Woodhall, Port Glasgow
Encyclopedia
Woodhall is a housing scheme in the lower east end of Port Glasgow
, Inverclyde
in Scotland
. It stands on land once occupied by Woodhall mansion and estate. The mansion stood where St Martin's church now stands on Mansion Avenue. Woodhall is on a north facing slope, overlooking the River Clyde
and is bounded on the north by the River Clyde
, on the south by Parkhill Avenue, on the west by Port Glasgow cemetery and on the east by what is now the Castlebank housing estate which is on the site of the former Broadfield Hospital.
Woodhall Terrace consisted of fine red sandstone tenements along the south side of the A8 Glasgow Road. Woodhall Square was a major bus terminus, with a service every ten minutes to Gourock at peak times and hourly "through" services to Glasgow and Largs. Dino's Italian Cafe and shop stood in the square and was popular with day-trippers heading for the bus to Gourock or those going by foot to picnic at nearby Parklea on the banks of the Clyde.
There was a busy Co-op grocery shop on Brightside Avenue at the junction with Mansion Avenue, one of several local Co-op shops in Port Glasgow. Further up the hill, Parkhill Square was also a bus terminus until the late 1960s at which time the buses started to run on up the hill to Oronsay Avenue in Park Farm and Bardrainney.
The adjacent Woodhall Park, which was home to Port Glasgow F.C.
, better known as The Port Juniors, was cleared and zoned for industrial use by Inverclyde Council in 2000 - the land remains derelict at the time of writing in 2009.
on 29 January 2009.
on the Inverclyde Line
which has regular services to and from Glasgow Central
and Gourock
. Local buses run from Greenock
town centre to Oronsay Avenue via Heggies Avenue every twenty minutes at peak times.
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16617 persons...
, Inverclyde
Inverclyde
Inverclyde is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire - which current exists as a registration county and lieutenancy area - located in the west...
in Scotland
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...
. It stands on land once occupied by Woodhall mansion and estate. The mansion stood where St Martin's church now stands on Mansion Avenue. Woodhall is on a north facing slope, overlooking 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 is bounded on the north by 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....
, on the south by Parkhill Avenue, on the west by Port Glasgow cemetery and on the east by what is now the Castlebank housing estate which is on the site of the former Broadfield Hospital.
History
Built in the 1930s as the town expanded eastwards, Woodhall was a thriving community centred on Woodhall Square and the adjoining Woodhall Terrace at the foot of the hill. Mansion Avenue and Heggies Avenue climb up the steep hill to opposite ends of Parkhill Avenue, whilst Brightside, Pleasantside and Sunnyside Avenues (plus a branch of Mansion Avenue) follow the contours of the hill and are therefore reasonably flat.Woodhall Terrace consisted of fine red sandstone tenements along the south side of the A8 Glasgow Road. Woodhall Square was a major bus terminus, with a service every ten minutes to Gourock at peak times and hourly "through" services to Glasgow and Largs. Dino's Italian Cafe and shop stood in the square and was popular with day-trippers heading for the bus to Gourock or those going by foot to picnic at nearby Parklea on the banks of the Clyde.
There was a busy Co-op grocery shop on Brightside Avenue at the junction with Mansion Avenue, one of several local Co-op shops in Port Glasgow. Further up the hill, Parkhill Square was also a bus terminus until the late 1960s at which time the buses started to run on up the hill to Oronsay Avenue in Park Farm and Bardrainney.
Industry
There was no industry in the area until a small industrial estate named Kelburn Business Park opened in the 1980s, alongside the realigned A8 dual carriageway. Two of the three units are occupied by Vango and White House Products Ltd, the third unit was vacated by Chinese company Amphenol in 2001.The adjacent Woodhall Park, which was home to Port Glasgow F.C.
Port Glasgow F.C.
The Port Glasgow Juniors F.C. are a Scottish football club, currently based in the town of Greenock, Inverclyde.Nicknamed the Undertakers, they were formed as Port Glasgow Athletic Juveniles F.C. in 1948 as an offshoot of Clune Rock Juveniles. They stepped up to the Junior ranks a year later and...
, better known as The Port Juniors, was cleared and zoned for industrial use by Inverclyde Council in 2000 - the land remains derelict at the time of writing in 2009.
2009
All but one of the tenements on Woodhall Terrace were demolished in 2002, along with many of the houses on "the avenues" and all of the houses on and to the east of Parkhill Square, leaving the area with a forlorn, ghost-town look today. Dino has long gone, but the building survives and is occupied by a Post Office and licenced grocer. The Co-op building on Brightside has become Riverview Resource Centre. St Martin's Church and hall are still there, behind a stockade-like fence. Further along Mansion Avenue is Tree Tops Nursery, standing alone on a street where the houses have all been demolished.The future
Plans by River Clyde Homes to build new houses on Parkhill Avenue were reported by local newspaper The Greenock TelegraphGreenock Telegraph
The Greenock Telegraph is a local daily newspaper serving Inverclyde, Scotland.Founded in 1857, it was the first halfpenny daily newspaper in Britain. It was for a time Greenock Telegraph and Clyde Shipping Gazette, owing to the massive amount of maritime traffic moving in and out of Greenock's...
on 29 January 2009.
Public transport
The area is served by Woodhall railway stationWoodhall railway station
Woodhall railway station serves the eastern part of the town of Port Glasgow in Inverclyde, Scotland. The station is sited in the Woodhall area and is west of on the Inverclyde Line.Woodhall station is staffed only on Monday to Saturday in the daytime....
on the Inverclyde Line
Inverclyde Line
The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it connects to Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services...
which has regular services to and from Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central has more than one meaning:*Glasgow Central railway station, a railway station in Glasgow, Scotland*Glasgow Central , a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1885 to 1997 and from 2005 to present...
and Gourock
Gourock
Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...
. Local buses run from Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
town centre to Oronsay Avenue via Heggies Avenue every twenty minutes at peak times.