become an all-through school in 1977. This school, like St Ninian's High School, has a different examination method when compared to most Scottish Secondary Schools. At Belmont House School pupils sit Standard Grade, Intermediate 1 or Intermediate 2 exams at the end of S3 instead of S4 and they then study for their Higher examinations for two years between S4 and S5 instead of only studying for them for one year. Advanced Highers are still available to pupils in S6 similar to most Scottish Secondary Schools.
to rise. Despite the weakness of the property market and the rise in unemployment there are, on average seven buyers chasing each home on the market, with offers from 30 to 50% over the asking price.
Greenbank Garden
is situated about 5 miles south from Glasgow city centre. It is an 18th century house and garden which is owned the National Trust for Scotland
and is also open to the public. The house has a 2.5 acre walled garden, sixteen rooms and barns and stables. This building is protected as a Category A listed building. This walled garden is different as it has fountains and a woodland walk along with plants and designs which concern domestic gardeners. These gardens are divided into over 30 domestic sized, themed gardens that include seasons, colours and senses. The house has facilities that include a restaurant and a gift shop with plants available to buy. From March until May the spring garden is one of the main attractions, with a wide range of different flowers and trees including over 600 different forms of daffodils. The spring garden is particularly popular with children as it has several ponds where children can watch frogspawn develop into tadpoles and then into frogs.
In 1763 the Georgian house was built by local man and a Glasgow Merchant called Robert Allason. The house was owned by many families over the next two century’s. In 1962 when bought by Mr & Mrs W P Blyth, the house was renovated the grounds from fruit and vegetable growing to the ornamental gardens that it is known for today. Finally in 1976 the house, walled garden and the 16 acre estate was given from W P Blyth and his wife to the National Trust for Scotland.
The garden has been described as "educational garden to inspire and educate visitors on what and how to grow a very wide range of more unusual plants which are available in the trade".
The main attraction from December until February is the winter garden, which features different varities of winter-flowering plants. Between Christmas and the New Year there is around 40 different flowering plants in the winter garden.
Currently, the garden is open all year round, while the house is open between March and October.
The park was opened in 1906 by Archibald Corbett (later Lord Rowallan), who was the M.P for Tradeston. The park became popular due to its public transport links, with the trams being extended to reach the park gates and Whitecraigs station having been opened three years previously in 1903.
Thornliebank house was burnt down and demolished in 1963, with all that remains being Birkenshaw Cottage, the Stable Courtyard and the walled garden. Today Birkenshaw Cottage is used as a Chinese Restaurant.
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...
and Newton Mearns
Newton Mearns
Newton Mearns is a suburban town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. It lies southwest of Glasgow City Centre on the main road to Ayrshire, above sea level. It has a population of approximately 22,637.The town is part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
, 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...
within the county 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...
, in the West central Lowlands
Central Lowlands
The Central Lowlands or Midland Valley is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and the Southern Uplands Fault to the south...
of 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 located 6 miles (10 km) South of Glasgow. Its' close proximity to Glasgow effectively makes it a suburb, although it is administratively separate. It has some of the best property and schools in Scotland, making it an attractive place to live. It is located to the East of the M77 motorway
M77 motorway
The M77 motorway is a motorway in Scotland. It originally began in southern Glasgow at the M8 motorway at Kinning park, and terminates near Kilmarnock at the village of Fenwick. However, changes were made in autumn 2005 segregating a lane on the M8 motorway almost as far as the Kingston Bridge,...
. It forms part of Greater Glasgow
Greater Glasgow
Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area...
.
History
The earliest records for the area are for Newton Mearns in 1179. The centre of population was located close to Mearns CastleMearns Castle
Mearns Castle is a fifteenth-century tower house in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, to the south of Glasgow, Scotland. It is a Category A listed building. The castle has been restored and is now part of the Maxwell Mearns Castle Church...
, which is still standing. Later there was an inn, the Red Lion, as Mearns was located on the main coach route to Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
.
The railway reached Giffnock in 1864 while it was still a rural village. The new rail connection boosted the local coal, limestone and sandstone industries. Most importantly it made commuting into Glasgow feasible which caused the expansion of Giffnock into the modern suburb that it is today.
Transport
Whitecraigs railway station
Whitecraigs railway station is a railway station serving the Whitecraigs and Davieland areas of the towns of Giffnock and Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, Greater Glasgow, Scotland...
, the station lies on the Neilston branch of the Cathcart Circle
Cathcart Circle Lines
The Cathcart Circle Lines form a suburban railway route linking Glasgow to Cathcart via a circular line, with branches to Newton and Neilston. All of the routes serve Glasgow's southern suburbs, i.e. on the south bank of the River Clyde...
which is managed by First Scotrail
First ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
. The station was opened in 1903 and has 2 platforms. The line was electrified in 1962 and has since provided a half an hour service throught the day (Monday to Saturday) with extra peak hour trains (Mondays to Fridays) and in 2005 a half hourly Sunday service has also been provided.
There is also a bus line that runs through Whitecraigs into the centre of Glasgow which is also managed by First Scotrail
First ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
.
Golf
In 1905 the Whitecraigs Golf Club was founded. The course was originally designed by Willie FernieWillie Fernie
William "Willie" Fernie was a Scottish footballer who played for the Scotland national football team in both the 1954 and 1958 FIFA World Cups.-Playing career:...
, who was The Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
winner in 1883 and also designed the Ailsa course at Turnberry
Turnberry
Turnberry is a golf resort on the coast of the outer Firth of Clyde in southwestern Scotland. Located in South Ayrshire on the rugged coast, it comprises three links golf courses, a golf academy, a five-star hotel, designed by James Miller and completed in 1906, as well as lodge and cottage...
. Alterations to the course where made in the 1930s by James Braid
James Braid
James Braid may refer to:*James Braid *James Braid -See also:*James Braid Taylor, banker...
who won The Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
5 times between 1901 and 1910.
Many golfing events have been hosted by the Whitecraigs Golf Club. The club was visited by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
teams of 1929 and 1933. The teams included many golfing legends such as Walter Hagen
Walter Hagen
Walter Charles Hagen was a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of eleven professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods . He won the U.S. Open twice, and in 1922 he became the first native-born American to win the British Open, which he went on...
, Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S...
and Horton Smith
Horton Smith
Horton Smith was an American professional golfer, who is best known as the first man to win the Masters Tournament.- Tournament career :...
. Whitecraigs hosted the World Seniors' Golf Championship in 1976. In 1983 the world famous Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
visited the club to play an exhibition match and run a clinic.
Tennis
The Whitecraigs Lawn Tennis and Sports Club contains 8 all-weather tennis courts, both squash and racketball courts, a curling club and also has a gym.The tennis club provides various coaching programmes and county team competitions for all age groups.
Rugby
The Whitecraigs Rugby ClubWhitecraigs RFC
Whitecraigs RFC is a rugby union team based in Newton Mearns,Scotland and previously in DeaconsbankWhitecraigs currently competes in the Scottish Premiership Division 2.-External links:*...
holds many events all year round. The club has a gym and 2 squash courts as well as rugby pitches. The club house has 6 changing rooms, a players bar, a lounge room, a large hall and a board/committee room.
The Whitecraigs RFC is a rugby union team which is based at the Whitecriags Rugby Club. The team currently competes in the Scottish Premiership Division 2. Whitecraigs RFC has previously won a few local awards including the SRU / SHE Club of the Month, March 2009 and the SRU / SHE Club of the Month, February 2008.
Bowling
The Whitecraigs Bowling Club is an outdoor bowling club, with the outdoor season lasting from April to September. However, the club has other activities available for members during the closed season, such as bridgeContract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
Education
Within Whitecraigs are some of the countries top schools. One of which is St Ninian's High SchoolSt Ninian's High School
St Ninian's High School, which opened in 1984, is a six-year co-educational Roman Catholic High School in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school serves the areas of Clarkston, Giffnock, Thornliebank, Woodfarm, Newton Mearns, Eaglesham and Busby in East Renfrewshire and Arden, Darnley,...
. The school was given the best report ever received by a Scottish Secondary school which consisted of 7 "excellents" and 10 "very goods". Due to the high standard of the school there was controversy when the 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...
Council tried to limit the number of students enrolling.. This school was also the first state-funded school to stop using the Standard Grade
Standard Grade
Standard Grades are Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years, which are due to be fully replaced in 2014 when Scottish Qualifications Authority's Higher Still system becomes the main qualifications as part of the major shake up of Scotland's education system as...
examinations. St Ninian's High School also has attainment higher than the national average in every year group which sits examinations (S4 through S6). It also has almost twice as many students going into Higher Education than the national average for Scotland.
Another school in the Whitecraigs area is the Belmont House School
Belmont House School
Belmont House School is an independent co-educational school in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, Scotland, providing primary and secondary education...
, which was founded in 1929 as boys' preparatory school in Giffnock. They moved to their current location of the former Mansion House of the Broom estate in 1934, expanding to become an all-through school in 1977. This school, like St Ninian's High School, has a different examination method when compared to most Scottish Secondary Schools. At Belmont House School pupils sit Standard Grade, Intermediate 1 or Intermediate 2 exams at the end of S3 instead of S4 and they then study for their Higher examinations for two years between S4 and S5 instead of only studying for them for one year. Advanced Highers are still available to pupils in S6 similar to most Scottish Secondary Schools.
Housing
With Whitecraigs being an affluent area there are some of the most expensive property in the country within this area. It has become a property “hotspot” and this has caused the average house price of GlasgowGlasgow
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...
to rise. Despite the weakness of the property market and the rise in unemployment there are, on average seven buyers chasing each home on the market, with offers from 30 to 50% over the asking price.
Greenbank Garden
Greenbank Garden
Greenbank Garden, Clarkston, near Glasgow, Scotland is an 18th-century house and garden owned and operated by the National Trust for Scotland and open to the public. The house is situated about six miles from the centre of Glasgow. The house has sixteen rooms, and also barns, stables and a walled...
is situated about 5 miles south from Glasgow city centre. It is an 18th century house and garden which is owned the National Trust for Scotland
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
and is also open to the public. The house has a 2.5 acre walled garden, sixteen rooms and barns and stables. This building is protected as a Category A listed building. This walled garden is different as it has fountains and a woodland walk along with plants and designs which concern domestic gardeners. These gardens are divided into over 30 domestic sized, themed gardens that include seasons, colours and senses. The house has facilities that include a restaurant and a gift shop with plants available to buy. From March until May the spring garden is one of the main attractions, with a wide range of different flowers and trees including over 600 different forms of daffodils. The spring garden is particularly popular with children as it has several ponds where children can watch frogspawn develop into tadpoles and then into frogs.
In 1763 the Georgian house was built by local man and a Glasgow Merchant called Robert Allason. The house was owned by many families over the next two century’s. In 1962 when bought by Mr & Mrs W P Blyth, the house was renovated the grounds from fruit and vegetable growing to the ornamental gardens that it is known for today. Finally in 1976 the house, walled garden and the 16 acre estate was given from W P Blyth and his wife to the National Trust for Scotland.
The garden has been described as "educational garden to inspire and educate visitors on what and how to grow a very wide range of more unusual plants which are available in the trade".
The main attraction from December until February is the winter garden, which features different varities of winter-flowering plants. Between Christmas and the New Year there is around 40 different flowering plants in the winter garden.
Currently, the garden is open all year round, while the house is open between March and October.
Rouken Glen Park
This park takes its name from the Rock End Meal Mill, which dates back to the early 16th century, the remains of which can still be seen. The land along with Birkenshaw house was purchased in 1850 by the Crum family who owned factories and mills in Lancashire. It was purchased with the intention of starting a paper mill, however, Crum could not find enough investors for the project and so decided to make the house his home instead, rebuilding it and renaming it to Thornliebank House.The park was opened in 1906 by Archibald Corbett (later Lord Rowallan), who was the M.P for Tradeston. The park became popular due to its public transport links, with the trams being extended to reach the park gates and Whitecraigs station having been opened three years previously in 1903.
Thornliebank house was burnt down and demolished in 1963, with all that remains being Birkenshaw Cottage, the Stable Courtyard and the walled garden. Today Birkenshaw Cottage is used as a Chinese Restaurant.