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Rutherglen (; , ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having previously existed as a separate Lanarkshire burgh, in 1975 Rutherglen lost its own local council and administratively became a component of the City of Glasgow District within the Strathclyde region (along with neighbouring Cambuslang). In 1996 the towns were reallocated to the South Lanarkshire council area. Rutherglen residents not interested in Glasgow return, Daily Record, 9 April 2017 From a pawnbrokers to Parliament - Tommy McAvoy looks back on a career that took him to the House of Lords, Marc McLean, Daily Record, 11 September 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2022. People power kept the heart of a burgh beating, Daily Record, 19 April 2021
In the 14th century Walter Stewart, father of King Robert II, was granted Farme Castle. This was located close to Farme Cross in the north of Rutherglen, and stood until the 1960s. Farme, Old Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry (1878)
Rutherglen Castle, located to the north of the town's Main Street today, was occupied by an English garrison during the struggle between John Balliol and Robert Bruce for the Scottish crown. It was besieged by Robert the Bruce in 1309 and eventually came into Scottish possession in 1313. It was destroyed by Regent Murray after the Battle of Langside with the stones used for other buildings, and no trace remaining.
Rutherglen was a centre of heavy industry, OS 25 inch Scotland, 1892-1905, Explore georeferenced maps (National Library of Scotland) having a long coal mining tradition which died out by 1950. In the 18th century, barges carried coal from Rutherglen to Greenock almost every day. A small shipyard, T.B. Seath & Co., was in operation on the Clyde at the northern edge of the town for several decades. Scientists propose five drilling sites in Rutherglen to prove disused mines hold key to heating homes, Daily Record, 25 April 2018 The Clydebridge Steelworks, situated between Rutherglen and Cambuslang, began operating in the 1880s and employed thousands by the mid-20th century, but the workforce dwindled to a few dozen by the 20th century and now only refines steel produced elsewhere. J & J White Chemicals (later ACC Chrome & Chemicals) in Shawfield, which was in existence from 1820 to 1967, produced more than 70 per cent of the UK's chromate products including chromic acid, chromic oxide pigment, sodium and potassium chromate and dichromate. Today there is a significant legacy of soluble chromium (VI) waste in the area. Whites Chemical Company, Rutherglen Heritage Society
The town seal's 19th-century Latin motto rendered by Professor George Gilbert Ramsay is " Ex fumo fama" ('fame from smoke'). The Town Council Seals of Scotland Rutherglen (page 263), Alexander Porteous, 1906; via Electric Scotland A local saying derived from it is "Let Ruglen's lums reek briskly". There is also the deliberately difficult to pronounce alternative "Ru’glen’s wee roond red lums reek briskly". From Glasgow to South Lanarkshire, Life And Work Magazine, December 2018, via Pocket Mags (These are an adaptation of a Scotticism that correlates a smoking chimney with a prosperous, healthy and long life). Lang may yer lum reek: Best ever Scottish phrases, The Sunday Post, 5 November 2015 All refer to the importance of industry and industriousness to the area. Part of Sessional Orders – in the House of Commons Part of Sessional Orders – in the House of Commons, Gregor Mackenzie, 3 November 1964, via They Work For You
The traditional version of the seal itself contained depictions of the Virgin and Child supported by twin angels (earlier by priests with thistles) and a fishing boat and men in the background. Of the Borough of Rutherglen, its Charters, Set, Antiquities, &c., Part VIII. – pp.78-89., History of Rutherglen and East-Kilbride, David Ure, 1793, via Random Scottish History Along with the addition of the motto, in the 1889 official version the boat had a water design added, became more prominent and was placed in a shield at front centre, flanked by the angels with a helmet and mantling above, and the Virgin Mary above that. Postcard, 1980 (Approximate), Rutherglen Historical Society AUS, via Victorian Collections. Retrieved 15 November 2021 Can you help solve the mystery of town’s flag?, Jonathan Geddes, Rutherglen Reformer, 9 December 2015, via PressReader Over a century later, a simplified version was produced in 1999 featuring only the boat, the motto and a crown to represent the historic Royal Burgh status (which by then no longer had any legal significance); Rutherglen, Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 15 November 2021 in the early 21st century, this seal often appears on the local Christmas lights. Lights are alright, Daily Record, 31 December 2008 The ship and crown appear on the similar South Lanarkshire coat of arms, with cinquefoil flowers representing Hamilton and a double-headed eagle for Lanark.
Horse and cattle markets, including the regular Beltane Fair in May and St Luke's Fair in November (accompanied by the baking of sour cakes by locals) An ancient and peculiar Rutherglen custom: The Making of St. Luke's Cakes, The Anecdotage of Glasgow, Robert Alison, 1892, via Electric Scotland were also common and popular until the 20th century, and are the reason for the Main Street being unusually wide. History of Drinking: The Scottish Pub since 1700, Anthony Cooke, Edinburgh University Press, 2015, Main St Rutherglen, 1895, Mitchell Library Old Photograph Horse Fair Rutherglen Scotland, Tour Scotland Horse Fairs, Colin Findlay, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 2020
Rutherglen is nowadays primarily a dormitory suburb of Glasgow.
As of October 2023, Michael Shanks of the Scottish Labour Party is the local MP; Scottish Labour wins key Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, Craig Meighan, STV News, 6 October 2023 ‘Seismic night in Scotland’: Labour crushes SNP in Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection, Libby Brooks, The Guardian, 6 October 2023 He won a by-election after the previous incumbent Margaret Ferrier, latterly an independent, was removed in a recall petition. Ferrier won the 2015 and 2019 elections representing the Scottish National Party, Election 2019: Rutherglen & Hamilton West BBC News, 13 December 2019 with Labour's Ged Killen serving a brief term from 2017 to 2019. She was the town's first female MP as well as the first for the SNP (the seat had been held by Labour since 1964, with only two men – Gregor Mackenzie and Tommy McAvoy – representing the area between then and 2010, after which Tom Greatrex served one full term). Michael Shanks retained the seat comfortably when the revived Rutherglen constituency was first contested in 2024. Election 2024 Rutherglen results, BBC News, 5 July 2024
Completion of the M74 Extension in 2011 meant that there is a six-lane motorway bisecting the northern part of the town, allowing easier access to places such as Glasgow Airport and the English border. Some years after the project was completed, studies show that pollution levels on Rutherglen's densely populated Main Street were still measured consistently at dangerously high levels, despite forecasts that traffic levels on urban streets in areas served by the motorway would reduce. Rutherglen made an Air Quality Management Area after pollution levels exceed national guidelines, Daily Record, 14 December 2015 Impact of M74 extension through Rutherglen and Cambuslang continues to divide five years on, Daily Record, 30 June 2016 Rutherglen named as pollution hotspot, Daily Record, 7 February 2018 Rutherglen town centre listed as one of South Lanarkshire's worst areas for air pollution, Daily Record, 28 January 2020
The 1922 book Rutherglen Lore indicated a deliberate intention for the historic Burgh area to be encircled to the south by residential suburbs, while all land to its north would be dedicated to industry, and that largely remains the case a century later. This focus, and the aforementioned territorial limitations, have meant housebuilding has generally been southwards on the higher ground leading to the Cathkin Braes (with almost all suitable land occupied by the early 21st century) and nowadays the town's historic core, with the majority of facilities and the highest population density, is concentrated much further north than the geographic centre. Cambuslang has a similar issue: its main street is in the far west of its territory near to the Rutherglen boundary and the river, and eastwards has been the easiest direction of its suburban expansion.
The dominant architectural feature of the Main Street, on its north side, is the imposing Town Hall built in 1862 to a design by Charles Wilson. Rutherglen Town Hall, Dictionary of Scottish Architects Having fallen into disrepair and disuse the Category A-listed building was refurbished and extended around 2005 Portfolio: Rutherglen Town Hall, Honeyman Jack & Robertson Chartered Architects How Rutherglen Town Hall was brought back to its best, Daily Record, 4 March 2015 Rutherglen Town Hall: 10 Reasons To Choose This Scottish Wedding Venue, White Rose Wedding Venues and today is a venue for weddings, theatrical performances and exhibitions, while still providing some local services. Licensing and Registration Office - Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire Council
Most of the other most important Rutherglen landmarks are in the immediate vicinity of the Town Hall. To its west is Rutherglen Old Parish Church, the fourth incarnation of the institution (which has had a building on the site since around 600 AD) Grave concern over historical Rutherglen site, Daily Record, 24 April 2013 constructed in 1902 to a J. J. Burnet design. Between the church and the town hall sits the ancient graveyard (13th century), the (16th century) and its Kirk Port stone entrance (17th century). Glasgow, Rutherglen, Main Street, Rutherglen Old Parish Church, Rutherglen Tower And Fragments Of Old Church, Canmore The mediaeval church was said to be the location where William Wallace completed a peace treaty between England and Scotland in 1297, and where John de Menteith subsequently agreed a pact to betray Wallace in 1305, events which are marked by plaques and commemorated annually by Scottish nationalists. William Wallace betrayal spot in Rutherglen to be marked, The Scotsman, 22 January 2016 Scottish nationalist group hold Lanarkshire event to remember betrayal of William Wallace, Jonathan Geddes, Daily Record, 9 August 2022
On the corner of Main Street and Queen Street outside the church is a statue of Dr. James Gorman (1832–1899), a well-known local surgeon – this was erected in 1901 by public subscription due to his great standing in the area for his actions, including treating the injured after mining disasters. Dr Gorman Statue Undergoing Restoration, Daily Record, 13 March 2013 To the rear of the church is a Masonic Hall dating from 1897 and built to replace older premises on Cathcart Road – the group can trace their origins locally back to the 1760s. 20-24 Queen Street and 115 King Street, Masonic Hall, British Listed Buildings Lodge Rutherglen Royal Arch 116, Glesca Pals
To the immediate east of the Town Hall is the burgh's public library 159, 161, 163 Main Street, Rutherglen, Post Office and Library, Historic Environment Scotland constructed in 1907 to an Edwardian design by Sinclair & Ballantine Carnegie Libraries: Scottish Style , Scotcities (technically 'Post Office and Library', but the dedicated post office closed in 2005, with its replacement inside an existing shop further east along the Main Street). Rutherglen post office finally open again, Daily Record, 3 December 2018 A Carnegie library, its main hall to the rear features a stained-glass dome in the roof and oak paneling in the interior. Historic Library Tour: Sat 8th August 2015 2-3pm, Rutherglen Heritage Its first librarian, who also lived in the upper floor, was William Ross Shearer, author of the 1922 book Rutherglen Lore which would come to be considered one of the most important references for the town's long history. Rutherglen Lore, Tennent Family Website New Display : William R Shearer & Rutherglen Lore, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 27 October 2015 The building was refurbished in the early 1990s and re-opened once again in 2010 following a further extensive refurbishment which included an expansion into the Post Office section. Rutherglen Library officially opened, Daily Record, 24 March 2010 On the wide pavement outside the library is a replica of the town's mercat cross (the original stood nearby from the 12th to the 18th century), erected in 1926 as part of Rutherglen's octo-centenary celebrations, and in memory of a former provost of the burgh. It was earlier the site of the old 'Tollbooth and Gaol' (town hall and prison) which was constructed in the 1760s and demolished in the 1900s. Glasgow, Rutherglen, Town Hall, Canmore
Behind the library on King Street is the premises of the local branch of The Salvation Army whose brass band play regularly at the Old Parish Church and who have had a presence in the town since the 1880s; Rutherglen Salvation Army Major reckons organisation is just as relevant now as when it was started, Daily Record, 12 July 2015 their hall stands roughly on the site of the mediaeval Rutherglen Castle, Glasgow, Rutherglen Castle, Canmore and replaced a wooden building initially used by the Rechabite Society. Museums: Browse the Collection (King Street), South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture The local fire brigade (established 1892) was also based nearby, but since 1970 the local station has been at Cambuslang Burgh of Rutherglen Fire Brigade, The History of Scottish Fire Brigades with other stations fairly close at Polmadie and Castlemilk.
Directly across from the Town Hall is , Glasgow, Rutherglen, Main Street, St Columbkille's Roman Catholic Church, Canmore the current main building of which dates from 1940 (designed by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia), although the congregation was established in 1851 and there has been a documented Catholic presence in the local area since the 6th century. Behind the church are its older halls, previously serving as a school, SCIAF to mark 50th anniversary at St Columbkilles, Daily Record, 25 January 2015 which was rebuilt internally after a major fire in 2004. St Columbkilles Church Hall, Rutherglen, CRGP Limited To the west of the church, hemmed in by tenements is the 1930s Vogue Cinema, which is the only surviving building of its type in the town, although it was converted to a bingo hall in the 1970s. Rutherglen cinemas, Scottish Cinemas and Theatres Project
Other buildings of note include the spire of Rutherglen East Parish Church at Rutherglen Cross – the junction of Main Street, Farmeloan Road and Stonelaw Road – which was originally built in 1872 for a Reformed Presbyterian congregation, East Church, Rutherglen, Reformed Presbyterian Church, GENUKI Glasgow, Rutherglen, 18 Farmeloan Road, Rutherglen East Church, Canmore closed in 1981 and was converted into the 'Aspire Business Centre' in 2003. Rutherglen East Church remembered after pictures belonging to old minister give snapshot to the past, Daily Record, 8 March 2015 Its church halls became a facility used by local community organisations. Talks could lead to permanent base for Rutherglen community trust, Daily Record, 8 May 2014 Number 18, What's on Lanarkshire After a new eastern section of Main Street was set out with the removal of old cottages beside the church (this would later be extended through the Gallowflat area), in 1914 a cinema, 'The Pavilion' was constructed there to a design by John Fairweather; later being refurbished in 1930 as 'Green’s Picturedrome', it closed in 1959 although was not demolished until the 1980s. A further small church (Rutherglen Congregational Church) was also built opposite the cinema; in the wake of the congregation moving on to new premises on Johnstone Drive (where they remain to this day), Rutherglen church marks 114th anniversary of founding, Daily Record, 31 May 2015 its halls were occupied from the late 1930s by the Rutherglen Repertory Theatre, established by Glaswegian actress Molly Urquhart who set up in the town for no particular reason apart from the venue being available. The halls are now apartments (having been the 'Clyde Club' until a 1990s fire) and the theatre company have their premises a few blocks south on Hamilton Road, with many of their performances held at the renovated Town Hall. History, Rutherglen Repertory Theatre
Behind the East Church on King Street, once the location of one of the local Stonelaw coal mines in the 19th century, is the Rutherglen police station which was built in the mid-1950s; prior to this the local force, established as the Rutherglen Special Constabulary in 1848 (later part of Lanarkshire Constabulary, thereafter Strathclyde Police and today Police Scotland), had their premises and cells in the Tollbooth followed by the new Town Hall. The police station is adjacent to the former district Court and museum Police plan to take over former Rutherglen courthouse, Daily Record, 19 January 2018 and was overlooked to the south by 'Royal Burgh House', an office block built in 1998, originally occupied by the local authority which subsequently relocated the services to East Kilbride and Cambuslang Rutherglen’s Planning, Building Standards and Roads Office move to East Kilbride, Daily Record, 23 March 2011 Royal Burgh House - 380 King Street, Showcase Property before the building was largely destroyed by a fire in 2022. Fire crews tackle blaze at former council building in Rutherglen, BBC News, 14 October 2022
Further west between King Street and High Street, the ornate Rutherglen Evangelistic Institute was completed in 1887 Rutherglen Evangelistic Institute, The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project, 22 December 2010 with input from local businessmen John White (Lord Overtoun) Right Hon. Baron Overtoun, 100 Glasgow Men (1909) and Daniel Rodger History, Smith and Rodger Ltd (brother of the local MP Adam Keir Rodger) and played a significant role in supporting local members in military service during World War I, Rutherglen Evangelistic Institute, Scotland's War WWI letter sent to Rutherglen troops in 1916 is unearthed ahead of Armistice Day, Daily Record, 2 November 2018 but had fallen out of use and been demolished by the 1940s, with only the later housekeeper's residence still remaining and modern apartments occupying the rest of the site; Rutherglen, Scotland - December 29 2017: The back view of the Old Burgh Primary School and the Rutherglen Evangelistic Institute., Alamy however, the adjacent three-storey Burgh Primary School building (1901) King Street, Burgh Primary School with Boundary Walls, Railings and Gatepiers, British Listed Buildings has been retained and was converted to a business centre. Site of former Burgh Primary School will soon be open for business, Premier Construction News, 23 December 2011 Burgh Business Centre, Urban Realm, 2012 Across the street to the north is Glenburgh Nursery Centre, a modern dedicated council childcare facility for the town centre. Rutherglen nursery overwhelmed by response of community, Daily Record, 6 March 2014
In 2010, Burgh Primary moved from their 1901 building to new premises a few blocks east, still in the heart of town on Victoria Street, Burgh Primary holds official opening, Daily Record, 7 April 2010 – this site was previously the location of the Macdonald School: built 1865, used in its later years as an annex for Rutherglen Academy, Memories of the Academy, Rutherglen Reformer, 21 March 2018, via PressReader then as a nursery and community centre, demolished in the 2000s. No parking at Rutherglen town hall, Daily Record, 11 February 2009 The new school's mini sports pitch was once the site of the Rutherglen United Presbyterian Church from 1836 until the 1910s Glasgow, 255 King Street, Rutherglen United Presbyterian Church, Canmore Rutherglen UP Church (Glasgow University Library, Theology, 1875), The Glasgow Story while on the opposite side of King Street sits the current Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster premises, next to a wynd leading to Main Street which has existed for several centuries.
The Mitchell Arcade indoor shopping precinct on the south side of Main Street, built in the early 1970s in place of a block of older tenements on Mitchell Street and Stonelaw Road and a small cinema (the 'Grand Central') The Picture Houses of Rutherglen, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 2020 was given a makeover in 2014 and renamed the Rutherglen Exchange Shopping Centre; Cool welcome in Rutherglen arcade, Daily Record, 14 March 2018 Our Stores, Rutherglen Exchange Shopping Centre it has a rooftop car park and used to feature a daily market. A branch of Boots Chemist occupied a corner site both in the older buildings at Rutherglen Cross and when these were replaced, having a presence at the same location in the town for over a century. The land to the east on Stonelaw Road stood unused for several years until the local council housing office (later a business centre) was constructed there in the 1990s, New Rutherglen business centre is officially opened, Daily Record, 17 July 2011 while as of 2020 the land across the road once occupied by the 'Electric Palace Cinema' (later a billiards hall) has never been built upon.
A short distance to the west of the Arcade, the contemporary Greenhill Court housing complex (consisting of three main blocks and two smaller connecting blocks, designed in a 'scissor section' setup) Refurbishment completes on Rutherglen's Greenhill Court, Urban Realm, 16 June 2013 Case Study: Greenhill Court, Rutherglen, Lovell Partnerships Rutherglen flats not a "troubled block" despite reported violence, drug abuse and bullets, Daily Record, 21 June 2017 similarly replaced a street of tenements at Regent Street, as well as the Royal Burgh Bakery, Adding heritage ingredient to the taste of success, Glasgow Herald, 3 February 1990 Our World, Paterson Arran home to Paterson's bakers (biscuits and oatcakes) from 1895 until 1971 when the factory became outdated and production moved to Livingston.
At what is now the western end of Main Street (since it was shortened by the construction of the dual carriageway bypass first phase in the early 1970s), there are two public houses on its northern side; the 'Vogue Bar' has been present for some decades and is known as a base for local Celtic F.C. supporters; Football Without Fans – Bobby Murdoch Rutherglen Vogue CSC, The Celtic Star, 13 December 2023 the 'Picture House' is a 2009 expansion of the equally venerable Linn O Dee establishment, Linn O Dee, Old Glasgow Pubs taking inspiration for its name from another disappeared cinema, the 'Rio', which was demolished in 1971 to make way for the bypass. This extensive work on the road network in this part of the town also caused the destruction of the town's medical clinic (services were relocated to a new Health Centre on Stonelaw Road) and many other older residential and commercial buildings, and physically disconnected the war memorial and a church from the heart of the burgh (see Burnhill). Most of the pubs in Rutherglen are on the north side of the Main Street and to its west, a legacy of the Temperance (Scotland) Act 1913 when the south side of the street and other parts were declared 'dry areas' following local referendums on the issue. The Act was repealed in the 1970s, but it still drew comment in local media in 2012 Licensing board member pledges “vigilance” at prospective Rutherglen Wetherspoons, Daily Record, 29 January 2012 when a textiles shop (previously the local co-operative society's headquarters) on the south side of Main Street opposite the Vogue and Picture House was to be converted into a new Wetherspoons pub ('An Ruadh-Ghleann', taking its name from the Gaelic version of Rutherglen). An Ruadh-Ghleann, Wetherspoons
There is a high concentration of licensed premises in the vicinity, several with a continuous presence on the same spot since the mid-19th century and others which have been forced to relocate but carry the traditions of earlier versions Main Street, Rutherglen, Old Glasgow Pubs Pubs in Rutherglen, Pubs Galore Up and down the main street, I might have a glass of beer, 16 December 2012 including the three aforementioned hostelries on Main Street plus 'The Sportsman' on Glasgow Road, 'The Millcroft' and 'Wallace Bar' on the old section of Mill Street and the 'Cathkin Inn' two blocks further south, 'Harleys Sky Bar', 'Gormans' and 'The Burgh Bar' around Queen Street, 'Chapmans' at Rutherglen Cross and the 'Victoria Bar' a short distance further north, plus three dedicated off-sales and additional licensed grocers, and several other premises which were converted from bars to other uses in the early-21st century. As well as the clustering of pubs being explained by historic licensing arrangements, the proximity of Hampden Park and Celtic Park football stadiums also brings some occasional additional custom to the area, which to some extent also accounts for a high number of bookmakers around the Main Street.
While redevelopment saw many of central Rutherglen's older tenements swept away, many of the others also fell into disrepair until work to maintain them was carried out by Rutherglen Housing Action Group, established in 1979. Long-serving Rutherglen and Cambuslang Housing Association chairwoman stands down after 30 years Long-serving Rutherglen and Cambuslang Housing Association chairwoman stands down after 30 years, 15 December 2015 How the Great Storm of 1968 impacted on Rutherglen and Cambuslang, Daily Record, 12 January 2018 This later became the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Housing Association, based at the Aspire Centre and managing hundreds of properties in the area, About Us…, Rutherglen and Cambuslang Housing Association Rutherglen woman who helped start housing association honoured by Queen, Daily Record, 2 January 2018 although some like Greenhill Court are still managed directly by the local authority. Rutherglen and Cambuslang high-rise residents told cladding is not the same as Grenfell, Daily Record, 7 July 2017 Despite new projects being undertaken regularly by the organisation in the limited space available in the area, the shortage of homes available for rent became a major issue locally going into the 21st century. Rutherglen and Cambuslang facing huge housing crisis, Daily Record, 21 February 2017
The town's current railway station opened in 1979 is the fourth such provision in the immediate area, with the first (1842–1879 and second (1879–1897) - on what are now the West Coast Main Line tracks which no longer offer a stop in Rutherglen - accessed from either side of Farmeloan Road. The third version (1892–1979) was further west and accessed off Queen Street; it was soon extended in 1896 to include the Glasgow Central Railway line (which is now the Argyle Line served by the current station) which increased the total number of platforms on various lines to twelve, but this gradually reduced until 1964 when the Beeching cuts resulted in the Glasgow Central extension closing, with only two at Queen Street remaining. On the opening of the Argyle Line and new station in 1979 the old station was abandoned, although its crumbling platforms are still visible and its entrance stairway and walkway is linked to its replacement.
Located on an island platform and now directly under the elevated M74 motorway, the current station is connected to the Burgh streets via a covered pedestrian overbridge, the main entrance to which on Victoria Street was decorated with murals themed on the history of the town in 2018. Artistic mural on Rutherglen's rich history is unveiled at train station, Daily Record, 21 November 2018 Beside this mural to the west is Reuther Hall, a community centre used by a retired ladies group among others, Home, The Busy Bees while to the east is the building previously used as the town Employment Exchange - it has been converted into business use, as has the Youth Employment Exchange on King Street, while the local JobCentre service is now based further south at Greenhill Road.
There is also a Catholic primary school (St Columbkille's) in Clincarthill, Throwback Thursday: New St Columbkille's Primary opened its doors..., Daily Record, 26 March 2016 built on the site of Bellevue House, a children's home run by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul from 1912 to 1961 which was discredited in the 2018 Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. Children were abused for decades in Catholic homes, Scottish inquiry finds, The Guardian, 11 October 2018 Gran breaks 65 year silence on horrifying abuse by nuns in Rutherglen kids' home, Daily Record, 31 October 2018
Rutherglen Primary Care Centre, the town's public health facility, For Glasgow’s Greater Good, NHS Scotland, December 2003 is located on flatter land south of Clincarthill backing on to Overtoun Park (where another hill forms to the west) and built around 1999 to replace the Rutherglen Health Centre, which it itself had replaced the old clinic on Main Street that was bulldozed to allow construction of the Mill Street bypass road. Rutherglen Maternity Hospital stood adjacent from 1978 to 1998, but despite a good record of patient care and only 20 years in operation, it was closed and demolished to alleviate financial burdens in the local health board and concentrate a wider range of services over fewer sites. With the hospital constructed on reclaimed park land that had been an excavated part of a mine before being filled in, there was also concern that chromium contamination was present in the ground. The immediate area also features a number of old buildings, including a square block of red sandstone tenements and some grand villas.
There are several historic buildings and pieces of street art here, Farme Cross, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 2018 including a set of four carved standing stones ('Boundary Stones' by Richard Brown, 2001) installed in an area of open ground to commemorate the history of the Royal Burgh and its original Boundary marker, Rutherglen's Royalty Boundary Stones, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 2018 some of which (dating back to the 18th and 19th century) are themselves still in situ, mostly at Farme Cross and in the southern parts of the town. An A to Z of Rutherglen Then and Now, Bill McLennan, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 2018 Another monument ('Slipsteam' by Joseph Ingleby, 2001) Public Sculpture, JosephIngleby.com alongside the river near Dalmarnock Bridge involves metallic cogged mouldings (featuring designs by local schoolchildren) placed on brick walls and emerging in loops from the ground, and recalls local industry on the Clyde and the contours of the river itself. Rutherglen: Farme Cross - May 2012, Album at Flickr, May 2012
Businesses at Farme Cross were once many and varied, with the energy to operate them supplied by a large power station just over the river, Glasgow, Dalmarnock Road, Dalmarnock Power Station, Canmore Dalmarnock Road Power Station, Glesga Pals Dalmarnock Power Station (1955), The Glasgow Story Homes planned for Dalmarnock Power Station site, BBC News, 28 April 2015 where the nearby Dalmarnock, Bridgeton and Parkhead districts also developed a similar strong industrial profile Industrial East End, Parkhead History Shopping centre's industrial past remembered, Evening Times, 28 October 2013 The industries included:
By the 1970s, the vast majority of these industries had either severely contracted or in most cases closed altogether, causing severe employment difficulties for the area. Unemployment, Rutherglen, Hansard, 19 December 1967 The low-lying area was severely impacted by a flood in 1994, as had occurred previously in 1903, Disastrous Inundation at Rutherglen, Ashburton Guardian, 15 April 1903, via Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand resulting in improved prevention measures being introduced. Rutherglen (Potentially Vulnerable Area 11/14), Clyde and Loch Lomond Local Plan District, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, 2014 One of the firms which endured into the 21st century, Sanmex Chemicals, Glasgow, 5-9 Dalmarnock Road, Sanmex Chemical Works, Canmore eventually left town in the 2010s after a merger with an Ayrshire-based rival. Rutherglen dealt major jobs blow as Sanmex announce plans to leave the Burgh, Daily Record, 13 July 2016 Another, the bottling and distribution arm of The Speyside distillery, had closed a few years earlier. Speyside wins funds for Asian expansion, The Speyside distillery Both sites were soon advertised as new investment opportunities. Huge housing development planned for former distillery site in Rutherglen, Daily Record, 29 May 2018 Land for sale in 5-21, Dalmarnock Road, Rutherglen, Glasgow, Scotland G73, PrimeLocation
A Tesco superstore built in the early 21st century on some of the vacant former industrial land between the river and railway lines off Dalmarnock Road (specifically the Phoenix Tubeworks, which had been converted into a trading estate) was later extended to feature two fast-food restaurants. McDonald's plan Rutherglen opening in latter part of 2015, Daily Record, 14 January 2015 A small light industry development borders the superstore, Commercial property for sale in Clyde Gateway Trade Park, Rutherglen, Glasgow G73, PrimeLocation and this mirrors the changes throughout Farme Cross, with the bustling but dirty factories of the past gradually being replaced by small workshops, business units and modern warehouses and depots, though in some cases with an intervening period of several years as derelict buildings, then cleared brownfield land awaiting development. Regeneration projects (controlled by the Clyde Gateway organisation) Rutherglen Links, Clyde Gateway accelerated following the completion of the M74 Extension to the Glasgow Region Motorway network in 2011, with Junction 2 directly serving Farme Cross. This led to more ambitious plans being adopted for the area (as well as at Shawfield), Regeneration plans for business sites near Rutherglen, BBC News, 4 December 2012 £15m business district gets the green light, Evening Times, 6 December 2012 including the Rutherglen Links environmentally friendly business park, Welcome, Rutherglen Links Business Park Ford Retail brings Scottish hub to Rutherglen business park, The Scotsman, 28 February 2019 Rutherglen Links Business Park enters final stages, Scottish Construction Now, 26 June 2019 the main building for which occupies a prominent location off Farmeloan Road, Clyde Gateway showcase One Rutherglen Links, Urban Realm, 16 February 2015 One Rutherglen Links is open for business as Clyde Gateway look to attract new companies to the area, Daily Record, 16 February 2015 with further office pavilions further east towards the motorway junction. Rutherglen Links business park expands with twin pavilions, Urban Realm, 30 May 2019
Various further commercial proposals have been put forward for the eastern part of this area, with disused depots levelled and a driving range under construction between 2020 and 2022. Construction work underway on new golf complex for Rutherglen and Cambuslang, Daily Record, 3 March 2020 Topgolf Glasgow: Opening date for Rutherglen golf venue confirmed, Rebecca Newlands, Glasgow Times, 5 December 2022
Despite its identity being dominated by heavy industry, there has always been a residential aspect to Farme Cross. The oldest surviving examples are the Terrace cottages, Glasgow, Rutherglen, Farme Cross, Millar Terrace, Canmore Glasgow, Rutherglen, Farme Cross, Carlyle Terrace, Canmore a cluster of four small streets built for local workers by the Glasgow Working Men's Investment and Building Society in the 1880s, the only co-operative housing of this kind in the town and built at angles off the main road, designated as a conservation area in the 1980s. Unusually, the two-storey buildings feature main doors at the front and the back to access flats on different levels - a similar design can be seen in the Colony houses at several locations in Edinburgh. How the colonies became an Edinburgh institution, Edinburgh Evening News, 25 July 2017 Rutherglen, Miller Terrace General view from NE, Canmore Traditional tenements which once stood right on the cross in front of the terraces Rutherglen, Parkhead History and opposite on Farmeloan Road were demolished in the mid-20th century, but some slightly newer sandstone tenements remain on the north side of Cambuslang Road and Dalmarnock Road, including a Category C-listed corner block which houses the area's sole public house at ground level (known as 'Tennents' for decades, with a small number of resident clientele, the business suffered as the passing trade from factory workers dwindled, changing hands several times in the early 21st century). Tennent's, Old Glasgow Pubs New community pub on Rutherglen block to take centre stage on local entertainment, 23 March 2019 The area facing this block, where British Ropes once had their turreted offices, was developed as the Lloyd Court apartment complex in the 2000s, the design of which resembles older styles. A small inter-war development of cottage flats around Montraive Street and grey concrete tenements at Barnflat Street and Baronald Street received new neighbours in the early 2000s with the building of around 100 houses at Farme Castle Court (this is actually slightly east of the actual location of Farme Castle).
Rutherglen's Kingdom Hall (established in 1958, rebuilt in 2012) is located in Farme Cross on Baronald Street. Rutherglen’s new Kingdom Hall taking shape, Daily Record, 12 October 2011 Across the street is a playground and a small local community hall. The Farme Bowling Club on Cambuslang Road, which was linked to the nearby Clyde Paper Mill, closed its doors in 2006. Local Bowling Clubs, Cambuslang Bowing Club
The Cuningar Loop is an area of land south of the River Clyde near Farme Cross. An isolated meander of the river which was once a Glasgow sewage treatment facility, then infilled with rubble from the city's slum clearance programme before being abandoned to become overgrown, it has now been transformed into a woodland park connecting across the Clyde to the City of Glasgow (Dalmarnock) and the Commonwealth Games village development via a new footbridge.
Rutherglen Bridge at Shawfield is the oldest crossing between Rutherglen and Glasgow – specifically the Bridgeton district of the city which was named after the bridge when its construction accelerated industrial growth and trade in the previously agricultural area. Far more recently, a 'smartbridge' for pedestrians and cyclists was built to encourage links between the regenerating Shawfield area and Dalmarnock railway station, also in connection with the 2014 Commonwealth Games, several of the events for which were held nearby at the Emirates Arena. Clyde Smartbridge readied for weeknd opening, Urban Realm, 17 July 2014 Holistic landscape design will be essential to successful regeneration, LUC Consultancy
To the south, on the other side of the hill is the Rutherglen Academy building on Melrose Avenue (built 1886) which later became Stonelaw High School and was converted into apartments in 2001. Opposite the Academy is a small early 20th century apexed building, originally St Stephen's Episcopal Church, nowadays used as a Masonic Lodge since 1971, after the group's previous premises on Cathcart Street (dating from 1875, latterly also used by the neighbouring Toryglen chapter) were demolished for the Mill Street bypass project. History, St. John Operative 347
History, Lodge Toryglen No 1561 The house system of Stonelaw High School used to be named from avenues in the area (Jedburgh, Dryburgh, Melrose and Kelso, taken from the Scottish Borders); however, at the start of the 2018 school year this theme changed to Scottish Islands: Arran, Bute and Skye.
Gallowflat Public School (built 1908), later the annexe of Stonelaw High School from 1970 to 1998, was also in the area on Hamilton Road Rebuilding Gallowflat School, Rutherglen Heritage Society Hamilton rd, 11th March 2009, Gallowflat School, via Urban Glasgow with most of its campus now largely replaced by housing and an elderly persons' care home Hamilton rd,10th July 2009, David Walker Gardens, via Urban Glasgow aside from one red sandstone block on McCallum Avenue which was converted to apartments in the 2020s. 2 bedroom conversion for sale Mccallum Avenue, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire South, G73 3AN, S1 Homes. Retrieved 10 September 2024 During the 28 years when the Academy and Gallowflat buildings were part of the same school, hundreds of teenage pupils would walk the between them several times each day via the very steep Wardlaw Drive and other quiet residential streets.
There are two other bowling clubs in the vicinity, also dating from the 1900/10s when that part of the town was being developed: Overtoun Park Bowling Club to the west Bowls: Overtoun Park celebrating 100 years, Daily Record, 25 April 2012 Vandals leave Rutherglen bowling green like 'bomb site', Daily Record, 7 April 2016 and Templeton Bowling Club to the east – originally part of the recreation grounds for the James Templeton & Co textile company which had its main premises on Glasgow Green, the club long outlasted its parent firm and the rest of the grounds are nowadays Stonelaw High School's playing fields.
A mansion house, Eastpark, stood next door to Templeton's (accessed from Buchanan Drive); it was converted to use a nursing home and has continued as part of the Abbeyfield care group, Burnside grandfather is honoured as care home named after him, Daily Record, 10 October 2018 Templeton House, Abbeyfield although the expansion and modernisation of the business led to the demolition of the old house, with only its conical sandstone gateposts remaining. Also at Buchanan Drive and on the east side of Stonelaw Road approaching Burnside is Woodburn Park, a valley-like wooded green space, previously a quarry. It takes its name from the adjacent Woodburn House which was home to the horticulture department of Langside College for over 60 years before being sold, demolished and replaced by houses and apartments in the 2010s. Concern over old Langside College campus plans in Rutherglen, Daily Record, 6 February 2014 Memories: pupils learn to use green fingers in Rutherglen in 1954, Evening Times, 26 March 2015
This neighbourhood has many features of the garden suburb, and is perhaps the most up-market place in Rutherglen, being home to many expensive properties. A development of distinctive quartered villas on Rosslyn Avenue / Dryburgh Avenue date from the 1910s, a few years after the houses at Wardlawhill and Clincarthill were completed as Rutherglen began to expand southwards.
The new (1998) site of Stonelaw High School and its sports facilities off Calderwood Road are on the peripheries of the Stonelaw and Burnside areas and also close to Eastfield. Another local school, Calderwood Primary on Buchanan Drive, Pupil rolls across Rutherglen and Cambuslang continue to rise, Daily Record, 24 March 2017 is sometimes labelled as being located in the Burnside neighbourhood, Glasgow, Burnside, Buchanan Drive, Calderwood Primary School, Canmore although its catchment areas are mainly Stonelaw, Eastfield, Gallowflat and the residential streets around Richmond Drive (mostly bungalows built in the 1930s) that, like the schools, do not fall under any single recognised neighbourhood. Schools and Nurseries (catchment area: Calderwood Primary School), South Lanarkshire Council
To the north of Eastfield and east of Farme Cross is the Clydebridge Steelworks, nowadays operating to a far lower capacity and with a fraction of workers than at its peak points in the mid-20th century when over 3,000 were employed there. Located within a meander of the River Clyde, it was largely inaccessible to civilians until 2011 when the M74 motorway extension was constructed through the middle of its extensive territory. In 2020, the corporation which owned the works announced development plans for the grounds, beginning with a hotel. A £15m Hotel Plan for its Clydebridge Site Revealed by Steel Giant Liberty, The Leaders Globe, 13 January 2020
Historically a small network of streets leading west from the Main Street area, becoming increasingly rural in character (Glasgow then expanded in several stages to occupy the countryside between its southern districts and Rutherglen) Old Photograph Burnhill Rutherglen Scotland, Tour Scotland the construction of the bypass caused the destruction of the area's older buildings at Burnhill Street, Chapel Street, Mill Street and Glasgow Road and also physically isolated one of the town's main landmarks: the Munro United Free Church, whose Category B listed building dates from 1850. Established in 1836, its congregation merged with that of the original West Parish Church when their building nearby (located on Chapel Street, explaining its name) was demolished to build the road and new housing, and in turn this later became West & Wardlawhill Parish following union with another congregation at the other end of town, both having experienced dwindling membership. Rutherglen church set to celebrate 175th anniversary, Daily Record, 19 January 2011 3 Western Avenue, Rutherglen West Parish Church (Munro Church) Church of Scotland, British Listed Buildings Glasgow, Rutherglen, Western Avenue, Munro Free Church, Canmore Rutherglen's war memorial Rutherglen Cenotaph profiles, Lesley Gaffey's Family Tree – erected in 1924, designed by Paul Gray with a bronze figure by sculptor George Henry PaulinA Brief Biography of George Henry Paulin, Air Comm. Marcus Wetherspoon which originally had a prominent location at the western end of the Main Street – was also left on the 'other' side of the road. Rutherglen, The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project The two parts of town are now connected via pedestrian underpasses which are prone to antisocial behaviour Rutherglen community welcome off-sales KO, Daily Record, 12 June 2014 More sickening sectarian graffiti painted in Rutherglen underpass, Daily Record, 12 October 2017 Police to meet with politicians and council to target anti-social behaviour following underpass assaults, Daily Record, 3 September 2021 Lanarkshire town's main street 'not safe' to walk at night due to teenage tearaways, Jonathan Geddes, Daily Record, 11 January 2022 and occasional flooding.
Deemed to be an area generally suffering from high levels of deprivation and associated issues, Cops vow to crack down on underage drinkers in Burnhill, Jonathan Geddes, Daily Record, 19 October 2017 the 'Burnhill Action Group' based at the West Church is a community-led volunteer group working to improve the locality's environmental conditions, recreational opportunities and facilities. Burnhill Action Group, Locator (Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire) Lottery cash is a godsend, Rutherglen Reformer, 27 February 2019, via PressReader The neighbourhood is recognisable for its 'White Flats' housing scheme (two dozen separate 16-apartment blocks, cube-shaped but with sloping roofs, dating from the early 1970s and refurbished externally in 2019 at a cost of £1.6 million) Thugs making life miserable for Rutherglen's Burnhill community, Daily Record, 26 April 2017 that replaced a development of prefabs. There is also older (c. 1930) housing off Toryglen Road and Westmuir Place, and grass areas also feature heavily, especially around the mound of Burnhill itself where the Jenny Burn, flowing from Cathkin Braes via Spittal and Bankhead, passes underneath making its way towards the Clyde. An enclosed area of communal ground behind the houses on Pinkerton Avenue known as the Highbacks, previously neglected until the 2010s, has been adopted and improved by residents as a community events space and garden. Burnhill residents have colourful day at Highbacks Picnic Day, Daily Record / Rutherglen Reformer, 17 July 2024 Clean up continues thanks to wish list, South Lanarkshire View, 12 August 2024 The White Flats development had a standalone pub at its centre, briefly known as the 'Burnhill Bar' but for most of its history named 'The Fairways' Still Game at Rutherglen pub, Daily Record, 22 February 2018 Fairways, Old Glasgow Pubs which took its name from the fact that the nearby land was once the open fields of Toryglen Golf Club (as well as Blackfaulds Farm) prior to residential use; A history of Toryglen Golf Club, Rutherglen, Rutherglen Heritage Society, October 2018 it replaced a far older hostelry in the area, 'Ye Olde Inn', which had been demolished. Ye Old Inn, Old Glasgow Pubs The Fairways itself closed in the 2020s following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burnhill is home to the local branch of the South Lanarkshire Council youth club Universal Connections, and also the Celsius Stadium, home to Rutherglen Glencairn F.C.; completed in 2008, it replaced the club's 110-year-old Southcroft Park on the other side of the railway at Shawfield which had been subject to a compulsory purchase order for construction of the M74, although there was sufficient space to build a new social club for the Glens beside the motorway at the original location. Rutherglen Glencairn Football Club, Glasgow Architecture, 16 October 2008 The earlier Burnhill Sports Centre, next to the new football ground, was closed and demolished in 2017, Burnhill Sports Centre in Rutherglen facing the axe as South Lanarkshire Council look to balance budget Daily Record, 3 December 2015 Burnhill Sports Centre demolished as council says no current plans for chromium probe, Daily Record, 9 August 2017 although the adjacent municipal football pitches remain in use, and in 2023 Glencairn submitted a planning application for a larger clubhouse facility in this area. Rutherglen football club submits plans to build clubhouse grounds, Glasgow Times, 29 September 2023
The burn flowing through the area provided power to industries in times past, mostly on Cathcart Road, including the Avonbank, Westburn and Burnside weaving factories, the Cathkin Laundry (1894 to 2013), Cathkin Laundry site is cleared, Daily Record, 27 February 2013 previously the site of a curling pond opened in 1881 2640 Westfield; Rutherglen, Curling Places Vol 2 (probably linked to the Carmunnock & Rutherglen Curling Club which still competes today, though not locally based) History, Carmunnock & Rutherglen Curling Club plant nurseries including Glenroyal – now a small social housing development Former Rutherglen nursery to become social housing, Daily Record, 4 April 2017 Housing association given keys to its new £4.5 million development, Rutherglen Reformer, 19 June 2019, via PressReader – and the Cathkin Bakery, the production facility for Nairn's (oatcakes and biscuits) until 1978. Step back in time at Rutherglen Library, Daily Record, 7 March 2015 History of Oatcake Making in Rutherglen , Rutherglen Heritage Society There was a Newfield House and sawmill, although the largest mansion in the area in times past was Muirbank House Muirbank House, Bankhead, Rutherglen Home of Thomas Nelson & Margaret Blair Ross, Our Roots – this is long gone, but a pair of cottages from the same era survive almost hidden in woodland amidst far newer housing.
Falling within the Newfield and Bankhead areas is Westhouse, a small 2000s residential estate. It was built in parts of a former quarry, recalled in the names of the nearby street Quarryknowe and in the 'Old Quarry Bar' on Cathcart Road, although the pub – favoured by Rangers F.C. supporters and themed on the club The Old Quarry Bar, Rutherglen, Glasgow, Pubs Galore – is located further east towards Main Street. Located on the ground floor of one of the few tenement buildings to survive the redevelopment of this sector of the town, the Quarry Bar is also close to the local Orange Order, the 20 District Club. Bigots target Rutherglen club on eve of march, Daily Record, 6 July 2011 The rest of the quarry itself is now occupied by a trading estate, tenants including a non-profit community-focused bicycle repair and retail business. About Us, Camglen Bike Town
Nearby is the site of Farie Street School UK: Voting In Four By-Elections In Britain Seen As General Election Pointer. Opposition Share Of Poll Increases 1964, British Pathé (video footage - polling station at Farie Street School) (built 1875), latterly re-titled as St Columbkille's RC Primary from 1957 until its new buildings opened in Clincarthill in 1969; the Farie Street building was demolished in 1971 with the Mill Court housing estate soon built in its place.Old Rutherglen, Rhona Wilson (Stenlake Publishing, 1996) One block further south at Harriet Street (on a cleared site previously occupied by a timber merchant), plans were submitted in 2024 for the construction of a 'village' of modular accommodation for homeless people. New Social Bite Village Project Unveiled for South Lanarkshire, Social Bite, 25 April 2024 Homeless village to be built in South Lanarkshire, BBC News, 25 April 2024
One surviving feature of Bankhead's rural past is the premises of Mitchell's Farm (earlier known as Crosshill Farm) dating back to at least the mid-19th century, although its fields on a steep slope were converted into the Cityford housing development around 1990. Glasgow, Bankhead Housing Estate, Canmore The Bankhead coal mine was a short distance south-west of the farm. The southern end of Bankhead Road terminates at another cluster of small shops and Croftfoot railway station, with a pedestrian footpath leading to the Croftfoot neighbourhood of Glasgow, and the Spittal neighbourhood of Rutherglen. There is another footpath further west at Castlemilk Road, but vehicles cannot use these routes, instead having to travel around Spittal, a detour of from Bankhead Road at Croftfoot Station, or via Menock Road, a detour of from Castlemilk Road at King's Park Avenue, to reach the same point on the other side of the tracks.
Once a private estate based around Bankhead House (owned by several generations of the Quigley family, many of whom were doctors), the land between Bankhead and Mill Street at Overtoun Park became a small housing estate in the early 1970s. Car park will ease problems in Quigley's, Daily Record, 24 April 2013 The town's once-important corn mill from which the road name derives was located a short way east of Bankhead House, close to the Quigleys Community Hall of today – a fact commemorated nearby in a plaque placed on the old stone wall of the estate, also noting the completion of the upgrading of that section of the road in 1993 (Average Speed traffic cameras were installed there in 2018 to combat dangerous driving). Average speed cameras to go live in Rutherglen accident hotspot here is what you need to know, Evening Times, 15 September 2018 The mill was powered from the Cityford Burn that flows through most of this side of Rutherglen and is visible here for some distance, running north then west to a small pond at Bankhead Road, known as the 'Paddy' (paddling pool), Exhibition looking back at Bankhead Pond set for Rutherglen Library, Daily Record, 14 March 2012 although this is somewhat overgrown and distended and is no longer popular with locals for this recreational purpose as it once was. Bankhead Pond Memories, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 2020 Flooding in the area in 2004 resulted in extensive remediation works to prevent a repeat.
The King's Park Hotel is located to the south of the neighbourhood off Mill Street, while Rutherglen Cemetery's main vehicle entrance, lodge house and Cross of Sacrifice is a short distance further south past the junction of King's Park Avenue (B762), a 1920s wide boulevard which runs westwards parallel to the railway tracks for into the heart of southern Glasgow at Mount Florida / Battlefield.
The Category B listed fountain in the park was originally located on Main Street: it had been erected in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee but was moved to the park in 1911. Overtoun Park Jubilee Fountain, Memorial Drinking Fountains, 28 December 2014 The bandstand (1914, also Category B listed) Mill Street, Overtoun Park, Bandstand, British Listed Buildings was sited at the west side of the park Overtoun Park Bandstand, Carol Foreman, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 2020 until it was removed to be used at the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival. It was re-sited on a grass area in the centre of the park, but later fell into some disrepair due to a lack of maintenance. Rutherglen residents want Overtoun Park bandstand returned to its former glory amid claims of neglect, Daily Record, 15 July 2015
The park's children's play area was extended in the 2010s, New play equipment set for Overtoun Park in Rutherglen, Daily Record, 10 October 2013 Ruglen Ropewalk in Overtoun Park, Greenspace Scotland, 7 November 2018 and the park's BMX tracks have been maintained, Overtoun Park, South Lanarkshire Council Overtoun Park, Discover Glasgow but football pitches were built upon and the tennis courts were turfed over; in 2020, proposals were made by Rutherglen Tennis Club to install covered courts at the same location,, Rutherglen Lawn Tennis Club, 30 January 2020 Rutherglen Tennis Club achieve 'milestone' decision, but face many hurdles, Andy McGilvray, Daily Record, 30 September 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021 which would involve a portion of the land being transferred to a private company. Lawn Tennis Club Overtoun Courts Proposal, Friends of Overtoun Park. Retrieved 23 November 2021
Environmental charity Grow73 have their base beside Overtoun Park Bowling Club, About Grow73 and a Friends of Overtoun Park is also active. About Us, Friends of Overtoun Park
Centred mostly around Stonelaw Road, Burnside has its own set of shops, church, Glasgow, Church Avenue, Burnside Parish Church, Halls And Session House, Canmore railway station and primary school. It is also home to a supermarket (once the site of a cinema) Rutherglen's movie hall past, Daily Record, 2 September 2009 and hotel with a popular bar (East Kilbride Road). There is also a bowling green, and two sets of tennis courts (previously separate clubs, they are both now operated by Rutherglen LTC)., Rutherglen Lawn Tennis Club Much of the traditional residential property was built in the early 1900s from blond and red sandstone.
The local park, Stonelaw Woods, Sewage work project in Rutherglen could see 11 months of disruption for residents, Daily Record, 2 May 2017 Stonelaw Woods 5, Rutherglen Heritage Project lies at the northern boundary of the village and takes its name from the demolished Stonelaw Tower (a castellated converted 18th-century Winding engine) Stonelaw Tower, Rutherglen Heritage Society that once stood to the east of Stonelaw Road near Greystone Avenue. Rutherglen news: Burnside filling station site subject to planning application, Daily Record, 9 September 2016 Stonelaw Tower, Scottish Castles Association, 8 December 2014 Tower House or Engine House? Inside Rais and Stonelaw Towers..., Scottish Castles Association, 10 April 2018
High Crosshill is a quiet residential area of wide avenues built on a steep hill between Burnside and Overtoun Park, General view, Burnside, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland, 1937. Oblique aerial photograph, taken facing south, Canmore which has some views on Broomieknowe Road and includes Rutherglen Cemetery. High Burnside is also a residential area, consisting of high ground to the south of Burnside leading to Cathkin Braes with streets of older houses built in several eras. Some of its properties, particularly some of the oldest off Burnside Road, are very large.
Two small burns run on either side of Spittal's housing, bordered by grassed areas – one burn runs from Castlemilk Park and the other from further east via High Burnside, both originating on the north slopes of the Cathkin Braes; these waters converge north of Spittal, flowing north to Bankhead and on to Shawfield and the Clyde where it is marked as the Cityford Burn, but colloquially known as the Jenny Burn. Glasgow, Castlemilk House, Greater Glasgow: An Illustrated Architectural Guide, Sam Small, 2008 (quoted at Canmore) The Cityford Burn, Rutherglen Heritage Society
In 2016, the area's recreation fields bordering Croftfoot, which had been bequeathed to the community 'in perpetuity' in the 1930s but had been allowed to fall into disrepair over a number of years, were subject to planning applications for new housing. Plans for housing development on former Rutherglen/Croftfoot football parks move a step closer, Daily Record, 2 August 2016
The Croftfield Park development was completed about three years later. Houses are selling fast at Croftfield Park, Daily Record, 13 September 2017, via PressReader A replacement modern AstroTurf football field was added adjacent to the primary school in 2019, although this was several years after the original fields were abandoned and six years after the school itself was replaced (built on its original red blaes pitch), Plans for new Spittal Primary are given the go-ahead, Daily Record, 25 January 2012 as the old buildings became the temporary home for Bankhead, St Mark's and Burnside Primaries while their facilities were also renewed. Old Spittal to go, Rutherglen Reformer, 23 November 2016, via PressReader Just south of Spittal is Kirkriggs School, a Special educational needs facility which is under Glasgow City Council control. Welcome to our school, Kirkriggs School
Also bordering High Crosshill and High Burnside, many of the hillside streets have views over Rutherglen and Glasgow. A large flat grass field to the west of the neighbourhood was popular in the summer months for informal sports, but its size was greatly reduced by a junction re-alignment in 2016, connecting Croftfoot Road and Blairbeth Road - previously a staggered junction via Fernhill Road with single lanes causing considerable congestion at peak times - into a single crossroads with filter lanes, as part of the Cathkin Relief Road works. To the west of this road is the boundary with the city of Glasgow, denoted visually by the twin castellated stone gates of 'Buchanan Lodge', today a nursing home but historically the north-east entrance to the driveway leading to Castlemilk House; Castlemilk, Glasgow: Origins and History , Scotcities Croftfoot Road, Mill Street, Gatepiers, Formerly to Castlemilk House, British Listed Buildings the mansion no longer exists, although most of the route through its lands (most of which are occupied by the various neighbourhoods of Castlemilk housing estate) is still present as tree-lined footpaths, managed under an award-winning conservation project. Castlemilk Woodlands, Central Scotland Green Network, 1 April 2010 Cassiltoun Housing Association wins prize for their work at Castlemilk Woods, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, 18 August 2016 Castlemilk Park Project, Cassiltoun Housing Association A section of the estate's old boundary wall is also visible near Blairbeth, although crumbling and dangerous in parts.
The Cathkin Relief Road was completed in 2017 at a cost of £21 million to extend Mill Street from Spittal through the informal parkland between Fernhill and Blairbeth/High Burnside to connect with the existing Cathkin Bypass (A730) and alleviate traffic from other local routes including Fernhill Road. Cathkin Relief Road, idverde UK Cathkin Relief Road compensation claims could cost South Lanarkshire Council £1million, Daily Record, 22 October 2019 In 2019, Fernbrae Meadows was opened to the south of Fernhill; formerly Blairbeth Golf Course, the area is a 20 hectares of semi-natural, managed greenspace.
A 13-storey tower block (the only building of such height in Rutherglen, although there are 10 towers of the same design in Cambuslang) The Story of Rosebank Tower, Tower Blocks UK, 16 September 2019 looms over the centre of the neighbourhood; it was built on the site of the Springhall mansion house that once occupied the land, which came to public attention in the 1910s, first when suffragette Frances Gordon was imprisoned for attempting to set the house on fire, Rise Up Women!: The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes, Diane Atkinson, 2018, then soon afterwards when a contingent of Belgian refugees of World War I were invited to stay there; Refugee crisis: At look back in time to when Rutherglen opened its arms to Belgians fleeing World War One, Daily Record, 6 October 2015 it was demolished in the 1940s. Adjacent to the tower is a sports pitch in a wire mesh pen.
Cathkin High School, the secondary school affiliated to Loch Primary, is located nearby at the western side of the neighbouring estate of Whitlawburn – administratively this is part of Cambuslang, although shares some amenities with Springhall, with the schemes connected under the main road by a pedestrian underpass. A standalone pre-school facility, Springlaw ELC (intentionally named after both communities as a gesture of unity) was built on a piece of vacant land off Cruachan Road, opening in 2021. The new nursery connecting two communities, South Lanarkshire View, 12 May 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021
The grounds of the old Cathkin House mansion (built 1799, and a children's home in the later 20th century) Cathkin, Old Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry (1878) The History of Cathkin House, Family History at The Mitchell (Glasgow Libraries) Children’s charity is still changing lives 60 years after it opened, Third Force News, 24 November 2015 now converted to apartments, offer views over Rutherglen and Glasgow beyond. The mansion (now Category B listed) Cathkin House, Glasgow, British Listed Buildings is surrounded by small separate residential developments, primarily of large villas, which also enclose around the buildings of Mid Farm, one of the oldest surviving properties in the area. Burnside Road, an ancient drovers' route winding downhill towards Rutherglen, no longer has a connection for vehicles with Cathkin Road (the B759, running east-west between the A749 dual carriageway and Carmunnock village via Cathkin Braes Park and Cathkin Braes Golf Club). Cathkin Braes Golf Club, Bunkered magazine A local landmark at that junction was a thatched cottage which was the childhood home of 19th-century missionary James Gilmour, 'Birthplace of James Gilmour, Missionary', painting by Thomas Grant, ArtUK.org but it has since been demolished. 1927: Remembering Gilmour of Mongolia, The Herald, 22 June 2021
Trinity High (to which St Anthony's, St Mark's and St Columbkille's Primaries are affiliated) is the only Catholic secondary school for both towns, as is the case for Rutherglen High School, the local Additional Support Needs facility which shares a campus with Cathkin High. Our secondary schools, South Lanarkshire Council
All council-run schools in the South Lanarkshire area were rebuilt between the late 1990s and 2010s. Council's £1.2 billion school modernisation programme ends in Hamilton, Daily Record, 5 January 2020
Clyde Football Club played in the area at Shawfield Stadium for 88 years before moving on in 1986, eventually settling in the former new town of Cumbernauld. The immediate area could be considered the cradle of Scottish football: Hampden Park, the national stadium and home to Scotland's oldest football club Queen's Park is close by to the west along with Cathkin Park, the home of the defunct Third Lanark; not far to the north is Celtic Park, the home of Celtic – all of which (apart from Clyde's former ground) are located in the City of Glasgow.
In addition to men's amateur teams (such as Stonelaw AFC (current) and formerly Rutherglen AFC of the Scottish Amateur Football League), the town also had a women's football club, Rutherglen Ladies, which was formed in 1921 and played at a high level throughout the 20s and 30s. More recently Rutherglen Girls FC was founded in 2012 and features three age group teams plus a senior women's team competing in the SWFL, Central/South East Division.
Coats Park, home of Cambuslang RFC (rugby union) is on the periphery of Burnside; the local athletics club Cambuslang Harriers is also based there. There are council-run football facilities as well as a 25-metre swimming pool and gym at South Lanarkshire Lifestyle Eastfield (next to Trinity High School), and a GAA field, Pearse Park (disused for several years in the early 21st century), is also in Eastfield. In Shawfield there is an indoor trampoline facility, while Topgolf opened a driving range in Farme Cross (adjacent to the motorway) in 2022; traditional golf has been played at the Cathkin Braes club on the southern edge of Rutherglen since the 1880s.
Governance
Westminster
A separate constituency in the Parliament of Scotland from the late 16th century,
Rutherglen was a parliamentary burgh represented in the UK Parliament as a component of Clyde Burghs constituency from 1708 to 1832, and as a component of Kilmarnock Burghs from 1832 to 1918. In 1918, the Rutherglen constituency was created, which became Glasgow Rutherglen in 1983. In 2005, Scottish constituencies for the UK parliament were reviewed with many new seats introduced, and the town fell within the new Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency. Following another review in 2023, the Rutherglen constituency was revived.
Holyrood
In 1999, the Scottish Parliamentary constituency of Glasgow Rutherglen was created, with the same boundaries as the then UK Constituency. Scottish Labour's Janis Hughes was the first elected MSP. In 2011, The constituency was redrawn and renamed simply Rutherglen (although it also encompasses Cambuslang and Blantyre). Following the 2016 elections, Clare Haughey (SNP) is the MSP for Rutherglen. The defeated incumbent James Kelly (Labour) was elected as a list MSP for the Glasgow region which includes Rutherglen due to the town's proximity to the city. Boundary changes create new Rutherglen seat, but area remains in Glasgow region, Daily Record, 2 June 2010 Haughey held the seat in the 2021 election with a slightly increased majority.
South Lanarkshire Council
Administratively, the historic town centre is within the Rutherglen Central and North ward of South Lanarkshire Council, which has a population of around 15,000. Taking another ward encompassing the southern parts of the town into consideration, its overall population was approximately 30,000 in 2016. With neighbouring Cambuslang's figures being very similar, the many services and amenities shared between the towns should provide for 60,000 residents, many assessed as living in economic hardship. Rutherglen and Cambuslang communities at top of list of most deprived areas in Scotland, Edel Kenealy, Daily Record, 8 September 2016 Shock stats show Rutherglen has more unemployment, highest rate of alcohol and drug admissions and more social work referrals than anywhere else in South Lanarkshire, Daily Record, 19 December 2018
Transport
Rutherglen Burgh is served by Rutherglen railway station (opened in 1849), with and stations closer to southern parts of the town. There are also numerous bus links into Glasgow city centre or other destinations such as Hamilton, East Kilbride, Govanhill and Dennistoun, Bus passengers in Cambuslang and Rutherglen having to pay nearly double what they do in East Kilbride, Daily Record, 25 May 2017 all services either running directly along the Main Street (which has dedicated public transport lanes for peak times) or close to it via Mill Street / Glasgow Road (A730) to the west, Cambuslang Road (A724) to the north or Stonelaw Road / Farmeloan Road (A749) to the east. Glasgow Corporation Tramways operated routes in the area from the early 1900s until the late 1950s.
Media
The local newspaper is the Rutherglen Reformer (owned by Reach plc, with online content presented under the Daily Record banner). The local community radio station is CamGlen Radio.
Geography
Since being granted Royal Burgh status by King David I in the 12th century, Rutherglen has grown considerably from its origins as little more than a single street, and although growth has been hampered to some extent by the proximity of the river Clyde to the north, the encroaching Glasgow urban sprawl to the west and the boundary with neighbouring Cambuslang to the east, it now covers a much larger area than its ancient parish boundaries. Military Maps of Scotland (18th century): Roy Lowlands, 1752-55, Explore georeferenced maps (National Library of Scotland) Northern Part of Lanarkshire. Southern Part. Top section, John Thomson's Atlas of Scotland, 1832 (National Library of Scotland) OS Six-inch 1st edition, 1843-1882, Explore georeferenced maps (National Library of Scotland) Historic areas near the Main Street such as Bankhead, Burnhill and Gallowflat have changed greatly over the decades, with the Farme Cross and Shawfield areas mostly occupied by industry of various types; the expansion of the village of Burnside (which falls under the Rutherglen boundary but has its own Community Council) to share a single suburban settlement with its larger neighbour, and the construction after World War II of peripheral housing schemes on land surrounding Burnside which had been either farms or rural estates (Blairbeth, Cathkin, Eastfield, Fernhill, Spittal and Springhall) have given the town a frequently changing character. OS National Grid Maps, 1944-1967, Explore georeferenced maps (National Library of Scotland)
Burgh (Main Street) and Clincarthill
The Burgh area includes the old heart of the around the ancient and unusually wide, tree-lined Main Street and its environs, which have been designated a conservation area since 2008. Rutherglen Conservation Area: Character Appraisal, South Lanarkshire Council, 2008 It features several religious establishments, various pubs, shops and restaurants, historic and modern civic buildings and community facilities, all within a dense network of housing, mainly tenements. In the 2000s, a webcam focused on the everyday activities at the western end of Main Street was recognised as having among the highest number of views in the world at the time for footage of its type, despite there being no obvious reason for this popularity; Rutherglen main street is webcam wonder, BBC News, 14 December 2009 the webcam is no longer in operation, although later proposals were made by local civic figures to have another installed. Campaign for return of popular Rutherglen webcam, Daily Record, 19 December 2017
Clincarthill
Lying immediately to the south of the Burgh area between Greenhill Road and Johnstone Drive, Clincarthill rises high over the Main Street offering fine northern views. The area has a distinctive character of its own, with plenty of remaining old sandstone tenements, villas and terraced houses from the late 19th and early 20th century, some on the incline accessible only via footpaths. A pedestrian overbridge across the busy Mill Street dual carriageway links Clincarthill with the Bankhead neighbourhood to its west. There are several places of worship in the area: Minhaj-ul-Quran mosque (previously a Scouting), Rutherglen Baptist Church (established 1889, built 1903) and Rutherglen United Free Church (established 1902, built 1935), Brief History, Rutherglen Congregational Church while the town's JobCentre is built on the site of another (Greenhill Church). Adjacent to this is a vacant plot which was the location of Rutherglen Swimming Pool from 1967 until the 2005 but has lain empty since. Rutherglen mosque promises to sort out parking problems outside their building, Daily Record, 6 November 2015
Farme Cross
Farme Cross is one of the boundary areas of Rutherglen and is surrounded to the north by the River Clyde with Glasgow's Dalmarnock district on the opposite bank, the two sides being linked by iron road and rail bridges dating from the 1890s, Record and images for Dalmarnock Bridge, Canmore Record and images for Dalmarnock Railway Bridge (1897), Canmore while it is separated from the old Burgh area uphill to the south by 19th century railway tracks and a 21st century motorway. It originated as the Farme estate crown property which was passed through noble families for centuries. Centred around the Farme Castle, Farme Castle (Glasgow University Library, Special Collections, Dougan Collection, 1870), The Glasgow Story it became known for coal mining from the early 19th century The Mysteries of the Farme Colliery Engine, Justin Parkes, North Lanarkshire Council Museum appeals for info on Rutherglen Farme Colliery, Daily Record, 14 July 2010 Newcomen engine (Museum of Transport, c. 1905), The Glasgow Story 1910 Housing Conditions of Miners: Farme Coal Co, Ltd, Rutherglen, Scottish Mining Website under the control of estate owner James Farie, with other industries soon following. The roads through the territory (A724 and A749) meet to join two busy routes between eastern Glasgow to the north, Rutherglen to the south and Cambuslang (via Eastfield) to the east. It was served by Glasgow's tram network providing transport for the workforces, a role still performed by buses.
Shawfield
The Shawfield district, the mostly northerly in the town and once a country estate Shawfield, Old Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry (1878) before being converted into a chemicals facility by the White family, is still industrial in nature, but much of it abandoned in the early 21st century due to the collapse of heavy industry generally, and contamination from the Whites Chemical Works in particular. £2million plan to clean up Shawfield, Daily Record, 8 February 2019 The Clyde Gateway projects aim to reinvest in this area and create new business parks and make the River Clyde accessible in Rutherglen again Shawfield masterplan wins £6m European funding, Urban Realm, 3 December 2012 New £9 million Rutherglen office building brings 170 jobs to local area, Glasgow Live, 8 July 2019 – the town's old port, once home of Thomas Seath shipbuilders which specialised in Clutha ferry and paddle steamers, is located here. Seath's Shipyard, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 2018 Currently Shawfield Stadium (the former home of Clyde F.C.) hosts greyhound racing; although not immediately noticeable, the building has Art Deco features.
Wardlawhill, Gallowflat and Stonelaw
Wardlawhill
Lying across Stonelaw Road east of Clincarthill, the Wardlawhill area includes some older large houses and tenement buildings; a BBC Scotland report found that Wardlaw Drive, the hill's northern slope lined with tenements, ranked seventh among the steepest streets in Scotland. Is this Scotland's steepest street?, BBC News, 28 August 2019 Adjacent to this street, placed at the top of stairs off Hamilton Road and partly built into the hill itself, is the Sri Sundara Ganapathy Hindu Temple (built 1882), previously Wardlawhill Parish Church – the congregation of which merged with the West Parish at Burnhill in 2007, New minister of Rutherglen West and Wardlawhill Church calls for focus on love and acceptance - and to bring the church into modern times, Daily Record, 25 June 2017 the building being sold in 2010. Rutherglen church to be transformed into Hindu Temple, Daily Record, 7 April 2010 The church halls across the road are still used by local youth groups such as the Boys Brigade. Rutherglen Wardlawhill Parish Church, The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project
Gallowflat
The Gallowflat area, known locally as East Main Street, features some 1920s Museums: Browse the Collection (Hamilton Road), South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture and tenement buildings, dating from the construction of an extension to the Main Street – although it may appear natural for the route to continue eastwards as it does today, historically Main Street (and King Street) terminated at Farmeloan Road until the project linking it to Cambuslang Road and removing traffic from Hamilton Road through Wardlawhill. A prominent landmark is a tree-covered ancient Tumulus Gallowflat Mound, Gazetteer for Scotland Rutherglen, Gallowflat, Canmore which had been used at one time as an icehouse in the grounds of the grand Gallowflat House (built 1760s, demolished 1910s) Gallowflat House (Glasgow University Library, Special Collections, Dougan Collection, 1870), The Glasgow Story Gallowflat Old Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry (1878) which was located at the eastern end of today's Reid Street.
Stonelaw
Stonelaw is the area south of Gallowflat and Wardlawhill and east of the Primary Care Centre, features of which include Rutherglen Bowling Club Rutherglen bowls champion determined to equal club legend's record of nine championship wins, Daily Record, 4 October 2017 – having migrated south from its first (1868) site on Greenhill Road in 1902, About Us, Rutherglen Bowling Club the organisation then sold the adjoining land for construction of a church in 1907. The imposing red sandstone building which resulted is now known as Stonelaw Parish Church, though it too was built for a congregation relocating from the old part of town, in this case from their premises on King Street built in the 1830s. It was completed in 1912 – a refurbishment over a century later revealed a time capsule dating from the time of construction. Church's project opens up the past, The Herald, 14 January 2014 Stonelaw Church opens time capsule from 1912 at special service, Daily Record, 16 January 2014 A further modernisation in 2019 included modification of the main hall's pews, designed to accommodate far more parishioners than recent attendances, into a more flexible system. Revamp proposed for Stonelaw Church, Rutherglen Reformer, 14 March 2018, via PressReader
Eastfield
A former mining community and country estate Cambuslang Industrial History, 2013, via DocPlayer Eastfield House, Old Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry (1878) located off the main road between Rutherglen and Cambuslang, the area was developed for housing in the 1950s. Trinity High School (built in 1970, re-built in 2010) and its sports facilities including public swimming pool are located in Eastfield, which also has two public houses, both off Dukes Road. Proposed changes to popular Rutherglen pub will "rip the heart out of the community", Daily Record, 12 September 2018
Burnhill, Newfield and Bankhead
Burnhill
Burnhill, in the north-west of Rutherglen, directly borders the Glasgow district of Toryglen to its west (along with woodland at the Malls Mire) and the M74 motorway and West Coast Main Line railway tracks to the north, while its eastern side is close to the Main Street but separated from it by a busy dual carriageway bypass road (part of the A730), built in the early 1970s.
Newfield
Lying directly south of Burnhill, Newfield is a neighbourhood also adjoining Bankhead (Rutherglen) and Toryglen and King's Park (Glasgow) – the boundary with the city is difficult to observe from ground level as it involves houses backing onto one another right up to the border in most places; however, as it is a major administrative divide it is clearly marked on maps, with the street names also changing, e.g. Newfield Place becomes Ardnahoe Avenue. There are limited amenities including a pub, and small grassed areas are dotted around between the housing.
Bankhead and Quigleys
Bankhead is a neighbourhood located south-west of central Rutherglen, with its housing visibly of various ages owing to the burgh's expansion in stages during the 20th century. South of Newfield and directly bordering the Glasgow district of King's Park, much of its street grid shares the same design of 1930s grey pebble-dashed cottage flats. In addition to an eponymous primary school on Bankhead Road, Newly-built £8.8million Bankhead Primary School is a real class act, Daily Record, 9 June 2015 there is a small row of shops on Wallace Street beside the Mill Street overbridge leading to Clincarthill, and more on Curtis Avenue approaching Toryglen including the 100 Acres pub – an adaptation of 'Hundred Acre Hill', the historic name of the high ground overlooking the area to the west. A further selection of convenience stores is located on Castlemilk Road in the south-west of the area, adjoining King's Park and some of its amenities including its main church. These are known locally as the 'State shops' after the State Cinema, later a bingo venue, which was sited there near to King's Park Avenue, a prominent local landmark from the 1930s until its demolition in the early 21st century. There was previously also a small public library which closed in 2010 (although named King's Park Library, it was on the east side of the road and thus administered by South Lanarkshire Council from 1996). Flats plan for former library, Daily Record, 4 January 2012
Overtoun Park
Rutherglen's main public park is close to the geographical centre of the town. Laid out on land donated to the Burgh in 1904 by Lord Overtoun, The Late Right Hon Baron Overtoun, Who's Who in Glasgow in 1909 (whose White's Chemical Works also ruined much of the area by reckless dumping of their toxic byproduct). Overtoun Park should be stripped of its name, MP says, Daily Record, 27 March 2019 it was once the location of the annual Landemer Day fair and parade, now confined to the Main Street. Landemer Day, Rutherglen Heritage Society, 2019
Burnside, High Crosshill and High Burnside
Burnside is a village within the Rutherglen boundaries which expanded into a leafy commuter suburb. Rutherglen named as one of the top 25 suburbs in the UK for first-time buyers by national newspaper, Daily Record, 27 March 2015 It is surrounded by several mid-20th century housing estates, in some cases modernised which are within Rutherglen but not considered to be parts of Burnside as they were built to provide homes for people from other areas of the town, and from Cambuslang, who needed to be re-housed. In contrast to affluent Burnside, parts of these estates are considered to be troubled by poverty and related issues, as asserted by several versions of the Scottish index of multiple deprivation. Rutherglen and Cambuslang areas among Scotland's poorest, according to Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation stats, Daily Record, 12 February 2020 Neighbourhood profiles: Ward 11 - Rutherglen South, South Lanarkshire Community Planning Partnership
Spittal
Spittal is a post-World War II community which is almost an exclave of the town, bordering the Glasgow areas of Croftfoot to the west and Castlemilk to the south with an area of open ground to the east; it is close to the King's Park Avenue / Bankhead neighbourhood within Rutherglen to the north, but disconnected from it by the Cathcart Circle Lines railway tracks. Built on a mound used as farmland (the farmhouse was located at the junction of Carrick Road and Bute Terrace), the estate was constructed in an oval pattern of streets – named after places in or close to Ayrshire 7 September Cathkin Braes, Adventures of the Early Ooters, 13 September 2011 – with its primary school built at the highest point at the centre (completed in 1955). A development of prefabs on the flatter land to the west were replaced by angular blocks of flats in the early 1970s (as also occurred at other locations including Burnhill, Bankhead and at North Halfway in nearby Cambuslang). A new community centre was built in the early 21st century, close to the older small wooden church. There are also local amenities such as shops – including Post Office – on Kyle Square and a pub-restaurant, 'The Croft', Home, The Croft situated exactly on the local authority boundary at Croftfoot. Glasgow pub boss on Level 2 boundary edge furious at being unable to trade, Glasgow Live, 31 May 2021
Blairbeth and Fernhill
Blairbeth
Blairbeth is a small 1950s local authority housing scheme of tenements and modest terraced houses, generally still with the same appearance as at the time of its construction. It was built around a former rural estate (the house, sited at the top of Kirkriggs Avenue, is long since demolished, as was the entrance lodge house to its north). The neighbourhood has some limited local amenities Residents say they are "not at all shocked" by vicious Rutherglen attack, Daily Record, 12 April 2017 and small parks, as well as a school, St Mark's RC Primary – its associated church of the same name is located to the south of the housing at the edge of the neighbouring Fernhill area, which has no direct link to Blairbeth for vehicles. The designated non-denominational school for the locality is Spittal Primary, although some children attend Burnside Primary which is equally close.
Fernhill
Fernhill is a housing estate originally built in the 1960s, which underwent a great deal of regeneration in the 2010s. Election special: Rutherglen South demands continued regeneration, Daily Record, 12 April 2017 It is home to an all-girls private school, the main building for which is the historic Fernhill mansion house. The area is bordered by the Castlemilk housing estate in Glasgow to the west, Clashes between rival gangs in Rutherglen and Castlemilk are declining, Daily Record, 23 February 2016 as well as by Blairbeth, High Burnside and Cathkin within Rutherglen. Fernhill Road bisects the estate and is where the rebuilt local amenities (convenience stores, community centre children's play area, 5-a-side football fields) Football is winning fight against gangs in Rutherglen, Daily Record, 29 September 2016 are found. The estate also has two churches at either end St Mark’s Catholic church Rutherglen, St Anthony and St Mark parish Rutherglen: Fernhill and Cathkin's new minister speaks on starting work at the parish, her unexpected road to the ministry and surprising media attention, Jonathan Geddes, Daily Record, 20 January 2017 and a decorative brick entrance wall off Burnside Road.
Springhall and Cathkin
Springhall
Springhall is a self-contained 1960s local authority housing estate, Rutherglen community fear their scheme has become "the forgotten land", Daily Record, 26 October 2016 mostly consisting of a compact network of maisonettes, and featuring a community centre and library dating back to the time of the scheme's construction Councillor's bid to upgrade Rutherglen's Springhall, Daily Record, 14 November 2016 but extensively upgraded between 2019 and 2021. Springhall facility on schedule, Rutherglen Reformer, 18 September 2019, via PressReader Revamped Community Hall taking shape, South Lanarkshire View, 16 September 2019 Rutherglen community centre reopens following £1m revamp, Daily Record, 12 July 2021 Below the original library is a small set of local shops. There is also a catholic church St Anthony’s Catholic church, Rutherglen, St Anthony and St Mark parish and two local schools, St Anthony's RC Primary and Loch Primary, About Us, Loch Primary School both rebuilt in the 2000s in a mirror image of one another and now share a playground. Faith barriers broken down as pupils share school playground, The Herald, 22 September 2013 Rutherglen schools handed anti-sectarian honour, Daily Record, 11 September 2013 The schools' playing fields are located on the site of a former loch (Boultrie Loch) which was popular for curling and skating in winter. 1689 Burnside, Curling Places Vol 1 A stone sign welcomes visitors into the estate from the entrance off the A749 East Kilbride Road opposite a pub, 'Auld Cathkin' (previously the Cathkin Hotel and The Braes), and a long-standing Chinese restaurant. Popular Chinese restaurant in Rutherglen shuts after downturn in business coinciding with coronavirus epidemic, Daily Record, 19 February 2020 A short way further south on the Springhall side of the A749 is the unusual white castellated villa 'Elpalet', designed by the housebuilder John McDonald (whose companies constructed thousands of new homes in Glasgow in the 1930s, including hundreds in Burnside), John McDonald, Mackintosh Architecture (The Hunterian, University of Glasgow) (Sir) John McDonald, Dictionary of Scottish Architects to be his own residence. The property is now divided into apartments. Elpalet, Dictionary of Scottish Architects Elpalet, including gatepiers, 250 East Kilbride Road, Rutherglen, British Listed Buildings
Cathkin
Cathkin is the southernmost and highest part of Rutherglen, largely comprising a post-World War II estate which underwent a good deal of regeneration of its housing stock in the early 21st century. Residents living in fear in revamped Cathkin estate, Daily Record, 9 May 2012 East Whitlawburn set for major regeneration, Daily Record, 11 September 2013 Time for action on older council houses, Robert Brown / Scottish Liberal Democrats, 7 March 2017 The estate borders the City of Glasgow (the Cathkin Braes Country Park and farmland belonging to the village of Carmunnock, also a civil parish in which Cathkin, along with Fernhill and Spittal, was located historically) Map of the Parish of Carmunnock in the Historical County of Lanark, Gazetteer for Scotland and offers views over the Greater Glasgow valley. Rutherglen, Cathkin Oblique aerial view 1991, Canmore There is a small wooded area near the neighbourhood's eastern boundary with Whitlawburn. Limited amenities include a primary school with community facilities, Cathkin Community Wing, South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture and a church (located a short way into Fernhill and designed to serve both communities, as was the school) while local shops off Cathkin Bypass / Cuillins Road feature a supermarket, newsagent and betting shop. Like several parts of the town, a 21st-century stone and metal entrance sign welcomes visitors entering Cathkin from the bypass road.
Education
Loch Primary and Cathkin Primary are feeder schools for Cathkin High School (built in 1970, rebuilt in 2008), which is located at Whitlawburn just outside the Rutherglen boundaries and is primarily the secondary school for Cambuslang. Conversely, two schools located in Cambuslang (James Aiton and Park View) are feeders for Stonelaw High in Rutherglen, along with Bankhead, Burgh, Burnside, Calderwood and Spittal Primaries within the burgh.
List of schools
2022–23 pupil roll in parentheses. Our primary schools, South Lanarkshire Council. Retrieved 6 December 2022
Non-denominational
Roman Catholic
Private schools
Sport
Rutherglen Glencairn F.C. compete in the . The club was formed in 1896 and has won the famous Scottish Junior Cup on four occasions (1901–02, 1918–19, 1926–27, 1938–39). Glencairn moved into a brand new stadium (New Southcroft Park, currently sponsored by Celsius Cooling and renamed as The Celsius Stadium) situated in the Burnhill area of Rutherglen in 2009 following the demolition of the old ground (Southcroft Park), where they had played for over 100 years. The Glencairn Venue building on Glasgow Road, which is on part of the old site – the rest now being under the M74 motorway – is owned by the football club, although the company operating in the building is a separate entity. In the same season as their move, Glencairn won the West of Scotland League Central District First Division with a record points total, followed by claiming the West of Scotland Super League First Division at the first attempt in 2009–10. They won the latter competition again in 2018–19 to access the top tier of Junior football in the west of Scotland, and were runners-up in the Scottish Junior Cup in 2022–23 Scottish Junior Cup.
Notable people
Several notable persons born between 1978 and 1998 are 'from' Rutherglen per their birth certificates, but have only a tenuous link to the town due to being delivered at Rutherglen Maternity Hospital which operated between these years; Hospital may be sacrificed Rutherglen Maternity could close early to save debt-ridden Victoria Infirmary, The Herald, 18 June 1997 GPs plan takeover of hospital which is facing early closure, The Herald, 21 October 1997 Rutherglen Maternity remembered through Facebook page, Daily Record, 11 May 2011 Olde Glasgow Hospitals, Glasgow Punter, 15 December 2017 many children born here would have grown up in Glasgow, East Kilbride or elsewhere. Rutherglen Maternity Hospital (House of Commons Debate), Hansard, 1 March 1995
Artists, actors and media personalities
Politicians
Sportspersons
Others
Bibliography
External links
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