Erskine

Coordinates: 55°54′02″N 4°27′44″W / 55.9005°N 4.46234°W / 55.9005; -4.46234

Erskine
The River Clyde from the Erskine Bridge
Erskine  Erskine shown within Scotland
Population	15,347
OS grid reference	NS460667
Council area	Renfrewshire
Lieutenancy area	Renfrewshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ERSKINE
Postcode district	PA8
Dialling code	0141
Police	Strathclyde
Fire	Strathclyde
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Renfrewshire
	West of Scotland
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Erskine (Scottish Gaelic: 'Arasgain') is a town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is located on the southern bank of the River Clyde near Glasgow International Airport and borders Renfrew, Bishopton, Inchinnan and Paisley. Erskine is a commuter town at the western extent of the Greater Glasgow conurbation.

History

Archeological evidence states that agricultural activity took place within the area as far back as 3000 BC and that it has been inhabited by humans since 1000 BC.

The name "Erskine" derives from the Scottish Gaelic phrase "Ard Sescenn", meaning "High Marsh". The area was first identified as "Erskin" in 1225.

In the late 1700s, Erskine was a hamlet. During this time, stone quays were constructed to support a ferry service to Old Kilpatrick and Dumbartonshire. This replaced the river ford which had been in place since Medieval times.

In light of increased industry and infrastructure in the surrounding area, it gradually became a village in the following century. The small church community grew to having 3,000 residents in 1961, when Renfrewshire Council unveiled its "New Community" plan for the town's development.

The development began in 1971 with the building of both privately-owned and rented accommodation which boosted the town's population by around 10,000. Having established itself as a thriving commuter town, the 1990s saw the building of larger and more expensive housing, aimed at more affluent property buyers.

Due to apprehension about further expansion of the town, several proposals for further large housing developments have been rejected. This is largely due to the fact that the town has only one high school.

Geography

Erskine's location locally and nationally

Neighbouring towns, villages and places.

	Bishopton	Old Kilpatrick	Clydebank
	Bishopton		Renfrew
		Erskine
	Houston	Paisley	Inchinnan

One hundred percent of the council, and now ex-council, houses were built during the 1970s, every housing development thereafter has been private. As more private houses were built in the 1980s, Erskine started to become an attractive place to live due to location factors and accessibility to main road and motorways. Due to this there was a major boom in property development in the 80s and 90s. Most ex-council houses are found in the Bargarran, North Barr, Mains Drive and Park Mains areas of the town. Private housing is mostly found in the West part of the town Garnieland, Flures Drive, Hawthorn, Parkvale, Parkinch, St. Annes, West Freelands. Many house builders that have been attracted to the area include Miller, Beazer, Cala, Kier and Tay Homes. Due to the fact there is only one high school in the proximity, there has been no further housing development in the late 2000s

Economy

The majority of Erskine retail and leisure facilities are located within the town's Bridgewater complex.

It is home to newly built supermarkets, Morrisons and Aldi. Greggs the bakery, a butcher, R S McColls the newsagent, a chip shop, a Subway, a pub with a dining area, a Chinese takeaway, an optician, a chemist, a doctor's surgery, two hardware stores, bookmaker, salon, an estate agency, a dry-cleaner and key cutting service, a swimming pool, bank and a public library. On the riverside at this area, there are several recently built office blocks. There is also a private golf club, Erskine Golf Club, located on the borders between Bishopton.

The area has two main recently constructed sporting facilities; the two million pound Erskine Community Sports Centre and the £600,000 astroturf football pitch at the High School. These are complemented by the town's numerous playing fields. The community centre also hosts the local karate club.

There is also a smaller retail area in the Bargarran area, where there are a few shops and restaurants as well as a community centre.

Aldi's supermarket opened on the 13 November 2008.

Landmarks

Erskine is generally synonymous with the suspension bridge towering high over the western limit of the town, the Erskine Bridge.

The town is home to the Erskine Hospital; a facility providing long-term care for veterans of the British Armed forces. The hospital opened in 1916 and, in 2000, moved to two new purpose built sites within the town.

Erskine also boasts the unique natural habitat of Newshot Island Nature Reserve, a salt marsh which juts out into the River Clyde. Contrary to its name, it is now a peninsula,created from silt left over from the widening and deepening of the river in the 1930s, connected the island to Erskine.

The nature reserve acts as a feeding and resting point for a wide array of migratory birds traveling to and from regions such as North America, Siberia and West Africa.

Transport

Erskine is served by Glasgow International Airport, which is located 4 km south of the town.

Old Greenock Road connects Erskine to the M8 motorway, the M898 and the A898 (Erskine Bridge), and to Bishopton. The last tip at the northern side of the A726 also connects to the Erskine bridge, cuts through the centre of Erskine itself and is also the primary road for traveling into the Paisley Area.

There is no railway station in Erskine, but a bus service operates Mon-Sat every hour to its nearest station, Bishopton, from where trains operate to Glasgow Central and to Gourock.

Education

Erskine has five primary schools: Rashielea, Bargarran and Barsail and the Catholic schools St John Bosco and St Anne's.

The town's high school, Park Mains, is the largest school in Renfrewshire county, and one of the biggest in Scotland with over 1,400 students. The school was to receive refurbishment from 2008 onwards, but due to money issues this has been postponed yet again to a later date. in 2009

Notable residents

• James Sheridan, Member of Parliament
• John MacKay, Journalist
• Dougie Vipond, Deacon Blue drummer and broadcaster
• Stephen Philip Donnelly, Film Director Lived in Erskine 1978 - 1988.
• Jimmy Reid, journalist and trade union activist
• John McArthur, Union general during the American Civil War
• John Smeaton, apprehensor of terrorists during the Glasgow Airport Attacks
• Ian Ferguson, former Rangers football player

External links