Bishopbriggs

Coordinates: 55°54′29″N 4°12′54″W / 55.90814°N 4.21506°W / 55.90814; -4.21506

Bishopbriggs
Scottish Gaelic: Coille Dobhair
Scots: Bishops' Riggs
Bishopbriggs  Bishopbriggs shown within Scotland
Population	23,500
OS grid reference	NS615705
Council area	East Dunbartonshire
Lieutenancy area	Dunbartonshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GLASGOW
Postcode district	G64
Dialling code	0141
Police	Strathclyde
Fire	Strathclyde
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	East Dunbartonshire
Scottish Parliament	Strathkelvin and Bearsden
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Bishopbriggs is a commuter town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Though once an independent burgh, its close proximity to Glasgow effectively makes it a suburb of that city. Bishopbriggs grew from a small village on what is now the A803 road from Glasgow to Stirling during the 19th century, eventually growing to incorporate the adjacent villages of Auchinairn, Cadder, Jellyhill and Mavis Valley. It currently has a population of approximately 23,500 people.

History

Map of Bishopbriggs and adjacent villages, circa 1923

Bishopbriggs was first documented in Cadder Parish records of 1655, and according to one historian only had eleven residents in the mid-1700s. Even more than a century later, after substantial growth, the village was still being referred to in the terms of the larger settlement of Cadder. Despite fears that the village would end up being swamped by nearby Glasgow, this was instead the fate of Cadder, originally lands granted by King William the Lion to the Bishop of Glasgow in 1180, with 2,000 acres (800 hectare) eventually being absorbed by the City of Glasgow during the 1920s and 30s.

By 1793, the introduction of new farming techniques had improved yields. While crops such as oats, barley, potatoes and flax flourished, Cadder's population fared less well; a decrease of around 600 from the mid-1760s was attributed to new agricultural methods which combined smaller farms or Run rigs and swept away independent tenants, known as the Lowland Clearances. By 1836 there were 'almost no cotters' with the largest farms employing no more than ten people, and some of those as maid servants. Land reclamation (through drainage) changed the landscape so that crops could grow, where once there was only marshland. Dairy farming was relied upon to cover ground rents.

View of Bishopbriggs Cross looking north along Kirkintilloch Road.

19th century development

With the completion of the Forth and Clyde Canal in 1790, the area began to attract ironstone and coal mining industry. The Carron Company, became the areas's main employer, building the mining villages of Mavis Valley and Jellyhill to accommodate its workers. From there, the Forth and Clyde Canal formed a convenient and direct transport link with their famous ironworks near Falkirk. There were also quarries established at Coltpark (Colston), Crowhill, Huntershill and Kenmure.

Development during the 19th century was slow compared to the industrial-driven expansion of other nearby areas, such as Springburn. In 1836 Bishopbriggs population stood at 175, compared to neighbouring Auchinairn Village's 284. Bishopbriggs train station on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, opened in 1842 however, underlining its status as the emerging focus of the local area, although expansion remained slow throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century. At the time, the village had also been known as 'Bishopbridges' and was so described in published maps up to the mid-1850s. The arrival of the railway heralded a change, although the first printed tickets called the station Bishopbridges, platform signage showed Bishopbriggs and it has remained so ever since.

The area continued to be a major centre for freestone quarrying during the 19th Century, supplying many major municipal building projects in Glasgow, such as Sir George Gilbert Scott's new Glasgow University main building (the second largest Gothic Revival building in Britain). Bishopbriggs Sandstone is from the Upper Limestone Formation of the Lower Carboniferous age. It was one of the most important Glasgow building stones, and was a major supplier of stone for Victorian Glasgow.

The sandstone was considered to be of such value that in the 1850's when the depth of overburden became too great for opencast quarrying, it was mined using the traditional pillar and stall technique. Quarrying ceased in 1907 after a fall at Huntershill killed several men.

20th century development

The Glasgow tramway network was extended north from Springburn to Bishopbriggs in 1903, with a terminus originally at Kirkintilloch Road close to traffic lights at what is now the Triangle Shopping Centre. As all trams were required to switch tracks (and direction) at a central crossover this proved dangerous as the levels of traffic on the main road increased. The tracks were eventually relocated and a new crossover created in a short spur which required all trams to turn left and terminate at Kenmure Avenue, where they changed direction and returned southwards to Glasgow.

Bishopbriggs suffered an economic decline in the early decades of the twentieth century. With the working out of the quarries around the turn of the century, what mines the area had closed systematically thereafter, throughout the 1920s.

Sister Lauras Food Supplement

Manufacturing in the town began to grow after the First World War, one of the manufacturers that located in Bishopbriggs at the time was a producer of Infant formula (Sister Lauras Food Supplement) however, with engineering firms and a wire-rope factory at Crowhill, Trebor Bassett at Huntershill, and Blackie and Sons Publishers at Meadowburn amongst those providing alternative employment.

In 1929, a new 13-acre (53,000 m²) printing works for Blackie and Sons Publishers were erected on Kirkintilloch Road, retaining the name of their original Townhead works, 'The Villafield Press'. During the Second World War, Blackie & Son Ltd used part of their Bishopbriggs works for the manufacture of 3.45" shells for the Ministry of Supply. They also undertook some toolmaking for another Glasgow company, William Beardmore and Company; and, for a short time, produced aircraft radiators. By 1960 the publishing and administration section of the company also relocated from Townhead to join the printing section in Kirkintilloch Road, Bishopbriggs, and in 1971, new premises were occupied in Wester Cleddens Road, eventually becoming the headquarters of the company. The printworks were now no longer required and earmarked for demolition, following a demand for residential property in the area. The Villafield name was retained in the housing estate now on the site, opposite Cooper's Fine Fare supermarket (now Asda)^[1].

The Robert McCarroll Plant Hire company was established at Crowhill in 1934 and continues to operate today^[2].

In 1932 the town saw the opening of its first (and only) cinema, The Kenmure. Located on Kirkintilloch Road it had an impressive towering facade and a single auditorium with capacity for 1000 patrons. Eventually the clientele dwindled after the arrival of television (in 1953) and by 1958 a decision was made to close it down. It lay derelict for a number of years, before being demolished to make way for the Churchill Way shopping centre which was constructed in 1962. The entrance to the cinema was where the Bishopbriggs Sub-Post Office is located.

In the 1930s Bishopbriggs emerged as an administrative centre for local government, although the final stage of its expansion was yet to come. The last major boost to the town's population came about as a result of the large-scale building programmes of the fifties and sixties which replaced Balmuildy, Cadder and Woodhill farmlands with private housing, effectively amalgamating the various villages in the area into a single town, centred on the village of Bishopbriggs.

Modern Bishopbriggs

Overview

The Town centre is known as 'The Village', 'Bishopbriggs Cross' or simply 'The Cross'. The principal retail areas are the Triangle Shopping Centre and the Cross Court. The Triangle Shopping Centre was created via the demolition of older tenement housing stock and the Kenmure Church Hall on the eastern side of Kirkintilloch Road to facilitate the construction of new council offices, twelve retail units, and a Morrisons (formerly Safeway) supermarket in 1991. In the Cross itself, tenement buildings dating from the Victorian era are still present on the western side of Bishopbriggs Cross.

There is also an Asda superstore and the Strathkelvin 300,000 square feet (28,000 m²) Retail Park, including a B&Q Warehouse, located to the north of the town at Cadder, which opened in 1992. Bishopbriggs also contains a diplomatic consulate for Denmark, the Royal Danish consulate^[3].

There is also a pedestrianised area at Cross Court which includes the war memorial, erected in 1920 by the Stirling family, once major land owners in the area. The family seat was Kenmure House (now demolished) in parkland which is now Bishopbriggs Golf Course. Cadder House, built in 1654, was also a Stirling family residence. It is now the clubhouse of Cawder Golf Club ^[4].

In architectural terms, Bishopbriggs is notable for its superior Victorian villas, constructed after local landowners Feued lands to the west of Kirkintilloch Road and Springfield Road from the 1850s, adjacent to the then recently completed Bishopbriggs Station on the Glasgow-to-Edinburgh Railway, its inter-war art deco 'Garden Suburb' on the former Kenmure and Balmuildy Estates, and also for its large scale post-war private housing developments.

Bishopbriggs' Coat of Arms as issued by the Lord Lyon King of Arms

Education

The area is served by seven Primary schools, which are Auchinairn, Woodhill, Wester Cleddens, Balmuildy, Meadowburn, St Helen's and St Matthew's. There were also three Secondary schools, which have recently been rebuilt as the result of a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) investment into education infrastructure, first launched in 2006 by East Dunbartonshire Council.

Bishopbriggs currently has two secondary schools; Bishopbriggs Academy (Non-denominational) at Woodhill and Turnbull High School (Roman Catholic) at Kenmure. Both schools recently constructed new-build campuses, which were completed in August 2009. Bishopbriggs Academy was established in 2006 via the amalgamation of Bishopbriggs High School and Thomas Muir High School and was initally housed in the old Bishopbriggs High School. The new building for Bishopbriggs Academy was originally scheduled to be built at the site of the old Bishopbriggs High School campus near Bishopbriggs Cross. However, after representations from the contractors, the build site was relocated to the site of the former Thomas Muir High School site at Woodhill. The decision to change the location of the new school went against public opinion and caused significant local controversy at the time. The relocation will, however, make available a large area of land adjacent to the Cross ready for further development, including proposals for additional retail outlets and housing. This will require the demolition and rebuilding of the present Morrison's supermarket building and adjacent car park.

In addition to these schools, St Mary's is a secure residential school for Young offenders on remand, under sentence and Children's Panel Orders. It is a modern, purpose built secure unit for 36 young people aged between 11 and 16^[5] Recently the school has experienced some difficulties in containing and controlling inmates resulting in violence and rioting with serious injuries to staff, this has widely been reported in the media. ^[6]

Healthcare

There has been controversy over the decision by NHS Greater Glasgow to downgrade facilities at the local Stobhill Hospital in nearby Springburn to an Ambulatory care facility, which will result in the nearest Accident and Emergency and inpatient facilities being located at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in the city centre, as well as the development of an inpatient Psychiatric hospital at the site. This resulted in Jean Turner's election as the Independent Member of the Scottish Parliament for Strathkelvin and Bearsden on this single issue in 2003, however she eventually lost her seat to Labour's David Whitton in the 2007 elections for the Scottish Parliament.

Religion

The Church of Scotland has three churches and parishes in the town, Cadder, Kenmure and Springfield Cambridge. Colston Wellpark also serves the southern end of the town at the Glasgow boundary. The Free Church of Scotland worships at its church at Auchinairn Road. The Scottish Episcopal Church of St James The Less is situated on Hilton Road, having tranferred from Springburn in 1980^[7]. There are also two Roman Catholic Parishes in the town, St Matthew’s parish was founded in 1946 and the church building was opened in 1950. To reflect the ongoing expansion of the town, St Dominic's parish was established in 1973 and the church building completed in 1977^[8]. There is also a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in the town which is shared by Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch Congregations.

Other Economic and Social Amenities

Other amenities include a municipal library, which forms a prominent local landmark, housed in the B-Listed former buildings of the Bishopbriggs School, which was converted to a library when the new Bishopbriggs High School opened in 1965^[9]. The library was enhanced by a £400,000 refurbishment in recent years. Bishopbriggs also has a large sports centre, the 'Leisuredrome' which opened in 1975 and is one of the best equipped facilities of its kind in Scotland. Located near Bishopbriggs Cross are the former playing fields of Allan Glen's School, which continue to be used by Allan Glens RFC, who play in the Scottish Hydro Electric National League Division Three. There are also numerous football pitches and an Athletics track located in the grounds of Huntershill House, in an area formerly known as Bishops' Moss, in the South of the town. Huntershill is used as the home venue for matches played by Rossvale, a well-known local youth football club.^[10]

Huntershill Village, Crowhill Road, is the site of a number of locally owned small businesses

At Huntershill Village there is a cairn dedicated to Thomas Muir of Huntershill, the Scottish Political Martyrs Gate, finger post and a memorial hutch dedicated to miners and quarry workers. On the 3rd September 2009, Provost Eric Gotts formally opened the Bishopbriggs' Farmers Market which is held on the first Saturday of every month.

Lowmoss Prison was located on the outskirts of the town at the site of a former World War II RAF Barrage balloon station, near to the Strathkelvin Retail Park and Lowmoss Industrial Estate at Cadder. In early January 2007, it was announced that the Scottish Executive had overruled the initial objection by East Dunbartonshire Council for the prison to be extensively modernised and extended, and after completion will be three times its present size, capable of containing 700 inmates in a medium-security facility. The prison closed in May 2007 and construction of replacement is currently underway after a review by the Scottish Government^[11].

Major local firms include the Distribution centre of publisher HarperCollins, located in the Westerhill area of Bishopbriggs, currently employing some 340 people, William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd originally moved there from Townhead in the early 1970s. Also in Westerhill is an Aviva customer service centre, currently employing over 1,000, along with automotive Graphic design firm John McGavigan, which employs around 135 people.

A number of businesses located at Huntershill Village (mainly owned and run by East Dunbartonshire residents) generates employment for over 400 people. Bishopbriggs is also the location of a number of firms operating in the construction sector, with Carillion (approx 250), Carillion/Tiger Training (approx 100 apprentices training at Huntershill Village depot), the Robert McCarroll Plant Hire company, Roofing contractor Marley Contract Services and Civil Engineering firm Luddon based in the town.

Bishopbriggs still remains predominantly a commuter suburb of Glasgow however, with around 80% of its workforce commuting to work in the wider Greater Glasgow area.

Noted Residents

Bust of Thomas Muir by Scottish artist and sculpture to the Queen, Alexander Stoddart. It is on permanent exhibition at Bishopbriggs library (part of the Thomas Muir Exhibition). A replica was also commissioned for the Museum of Australian Democracy and is on exhibition in Canberra.

Famous residents born or lived in the area have included Thomas Muir of Huntershill (the political refomer), the actor and writer Dirk Bogarde between 1934-1937, Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin MP, TV and National Lottery draw presenter Jenni Falconer, singers Amy Macdonald and Lena Martell. Band members Kevin Sherry and Jamie Houston from Attic Lights, former Primal Scream drummer Gavin Skinner, the Oscar-winning director and actor Peter Capaldi, poet and novelist Professor Jackie Kay, musicians Paul Buchanan and Paul Joseph Moore from The Blue Nile, bassist Jack Bruce of seminal 60's supergroup Cream.

Humorists Sanjeev Kohli who played Navid in Scottish sitcom Still Game and his brother Hardeep Singh Kohli, a contributor on BBC magazine shows moved at a very young age to Bishopbriggs and spent their childhood there.

Famous sports people include Alastair Kellock, Scotland cap, lock and captain of Rugby Union side Glasgow Warriors in the Magners League who attended Bishopbriggs High School. Birmingham City F.C. and Scotland striker James McFadden attended Turnbull High School (the local Roman Catholic secondary school), as did top Snooker player Stephen Maguire and former Celtic and Partick Thistle striker Gerry Britton, previously manager of Stranraer F.C. and now assistant manager of Partick Thistle. Celtic striker, Stevie Chalmers, who famously scored the winning goal in the 1967 European Cup Final, also lived in the town. Defender, Jack Lindsay who played for Glasgow Rangers, Bury and Everton in the 1940/50's, comes from Auchinairn. Another noted resident, though it is not known for how long, is Steve Valentine, most well known for his portrayal of Dr. Nigel Townsend on NBC's Crossing Jordan.

Politics

In terms of local government, Bishopbriggs was originally part of the historic county of Lanarkshire, which continues to function as a Lieutenancy area, a successful campaign by the local Ratepayers Association won Bishopbriggs its late bid for independent Burgh status in 1964, in order to avoid being absorbed into the Glasgow Corporation's boundaries, resulting in the formation of Bishopbriggs Town Council. Following local government reorganisation, dissolution of the burgh system, and the creation of Regional and District Authorities, as a result of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, Bishopbriggs became part of the Strathclyde Region in 1975. The local Ratepayers Association again played a major role in keeping Bishopbriggs outwith Glasgow district and within the Strathkelvin district of the Strathclyde Region, along with Kirkintilloch and Lenzie.

With the introduction of the present unitary local government system in 1996, and the dissolution of the Regional and District setup, as a result of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, Bishopbriggs became part of the East Dunbartonshire Council area. As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, it is now represented on the council by two Wards; Bishopbriggs North & Torrance and Bishopbriggs South, represented by three Councillors each^[12]. A Bishopbriggs North & Torrance Councillor, the Conservative's Billy Hendry, is currently deputy-Provost of the Council.

In terms of national government, Bishopbriggs is represented by the Strathkelvin and Bearsden constituency of the Scottish Parliament with the MSP being David Whitton of the Scottish Labour Party, as well as the 7 additional list MSP's that make up the West of Scotland region. The town is represented at Westminster by the East Dunbartonshire constituency of the House of Commons, with the MP being Jo Swinson of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, both constituencies are considered to be Marginal seats, with relatively high numbers of Swing votes. As Scotland comprises a single European Parliament Constituency, Bishopbriggs participates in electing seven MEP's using the d'Hondt method of proportional representation every four years.

Demographics

NRS Social Classifications are used to determine the social classes stated above.

Toponymy

The derivation of the name Bishopbriggs has caused some controversy over the years. Although entirely Scots in origin, some prefer the explanation that it was named after 'the Bishop's Bridge', supposedly that over the Callie Burn that runs through Bishopbriggs Park. Early 19c engraved maps show the settlement as 'Bishopbridges'. However others believed the middle 'b' was a corruption. This, so the argument goes, appeared because it rolls off the tongue more easily than the claimed original name of 'Bishop's Riggs'. In this alternative riggs refers to the lands which the Bishop of Glasgow raised teinds from.

Transport

Air

Glasgow International Airport, at Paisley, is the nearest commercial airport serving the Greater Glasgow region, however a private landing strip at Cumbernauld Airport services smaller aircraft and helicopters.

Road

Bishopbriggs is connected to the UK motorway network at Junction 2 of the M80 motorway at Robroyston. This interchange will connect with the planned Bishopbriggs Relief Road. The main road through the town is the A803 which connects Glasgow to Falkirk and Grangemouth.

Rail

The town is served by Bishopbriggs railway station, and is the first stop for local trains departing from Glasgow Queen Street station on the Croy Line to Stirling. All rail services are provided by SPT. Despite being on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line, no Inter-City services call here. Journey time to Glasgow is just 6 minutes.

Canal

The Bishopbriggs section of the Forth and Clyde Canal opened in 1775 and when completed, connected the River Clyde, at Dalmuir, to the River Forth, at Grangemouth. Junctions at Falkirk with the Union Canal and at Maryhill to the Monkland Canal completed the network. The canal reopened in 2003 to non-commercial navigation as part of the Millennium Project. This included the newly-reconstructed Farm Bridge over the Canal at Mavis Valley, adjacent to the Leisuredrome. The previous fixed Girder bridge replaced an older Bascule bridge, and was built after the closure of the canal in 1962. It had been set at a very low level, inhibiting canal navigation. Farm Bridge was also known as "Brash's Bridge", because members of the Brash family held the post of bridge-keeper for over a century, from 1838 to 1942. Brash's bridge-house was on the north bank of the canal, beside the bridge. The only other Bridge across the canal in Bishopbriggs is at Cadder.

Bus

Bus services are plentiful through the town for all services through the Kelvin Valley (Kirkintilloch, Kilsyth), long-distance services to Stirling and Falkirk are on an hourly basis. Bus companies include First Glasgow and Henderson, as well as a local service from John Morrow Coaches that runs a circular route around the town from 0800-1700 Mon-Fri. Defunct operator Kelvin Scottish Buses had their headquarters in the town.

Twin Town

• Corbeil-Essonnes, France
• Yoichi, Japan

References

External links

• Images of Bishopbriggs
• East Dunbartonshire Council
• Huntershill Village
• Live train departure information
• Woodhill Residents Group