Bearsden Information
Bearsden (pronounced /ˌbɛərzˈdɛn/ ( listen)) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northwestern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from the City Centre, and is effectively a suburb, with housing development coinciding with the introduction of a railway line in 1863, and from where the town gets its name (Bearsden station was named after a nearby cottage).
The Roman Antonine Wall runs through the town and the remains of a military Bath House can be seen near the town centre. In 1649, the first New Kilpatrick parish church was built, and became the centre of administration for the area. The town's official Gaelic name Cille Phàdraig Ùr reflects the name of the parish. By the early 20th century, a town had grown up with large town houses, primarily occupied by wealthy businessmen.
Further development of more affordable housing has increased the population of the town to approximately 28,000 and the town remains affluent. Formerly a Burgh, local government of the town is now the responsibility of East Dumbartonshire Council, which has some departmental offices at Boclair House.
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History
See also: New KilpatrickRoman
The first known settlement on the site of present-day Bearsden was a 2.5 acre (10,000 m²) Roman fort in the second century AD. Between 142 and 144 AD, under Emperor Antoninus Pius, the Romans built a stone and turf fortification, called the Antonine Wall, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. They also built the Military Way, a road that ran parallel to the south of the wall. They built the aforementioned fort at the intersection of the Military Way, and the north-south road from Glasgow to Loch Lomond. In 164 AD, after only 20 years, the Romans withdrew to Hadrian's Wall.
Little of the fort remains to be seen today. However, close to the fort was a Roman bath-house, built in approximately 142–143 AD. The bath-house's remains were discovered by builders digging foundations for a housing development in 1973. The site was donated to the government, and today the remains lie well-preserved 150 metres from the town centre.
Two further stretches of the Antonine Wall's stone base can be seen in the New Kilpatrick cemetery on Boclair Road.[1]
Modern
Former Schaw Convalescent Home, Bearsden, built 1895Prior to 1649 the area formed part of a larger parish called Kilpatrick, one part then being called West or Old Kilpatrick covering Dunbarton and areas of west Dunbartonshire, such as Clydebank. The remaining part was named East or New Kilpatrick, and covered a much greater area than Bearsden, from the River Clyde at Whiteinch and Yoker to Duntocher, Strathblane and Baldernock. Modern Bearsden began in an agricultural area as a small hamlet called New Kirk (or perhaps Chapelton) close to New Kilpatrick Parish Church, which was first built in 1649. Close landmarks included Canniesburn Toll, and a water mill at Garscube. The present-day church was built in 1807.[2]
The New Kirk settlement grew in the middle of the nineteenth century when Glaswegian businessmen built houses at a commutable distance from the city. In 1863, the Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway opened, with a station near New Kirk called Bearsden. This was soon adopted as the name of the community. The opening of the railway led to considerable development of Bearsden, with many large Victorian houses built in what is now known as Old Bearsden Conservation Area.
Buchanan Retreat was built in 1890 by the Buchanan sisters of Bellfield, near Kilmarnock, in Ayrshire. It was taken over by Bearsden Burgh in 1962 and used as council offices (pictured below under Administration). Still used by East Dunbartonshire council today, it is known as Boclair House. The Schaw Home was built in 1895 by Miss Marjory Shanks Schaw in memory of her brother and gifted to Glasgow Royal Infirmary. The building has now been split into private residential apartments.[3]
In 1906, many buildings were built at Bearsden Cross by Mathew Henderson (he also tried, unsuccessfully, to develop another commuter suburb at Drumchapel). Westerton Garden suburb was built around 1913 and is also now a conservation area near Westerton station. Near this is the site of the former Canniesburn Hospital, which has many Art Deco buildings and where pioneering plastic surgery was performed, notably on the Boy David who was featured on many television programmes and was adopted by one of the doctors there. The hospital site has now been developed into flats, but much of the character has been retained and copied. A further station in Bearsden is at Hillfoot.
Bearsden continued to expand in the twentieth century as residents built large independently-designed villas, estates of bungalows, and other types of houses. Few sites are now left unoccupied.
In 1958, Bearsden became a Burgh. Then, in 1975, it became part of Bearsden & Milngavie District Council. Since 1996, it is one of the five towns of East Dunbartonshire Council.
Toponymy
Bearsden was first known as Kirktoun(e) or New/Easter Kilpatrick village, all of which relate to the parish church situated in the centre of the town. There is no evidence that the village itself (rather than the parish) was ever called "New Kilpatrick" by locals (by the mid 19th century the houses near to the church had come to be called New Kirk)[2] but nevertheless, the name appears over the village on old maps (see image below) and the town's official Gaelic name is Cille Phàdraig Ùr.
The current name Bearsden originated from the railway station built in 1863, but the origin of the name itself is unresolved. The station was named after a house near the station site, but it may have been a name for the immediate area. The meaning behind the name "Bearsden" may be one of the following:
- A nickname given to the area of the Manse Burn by a Garscube heir
- It relates to the barley (bear) that grew in the glen (dene)
- It could be related to Gaelic, meaning "entrenchments of the fort"
- The most common explanation is that the sons of a local laird once kept a pet bear in a den there, but there is no evidence to support this.
Indeed, as Dr James McCardel pointed out in his book "The Parish of New Kilpatrick", captive bears do not live in dens, but in pits, and "the wisest course is frankly to admit that the derivation [of the name of Bearsden] is unknown".[2]
The Scots motto on the Bearsden coat of arms[4] is "Bear the Gree", which means 'to take first place'.
History of Sport and Leisure
The Bearsden Amateur Football Club was constituted in 1890 and its founders were drawn mainly from the employees of the staging post, originally situated at Bearsden Cross. Their first ground was in Drymen road, now the site of the public hall and All Saints church and when the ground was re-developed the club moved on to Station Road where they played until the club disbanded on the outbreak of war in 1914.
In 1919 the club reformed and played for the first time on their present ground at Thorn Park.
The club won the Scottish Amateur Cup in 1961-62, beating Pencaitland 1-0 at Hampden Park. Presently they participate in the Caledonian Amateur Football League.
The Glasgow Golf Club is one of the world's oldest, founded in 1787. In 1904 the club moved premises to Killermont House and its surrounding estate, built in 1805 for the Colquhoun family. The club is unusual in having a links course (at Gailes, near Irvine) in addition to its home course.[3]
Demography
The expansion of the town of Bearsden, as shown through maps of the area from 1832.Bearsden is primarily a middle-class commuter suburb, with its residents travelling into Glasgow each day to work or study. The majority of its housing stock is detached. According to the 2001 census of Scotland, the area comprises 10,417 households, with a total population of 27,967. This is an increase of 0.6% (or 161 people) since 1991, when the population stood at 27,806 (there are an average of 2.64 people per household). Of these, 8,306 are over 55 years old, 17,700 are in social class ABC1, and 6,052 are in social class C2DE. 73% of working residents surveyed travel to work by car, 16% by train or bus, 5% by other methods, and 6% work mainly at home. Many of the west of Scotland's most expensive houses are in the Old Bearsden Outstanding Conservation Area - Bearsden's postcode (G61) was ranked 7th richest in the UK by a 2005 survey,[5] with an estimated 176 millionaires living there.
The graphic (shown on right) is a summary of maps of the area from 1832 onwards. These demonstrate the growth of the town to its current extent from a large number of disconnected dwellings to a large settlement spreading from the New Kirk area. The relative size of houses (and corresponding affluence of households) tends to increase with increasing age, but this is not a strict rule.[6][7][8]
There are two senior schools in the town, Bearsden Academy and Boclair Academy which both enjoy a strong reputation for excellence. The High School of Glasgow has a primary school section in the town - this is the result of a merger between the school and the former Drewsteignton Home School, founded in 1922.[3]
Administration
Boclair House, formerly Buchanan Retreat, Bearsden, built 1890. It is currently used by East Dunbartonshire Council's Education DepartmentBearsden forms two East Dunbartonshire Council wards (there are eight in total), called Bearsden North and Bearsden South. Each Ward has three councillors elected through a single transferable vote system.
Ward 2 - Bearsden North
- Duncan Cumming (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
- Ian Mackay (Scottish National Party)
- Amanda Stewart (Scottish Conservative & Unionist)
Bearsden North is part of the Clydebank and Milngavie constituency in the Scottish Parliament. The former MSP was Des McNulty (Labour)[9]; elections will be held in May 2011.
Ward 3 - Bearsden South
- Graeme Douglas (Scottish National Party)
- Ashay Ghai (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
- Vaughan Moody (Scottish Liberal Democrats)[10]
Bearsden South is part of the Strathkelvin and Bearsden constituency in the Scottish Parliament. The former MSP was David Whitton (Labour)[11]; elections will be held in May 2011.
Both consituencies form part of the West of Scotland regional list in the Scottish Parliament. The town is also part of the East Dunbartonshire constituency in the UK Parliament at Westminster. The current MP is Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat).[12]
Transport links
Bearsden can be accessed by rail from Bearsden, Westerton or Hillfoot stations.
Map of Bearsden in 1923It can also be accessed by road, of which the main routes are:
| Road | Starting point | Ending point | Common names |
|---|---|---|---|
| A739 | Canniesburn Toll | Craigton | Bearsden Road, Switchback Road |
| A809 | Canniesburn Toll | Drymen | Drymen Road, Stockiemuir Road |
| A808 | Bearsden Cross | Kirkintilloch | Roman Road, Boclair Road |
| A81 | Centre of Glasgow | Callander | Milngavie Road, Maryhill Road |
Bus routes running through Bearsden are (as of November 2010)[13]:
| Number | Starting point | Ending point | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Glasgow | Baljaffray | Via Maryhill-Canniesburn-Bearsden |
| 17 | Glasgow | Duntocher | Via St Georges Cross-Maryhill-Canniesburn |
| 40D | Glasgow | Duntocher | Via Maryhill-Bearsden |
| 85 | Gartnavel (Hospital) | Circular | Via Anniesland-Bearsden-Mosshead |
| 118 | Glasgow | Duntocher | Via Cowcaddens-Garnethill-Kelvinbridge-Kelvinside |
Neighbourhoods
Neighbourhoods in Bearsden, like those in many other towns, do not have clear boundaries; where places like Kessington were once a few houses together surrounded by agricultural land, they now merge with other (once distinct) areas, like Killermont. In general terms, however, the neighbourhoods of Bearsden can be described as follows:
- Westerton is to the Southwest of the town, particularly the conservation area of 1920s buildings, shops, library and church around Maxwell Avenue, having clear boundaries with Drumchapel, Knightswood and Netherton in Glasgow. It has its own train station, Westerton railway station and primary school (Westerton Primary School).
- Ledcameroch, St Germains and Lochbrae were large houses in central / West Bearsden, long since demolished and redeveloped before 1930 into some of the most desirable residential areas of the country, are often referred to (along with New Kirk) as Old Bearsden.
- Castlehill and Baljaffray lie to the Northwest of the town, and principally compose of post-1970 developments, but the names themselves are considerably older.
- Mosshead lies to the North of the town, having a boundary with Milngavie.
- Hillfoot lies to the East of the town centre, and was once a large house, demolished and built on in the first half of the 20th century.
- Kessington and Killermont cover the remainder of the East of Bearsden, a rough dividing line between the two being from Kessington Hall to Boclair Academy.
- Chapelton is shown on some of the oldest maps of the area. Originally just a few houses on Drymen Road south of New Kirk, the area could now be said to extend between Milngavie Road, Drymen Road and Roman Road.
- To the South and West of Chapelton is Canniesburn, formerly the site of a tollhouse and smithy, now a huge roundabout. Canniesburn Hospital was demolished in 2007 and premium residences now stand on the site.
Town centre
This aerial photo of Bearsden Cross may be useful when reading the following paragraph. It looks south, and the main road running in the vertical direction is Drymen Road. The single (very straight) road which intersects Drymen Road near the centre of the picture is Roman Road.
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The town centre is located at the intersection of the A809 (Drymen Road) and A808 (Roman Road). It is known as Bearsden Cross, and, as of December 2005, its surrounding roads were being upgraded by East Dunbartonshire council. Bearsden Primary School,[14] the Burgh Hall, Bearsden Cross Parish Church, at present using the former Bearsden South Church building, and All Saints Episcopal Church[15] are all located immediately next to the town centre. A quarter of a mile east along the A808 (Roman Road), there is a Roman bath-house (see 'History', below) Across from which is the Scout Hall of the 24th Glasgow Scout Group. North, along the A809 (Drymen Road), there is New Kilpatrick Parish Church,[16] Brookwood Library, and Bearsden Ski Club.
Baljaffray
Baljaffray Primary School "Baljaffray primary school" redirects here.Baljaffray is a housing estate in the town. The area now known as "South Baljaffray", encircled by one road, Grampian Way, was the first phase of housing in the early 1970s. In the 1980s, North Baljaffray was built. The two areas are divided by Baljaffray Road. The Manse Burn separates South Baljaffray from an older housing estate, Bonnaughton, to the South, while the east boundary with Mosshead is defined by Stockiemuir Road.
Baljaffray has had a Primary School since 1974, (Baljaffray Primary School) and is within the catchment area for Bearsden Academy. The symbol of Baljaffray Primary is a mine wheel, reflecting the mining history of the area. There is a small shopping precinct near the school.
Notable people
Academia & Arts
- Jessie M. King, Scottish painter and member of the Glasgow Girls, was born in the New Kilpatrick manse as the daughter of the minister [2]
- Edwin Morgan, The Scots Makar and Poet Laureate, was resident in Bearsden for many years,[17] and featured the town in some of his works (e.g. the sonnet "Carboniferous") [18]
Politics & Commerce
- Baron Macfarlane of Bearsden, Scottish industrialist and Conservative member of the House of Lords
Sport
- Alan McManus, snooker player
- Alex McLeish, former manager of the Scotland national football team
- David Moyes, manager of Everton F.C
Entertainment
- Edwyn Collins (musician / former member of Orange Juice)
- Tommy Cunningham, drummer of Wet Wet Wet
- Darius Danesh, pop singer
- Alex Kapranos vocalist with the Glaswegian band Franz Ferdinand [19]
- Moultrie Kelsall, character actor (b.1901, d.1980)
- Johnny McElhone, founder member, bass guitarist and songwriter for Texas, a blues / rock band [20]
- Alan MacNaughtan, actor (b.1920, d.2002)
- Moira Shearer, dancer, actress (The Red Shoes, Tales of Hoffman, etc.) and wife of Ludovic Kennedy was educated at Bearsden Academy [21]
Leisure Activities
Bearsden and Milngavie Highland Games
Highland Games for Bearsden and Milngavie are held annually at the West of Scotland Rugby Ground.[22]
Bearsden Ski Club
Bearsden Ski Club was formed circa 1964 by a small band of enthusiasts. The club has a membership of about 1200 skiers, boarders and social members. The club facilities include the Main alpine slope, two nursery slopes, a freestyle slope and a club house.[23]
Bearsden Chess Club
Bearsden have a competitive chess club, with one team from the club winning the Glasgow Division 1 League outright in 2010.[24]
Scout Groups
There are two Scout Groups in Bearsden. The first is the 24th Glasgow Scout Group, formed in January 1908[25] it is one of the largest Groups in the UK[26] with four Beaver Colonies, four Cub Packs, two Scout Troops and an Explorer Unit, as well as providing a meeting place for Scout Network.[27] There is a published history of the group.[25] The group is known for its many international camps, including a biennial visit to the Kandersteg International Scout Centre since 1949.[28] The Second is the 183rd Glasgow Scout Group, formed in 1947 by the Home Guard. It has two Beaver Colonies, two Cub Packs, one Scout Troop and an Explorer Unit. It currently has over 130 members.[29] Both Groups are part of the Clyde Region of the Scout Association.
Boys' Brigade
Bearsden has two Boys' Brigade Companies. The 1st Bearsden Company of the Boys' Brigade, Founded in 1898. The Company has three sections - Anchor Boys, Junior Section and Company Section.[30] The 2nd Bearsden Company of the Boys' Brigade, attached to the Westerton Parish Church which was established in 1957, but the BB Company can trace its history back to before that date.
Girlguiding
Girlguiding is active in Bearsden, with units based at Killermont Parish Church and at the Guide Hut in Pendicle Road. The local units are members of the Girlguiding Dunbartonshire.
References
- ^ Historic Scotland
- ^ a b c d McCardel, J (1949). The Parish of New Kilpatrick. University Press Glasgow.
- ^ a b c McKinlay, W (1997). Old Bearsden. Stenlake Publishing. ISBN 1840330112.
- ^ Bearsden coat of arms: GIF file at the Probus Clubs website.
- ^ Millionaire Report: at EuroDirect.co.uk website.
- ^ John Thomson's Atlas of Scotland (1832)
- ^ Ordnance Survey One Inch Second Edition Sheet 30 (revised 1895)
- ^ Ordnance Survey One Inch Popular Edition Sheet 72 (revised 1923)
- ^ They Work For You website (MSPs)
- ^ East Dunbartonshire Council
- ^ They Work For You website (MSPs)
- ^ They Work For You website (MPs)
- ^ Travel Search retrieved on 31 Jan 2011
- ^ Bearsden Primary School: BearsdenAcademy.org website.
- ^ All Saints Episcopal Church: from Joan Kemp's Virgin.net webspace.
- ^ New Kilpatrick Parish Church: NKChurch.org.uk website.
- ^ The Herald (July 22, 2004)
- ^ Morgan, Edwin (1996). Collected Poems. Carcanet Press. ISBN 185754188X.
- ^ Kapranos, Alex. Interview with Craig Ferguson. "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson." CBS. 6 February 2009. [1]
- ^ Guinness Rockopedia - ISBN 0-85112-072-5
- ^ The Independent, 3 Feb 2006, Moira Sheara Obituary
- ^ Bearsden and Milngavie Highland Games
- ^ Bearsden Ski Club
- ^ Bearsden chess club
- ^ a b Alec J. Spalding, The 24th 1908–1988: a history of the 24th Glasgow (Bearsden) Scout Group, published by ?, ISBN 0-9513439-0-4.
- ^ 24th Glasgow (Bearsden) Scout Group (Early History)
- ^ 24th Glasgow (Bearsden) Scout Group (Sections)
- ^ Alec J. Spalding
- ^ 183rd Glasgow Scout Group
- ^ 1st Bearsden Company of the Boys' Brigade
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External links
Categories: Burghs | East Dunbartonshire | Towns in East Dunbartonshire | Forts of the Antonine Wall | Archaeological sites in East Dunbartonshire
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