Anderston
Encyclopedia
Anderston is a district in the Scottish
city of Glasgow
. It is on the north bank of the River Clyde
and extends to the western edge of the city centre. It was an independent burgh of barony
from 1824 until it was incorporated into the City of Glasgow in 1846.
The district is served by Anderston railway station
.
in 1450.
The lands of Stobcross, which occupied part of this area, were the property of the Anderson family from the late 16th century, and here they built their mansion, Stobcross House. Tradition has it that the name came from a wooden cross or ‘stob’ which marked the spot where a branch road left the main M8 motorway. Stobcross House was demolished in 1875 to make way for Queen’s Dock.
Anderston was originally a small village which was planned and laid out for development in 1725 by James Anderson of Stobcross House on his land. It was named Anderson Town in his honour, later becoming Anderston. It began close to the Gushet farm, which became Anderston Cross and today is the site of the Kingston Bridge which carries the M8 motorway. Ownership of the area changed in 1735 when it was taken over by John Orr. In those days Anderston had bleachfields down by the river and Main Street consisted of weavers cottages along both sides. As business and trade increased so did the size of Anderston. Finnieston
, a nearby village was established in 1768 and soon a busy community was growing up. From its origins as a weaver's village, the area became an industrial centre with the growth of Glasgow's cotton industry. Other industries included engineering, brewing and glassmaking. This led to a large Irish immigrant population moving to the area, and they formed a key part in the character of the area. Thomas Lipton
opened his first shop in Stobcross Street. The area would also later become the home of Italian and Asian populations.
By 1791, the population of the village of Anderston was around 4,000. In the countryside surrounding the village there were many country estates such as Hydepark and Lancefield. These would later be commemorated in the street names of Anderston as the area expanded and became urbanized in the 19th century. The eastern boundary of Anderston was for many years marked by Royalty Stones number 208 and 209, on the north and south sides of the present Argyle Street. The Blythswood Burn had originally flowed through the site, and had marked the eastern boundary of the Stobcross lands. The Royalty Stones stood on the site from around 1782 until they were removed during the Comprehensive Development which took place in the area in the 1960s and 1970s.
By the early 19th century, Anderston was a thriving community, with its population employed mostly in weaving and related industries such as bleaching, dyeing and printing. Other industries were also thriving by this period, such as the Delftfield Pottery (established 1751), the Anderston Brewery (1762), and the Verreville Glassworks
(1776). The areas first church, the Anderston Relief Church in Heddle Place, was erected in 1770.
The area of Anderston now known as Cranstonhill was known in ancient times as Drumother Hill. It became corrupted to Drumover Hill, the reason for this being a myth that it was the place were vagabonds were escorted to, to the tune of the "Rogues' March", when they were drummed out of town. Alexander Peden
prophesized in the 17th century that this hill would one be day be the site of the 'Cross of Glasgow.' At that time, the hill stood in open countryside a few miles from the Burgh of Glasgow.
of Anderston. The council also included three Bailies, eleven councillors and a Treasurer. The Burgh motto was the Latin
Alter Alterius Auxilio Veget, which roughly translates as 'the one flourishes by the help of the other.' However, Anderston's status as an independent Burgh would not last long. In 1846, when the Burgh's population stood at 16,000, it was incorporated into the City of Glasgow.
During the rest of the 19th century, the area continued to grow, and new industries developed, such as shipbuilding, iron-founding, tool manufacturing, and engineering. The close proximity to the docks on the River Clyde meant that Anderston also became an ideal place for the establishment of whisky bonds, grain stores and timber yards. This period also saw the establishment of the famous Cranstonhill and Bilsland Bakeries (in 1865 and 1882 respectively).
The rapid development of industry in the area led to a demand for working class housing, and most of the Anderston area was built in the late 19th century, comprising the solid stone tenement buildings which are synonymus with Glasgow. This was also the period when many of Anderston's churches were built to serve the growing community. These included St Mark's Lancefield (1850), Anderston Parish Church (1865), and St Patrick's RC Church (built in 1898 and now one of the few 19th century buildings still remaining in Anderston).
After World War II
, there was a determination by national and local government that something had to be done about the bad housing and over crowding of the inner city areas which existed in most of the major cities in Britain. These problems were so intractable in Glasgow that one solution considered was 'Comprehensive Development', which meant the demolition of areas of sub standard housing in the city, so that new, planned communities could be built on the cleared ground. 20 Comprehensive Development Areas were designated in Glasgow, with one of them comprising a large part of Anderston.
Although Anderston's housing problems were no worse than many other areas of Glasgow, Anderston was made an area for priority treatment as the need to improve Glasgow's road network had led to the plans for building a motorway through the city. The route of this motorway was to go through Anderston Cross, the traditional heart of the community, and the plan for the comprehensive development of the area was approved in 1961. The work on the road network and the demolition of housing progressed throughout the 1960s. By the following decade, the new Anderston bore little resemblance to the old area. The high density housing and streets full of tenements had been swept away, and most of the residents had been rehoused in places such as Knightswood, Easterhouse, Cumbernauld, Drumchapel and East Kilbride. In 1951, the population had stood at 31,902; by 1971, it had dropped to 9,265 as a result of redevelopment.
The area was much changed irrevocably by the construction of the M8 motorway and Kingston Bridge, whose tangle of concrete flyovers and pedestrian bridges destroyed much of the western fringes of Anderston. The problems were compounded by the construction of the Anderston Centre
, a typical 1960s architectural vision of urban regeneration in the form of a combined shopping, office and residential complex consisting of concrete multi-storey tower blocks, underground carparking and above ground shopping mall. The idea was not a success, and by the 1980s the centre's many covered underpasses and service roads had become a notorious red light district
, with prostitution
a major activity in both Anderston and neighbouring Blythswood Hill
in the evening.
However, with the exponential growth of Glasgow's flourishing new financial district, by the turn of the 21st century, Anderston's fortunes seemed to be improving. New ultra-modern office developments, international hotels and new residential buildings have sprung up, which have improved the look and reputation of the area markedly. After original plans to demolish them, the three tower blocks of the Anderston Centre were saved in favour of refurbishment, after they transferred to the Glasgow West Housing Association. As of 2010 the blocks were being externally reclad to match the design of private developments going up adjacent.
Notable Anderstonians include Sir Thomas Lipton
, Billy Connolly
, Michael Martin
, Alex Mosson
, the Scottish actor Roddy McMillan
and writer/actor Tony Roper
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
city of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. It is on the north bank of the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
and extends to the western edge of the city centre. It was an independent burgh of barony
Burgh of barony
A burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....
from 1824 until it was incorporated into the City of Glasgow in 1846.
The district is served by Anderston railway station
Anderston railway station
Anderston railway station serves Glasgow's Financial district of Anderston and, across the M8 motorway, the housing schemes of Anderston West. It is a manned station with an island platform and most of it is underground.- History :...
.
Foundation of Anderston
The land on which the present day district of Anderston stands was once known as the Bishops Forest. These lands, situated to the west of medieval Glasgow, were granted to the Bishop of Glasgow by King James II of ScotlandJames II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
in 1450.
The lands of Stobcross, which occupied part of this area, were the property of the Anderson family from the late 16th century, and here they built their mansion, Stobcross House. Tradition has it that the name came from a wooden cross or ‘stob’ which marked the spot where a branch road left the main M8 motorway. Stobcross House was demolished in 1875 to make way for Queen’s Dock.
Anderston was originally a small village which was planned and laid out for development in 1725 by James Anderson of Stobcross House on his land. It was named Anderson Town in his honour, later becoming Anderston. It began close to the Gushet farm, which became Anderston Cross and today is the site of the Kingston Bridge which carries the M8 motorway. Ownership of the area changed in 1735 when it was taken over by John Orr. In those days Anderston had bleachfields down by the river and Main Street consisted of weavers cottages along both sides. As business and trade increased so did the size of Anderston. Finnieston
Finnieston
Finnieston is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, situated on the North bank of the River Clyde and between the city's West End and the city centre. It is home to the SECC, where many musical concerts and important conferences are held...
, a nearby village was established in 1768 and soon a busy community was growing up. From its origins as a weaver's village, the area became an industrial centre with the growth of Glasgow's cotton industry. Other industries included engineering, brewing and glassmaking. This led to a large Irish immigrant population moving to the area, and they formed a key part in the character of the area. Thomas Lipton
Thomas Lipton
Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, 1st Baronet, KCVO was a Scotsman of Ulster-Scots parentage who was a self-made man, merchant, and yachtsman. He created the Lipton tea brand and was the most persistent challenger in the history of the America's Cup.-Parentage and childhood:Lipton was born in Glasgow...
opened his first shop in Stobcross Street. The area would also later become the home of Italian and Asian populations.
By 1791, the population of the village of Anderston was around 4,000. In the countryside surrounding the village there were many country estates such as Hydepark and Lancefield. These would later be commemorated in the street names of Anderston as the area expanded and became urbanized in the 19th century. The eastern boundary of Anderston was for many years marked by Royalty Stones number 208 and 209, on the north and south sides of the present Argyle Street. The Blythswood Burn had originally flowed through the site, and had marked the eastern boundary of the Stobcross lands. The Royalty Stones stood on the site from around 1782 until they were removed during the Comprehensive Development which took place in the area in the 1960s and 1970s.
By the early 19th century, Anderston was a thriving community, with its population employed mostly in weaving and related industries such as bleaching, dyeing and printing. Other industries were also thriving by this period, such as the Delftfield Pottery (established 1751), the Anderston Brewery (1762), and the Verreville Glassworks
Verreville Glass and Pottery Works, Glasgow
Verreville Glassworks was established on the north bank of the River Clyde in the village of Finnieston in 1777. Glass making was discontinued in 1842...
(1776). The areas first church, the Anderston Relief Church in Heddle Place, was erected in 1770.
The area of Anderston now known as Cranstonhill was known in ancient times as Drumother Hill. It became corrupted to Drumover Hill, the reason for this being a myth that it was the place were vagabonds were escorted to, to the tune of the "Rogues' March", when they were drummed out of town. Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden
Alexander Peden , also known as Prophet Peden, was one of the leading forces in the Covenanter movement, was born at Auchincloich Farm near Sorn, Ayrshire, about 1626, and was educated at the University of Glasgow...
prophesized in the 17th century that this hill would one be day be the site of the 'Cross of Glasgow.' At that time, the hill stood in open countryside a few miles from the Burgh of Glasgow.
Nineteenth century
In the early 19th century, Henry Houldsworth, a cotton mill owner, bought the lands of Cranstonhill and a villa which stood there. The estate would later give way to reservoirs, bleachworks and then tenement housing. In 1824, when Anderston's population stood at around 10,000, the town was made a Burgh of Barony. The first Town Council was elected, with Henry Houldsworth being chosen as the first ProvostProvost (civil)
A provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...
of Anderston. The council also included three Bailies, eleven councillors and a Treasurer. The Burgh motto was the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Alter Alterius Auxilio Veget, which roughly translates as 'the one flourishes by the help of the other.' However, Anderston's status as an independent Burgh would not last long. In 1846, when the Burgh's population stood at 16,000, it was incorporated into the City of Glasgow.
During the rest of the 19th century, the area continued to grow, and new industries developed, such as shipbuilding, iron-founding, tool manufacturing, and engineering. The close proximity to the docks on the River Clyde meant that Anderston also became an ideal place for the establishment of whisky bonds, grain stores and timber yards. This period also saw the establishment of the famous Cranstonhill and Bilsland Bakeries (in 1865 and 1882 respectively).
The rapid development of industry in the area led to a demand for working class housing, and most of the Anderston area was built in the late 19th century, comprising the solid stone tenement buildings which are synonymus with Glasgow. This was also the period when many of Anderston's churches were built to serve the growing community. These included St Mark's Lancefield (1850), Anderston Parish Church (1865), and St Patrick's RC Church (built in 1898 and now one of the few 19th century buildings still remaining in Anderston).
Twentieth century
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, even though it had been a part of Glasgow since 1846, Anderston remained in many respects like a large village within a city. There was a strong sense of local identity (which still survives to this day), with the area being well-served and self-contained in regard to shops, cinemas and places of employment. Like many other similar areas of Glasgow, relatives and friends tended to live locally (often in the same building), and everyone knew everyone else in the area, to a large extent. But this situation would change in the post-war era.After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, there was a determination by national and local government that something had to be done about the bad housing and over crowding of the inner city areas which existed in most of the major cities in Britain. These problems were so intractable in Glasgow that one solution considered was 'Comprehensive Development', which meant the demolition of areas of sub standard housing in the city, so that new, planned communities could be built on the cleared ground. 20 Comprehensive Development Areas were designated in Glasgow, with one of them comprising a large part of Anderston.
Although Anderston's housing problems were no worse than many other areas of Glasgow, Anderston was made an area for priority treatment as the need to improve Glasgow's road network had led to the plans for building a motorway through the city. The route of this motorway was to go through Anderston Cross, the traditional heart of the community, and the plan for the comprehensive development of the area was approved in 1961. The work on the road network and the demolition of housing progressed throughout the 1960s. By the following decade, the new Anderston bore little resemblance to the old area. The high density housing and streets full of tenements had been swept away, and most of the residents had been rehoused in places such as Knightswood, Easterhouse, Cumbernauld, Drumchapel and East Kilbride. In 1951, the population had stood at 31,902; by 1971, it had dropped to 9,265 as a result of redevelopment.
The area was much changed irrevocably by the construction of the M8 motorway and Kingston Bridge, whose tangle of concrete flyovers and pedestrian bridges destroyed much of the western fringes of Anderston. The problems were compounded by the construction of the Anderston Centre
Anderston Centre
The Anderston Centre is a mixed-use commercial and residential complex, and former bus station located in the Anderston area of Glasgow, Scotland...
, a typical 1960s architectural vision of urban regeneration in the form of a combined shopping, office and residential complex consisting of concrete multi-storey tower blocks, underground carparking and above ground shopping mall. The idea was not a success, and by the 1980s the centre's many covered underpasses and service roads had become a notorious red light district
Red Light District
Red Light District may refer to:* Red-light district - a neighborhood where prostitution is common* The Red Light District - the title of the 2004 album by rapper Ludacris* Red Light District Video - a pornography studio based in Los Angeles, California...
, with prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
a major activity in both Anderston and neighbouring Blythswood Hill
Blythswood Hill
Blythswood Hill is an area of Glasgow, Scotland.It lies to the immediate west of the city centre and as the name suggests rises to a plateau before dipping again towards the west end area of Woodlands....
in the evening.
However, with the exponential growth of Glasgow's flourishing new financial district, by the turn of the 21st century, Anderston's fortunes seemed to be improving. New ultra-modern office developments, international hotels and new residential buildings have sprung up, which have improved the look and reputation of the area markedly. After original plans to demolish them, the three tower blocks of the Anderston Centre were saved in favour of refurbishment, after they transferred to the Glasgow West Housing Association. As of 2010 the blocks were being externally reclad to match the design of private developments going up adjacent.
Notable Anderstonians include Sir Thomas Lipton
Thomas Lipton
Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, 1st Baronet, KCVO was a Scotsman of Ulster-Scots parentage who was a self-made man, merchant, and yachtsman. He created the Lipton tea brand and was the most persistent challenger in the history of the America's Cup.-Parentage and childhood:Lipton was born in Glasgow...
, Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
, Michael Martin
Michael Martin (politician)
Michael John Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn, PC is a British politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Springburn from 1979 to 2005, and then for Glasgow North East until 2009...
, Alex Mosson
Alex Mosson
Alex Mosson, is a former Lord Provost of Glasgow.He was an official of the Transport and General Workers' Union and a member of the Labour Party and elected councillor for Anderston in 1984....
, the Scottish actor Roddy McMillan
Roddy McMillan
Roddy McMillan was a Scottish actor and playwright, possibly most famous for his comedy role as Para Handy for BBC Scotland television. He also played the lead role in Edward Boyd's private eye series, The View from Daniel Pike.The Glasgow-born McMillan's earliest theatre work began in the...
and writer/actor Tony Roper
Tony Roper (actor)
Tony Roper is a Scottish actor, comedian, playwright and writer.His first major starring role was in Scotch and Wry. He wrote the classic comedy-drama The Steamie in 1988. He achieved even greater fame in Naked Video and in the spin off series Rab C Nesbitt, in which he played Rab's...
.
Education
Anderston Primary School, a non-denominational state school, is located on Port Street in Anderston. The headteacher is Mary McKerrell.Sports Teams
The area is home to football team Anderston Athletic who play in the Glasgow Colleges FA Division 2.List of the Provosts of Anderston
- Henry Houldsworth 1824-1832
- Angus McAlpine 1832-1833
- Patrick McNaught 1833-1835
- James TurnbullJames TurnbullJames Turnbull is an Australian free software and open source author, security specialist, and software developer. He lives in Portland, Oregon where he is VP Technology Operations for open source start-up Puppet Labs.-Career:...
1835-1837 - Henry Houldsworth 1837-1839
- James Jarvie 1839-1842
- John MillerJohn Miller-Politics:* John Miller , Governor of North Dakota, 1889–1891* John Miller , Governor of Missouri, 1826–1832; U.S. Representative from Missouri, 1837–1843...
1842-1843 - John Houldsworth 1843-1846