Encyclopedia
| Barrhead
Encyclopedia
|
| Tutorials | Encyclopedia | Dictionary | Directory |
|
Barrhead
Barrhead (Scottish Gaelic: Ceann a' Bhàirr) is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. 8 miles southwest of Glasgow on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. As of the 2001 census its population was 19,813. Historically, most of what is now Barrhead lay within the parish of Neilston, in the county of Renfrew. The name Barrhead derives from the agricultural term Barr meaning long ploughed furrows for cultivation of crops. The original homestead or hamlet was literally situated at the head of barrs and became known as Barrhead. In 2007, Readers Digest magazine voted East Renfrewshire the second best place in the United Kingdom to raise a family. The magazine visited and cited Barrhead in their decision.[1]
History
Map of Barrhead in 1923 In 1851 an explosion at the Victoria Pit colliery in nearby Nitshill occurred, killing 63 men and boys who worked in the mine, many of whom lived in Barrhead. The victims were buried in a mass grave in the yard at St John's Church on Darnley Road, and although they were later exhumed to other cemeteries, some may still reside at St John's in an unmarked grave.[3] During the 19th and early 20th century, the town was a major centre for manufacturing, with industries including an iron foundry, tannery, and the Armitage Shanks porcelainware works, as well as Gaskell's carpet factory, employing generations of the town's residents. In the latter 20th century, the decline and closure of nearly all of these industries caused a fall in local population and employment. In recent years, Barrhead has found new life as a popular residential commuter town for nearby Paisley and Glasgow. During World War II, a handful of bombs fell on Barrhead from German planes headed towards Clydebank and Yoker.http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/56/a8685156.shtml GovernanceIn 1894 Barrhead became a Burgh, meaning that it had its own town Council. This status was withdrawn in 1975 at the time of the institution of Strathclyde Regional Council and Renfrew District Council. Subsequent reorganisation to a single tier local authority placed Barrhead under the auspices of East Renfrewshire Council. Barrhead is a single council ward, electing 4 members to serve as part of East Renfrewshire Council. GeographyBarrhead forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. EconomyMajor businesses within the town include Barrhead Travel, Kelburn Brewing Company, and JM Murdoch & Son, among others. The town's largest employer remains East Renfrewshire Council and the public sector. In 2002, part of the administration of East Renfrewshire Council relocated from Eastwood Park to Barrhead Main Street. There is a very limited range of retail goods available within Barrhead, and residents must rely on nearby Paisley and Glasgow for the bulk of their purchases. The town's main supermarket, Tesco, is located outside the town centre and draws people away from, rather than into, the town. There is also a lack of dedicated business space for service businesses. To address this, East Renfrewshire Council has committed nearly £100 million to a masterplan which will redevelop and modernise Barrhead's economy between 2007 and 2017. The Glasgow Road corridor is being redeveloped into a dedicated business district which includes Crossmill Business Park, Blackbyres Court, and the former Bowerwalls housing area. There are four industrial estates: Robertson Street Industrial Estate, Levern Industrial Estate at Cogan Street, Muriel Street, and the Barrhead Cargo Centre and Shanks Industrial Park, located on the former site of the Armitage Shanks factory. In 2005 local businesses created the Barrhead Business Forum, which liaises with East Renfrewshire Council, Barrhead Community Council, and East Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce. The administration and collection of business rates for Barrhead is undertaken by Renfrewshire Council. The national rate for business rates set by the Scottish Executive for 2007-2008 is 44.1p per pound. East Renfrewshire Credit Union is based in Barrhead. The town is part of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board. The nearest A&E unit is located at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. TransportBarrhead is accessible via Junction 2 (Pollok) or Junction 3 (Darnley) of the M77 motorway. Local bus services, including Arriva and LBS, travel from Barrhead to Glasgow, Paisley, Neilston, and Newton Mearns. Barrhead railway station, which serves the town, is on the Glasgow South Western Line. Trains from Barrhead run northeast to Glasgow Central and south to Kilmarnock, Stranraer, and Carlisle. At the beginning of the 20th century, several railway lines ran through Barrhead to accommodate the town's manufacturing industries: the Glasgow Barrhead and Neilston Direct Railway and the Glasgow and Kilmarnock Joint Railway, which merged to become the Glasgow, Barrhead and Kilmarnock Joint Railway; the Glasgow and South Western Railway, which built Barrhead Central railway station as the terminus of its short-lived Barrhead branch; and the Caledonian Railway. Evidence of these lines can still be seen within the town, including two standalone sections of railway viaduct, one near the Tesco store and the other now carrying a footpath between Springhill Road and the Woodside Park in Upper Auchenback (known locally as the Jerries). EducationBarrhead has six primary schools: Auchenback Primary School, Carlibar Primary School, Cross Arthurlie Primary School, Springhill Primary School, St. John's Roman Catholic Primary School and St. Mark's Roman Catholic Primary School. In 2007, St. Mark's received an outstanding report from HM Inspectorate of Education with 11 'excellents' - the most ever recorded by HMIE - making St. Mark's officially the best school in Scotland. The new Carlibar Primary School, opened in the autumn of 2006 to replace an outdated building, hosts a family centre, a pre-school assessment unit, community and adult learning services, and a state-of-the-art language and communication unit which serves nearly 50 children with autism from across East Renfrewshire. The town has two secondary schools: St. Luke's High School and Barrhead High. Barrhead High was named a School of Ambition by the Scottish Executive. A new further education unit, East Renfrewshire College, is planned for the town centre. http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/betterbarrhead.htm Culture
There are several public houses in Barrhead. These include Cross Stobs, The Kelburn, The Arthurlie Inns, The Fereneze Inn, and The Brig Inn. The Cross Stobs dates back to at least 1695. SportsAn active Scottish Junior football team called Arthurlie FC thrives in Barrhead, with a previous club of the same name having played as a senior league side until 1929. The earlier team was renowned for its 4-2 defeat of Celtic F.C. in the 1897 Scottish Cup. Arthurlie's finest player, Johnny Kelly, went on to play for Celtic and Barnsley and won several caps for Scotland. The team won the Scottish Junior Cup in 1998. Barrhead is also home to the following Bowling Clubs: Barrhead, Arthurlie, Shanks, and St John's; and also the Fereneze Golf Club and the Arthurlie Tennis Club. Barrhead Boxing Club has produced several contenders at Scottish Amateur level. Notable peopleNotable natives of Barrhead include:
ChurchesMajor churches in Barrhead include St John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland parish churches at Bourock, Arthurlie and South & Levern. There is also a Methodist Church and several small evangelical churches. ReferencesExternal links
gd:Ceann a' Bhàirr lt:Barhedas ru:??????? Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article
|
|
top
©2008-2009 TutorGig.com. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Statement
