Bearsden
| Bearsden | |
|---|---|
| Population | 27,967 |
| OS grid reference | NS542720 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GLASGOW |
| Postcode district | G61 |
| Dialling code | 0141 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Bearsden is a famously genteel town in East Dunbartonshire, north west of Glasgow, Scotland. It lies on the northwestern fringe of Greater Glasgow, and is effectively a suburb of Glasgow. It is approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from Glasgow City Centre, on the site of the Roman Antonine Wall.
History
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Toponymy
Bearsden was first known as New Kilpatrick and the town's official Gaelic name is Cille Phàdraig Ùr. Following this it came to be called New Kirk.
The current name Bearsden originated from the railway station built in 1863, but the origin of the name itself is unresolved. The station was named after a house near the station site, but it also appears to have been a name for the immediate area. A common explanation is that the sons of a local laird once kept a pet bear in a den there, but there is no evidence to support this. Indeed, as Dr James McCardel pointed out in his "History of New Kilpatrick", captive bears do not live in dens, but in pits.
Bearsden is pronounced /ˌbɛərzˈdɛn/ "bear's den", with stress on both syllables.
The Scots motto on the Bearsden coat of arms[1] is "Bear the Gree", which means 'to take first place'.
Roman
The first known settlement on the site of present-day Bearsden was a 2.5 acre (10,000 m²) Roman fort in the second century AD. Between 142 and 144 AD, under Emperor Antoninus Pius, the Romans built a stone and turf fortification, called the Antonine Wall, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. They also built the Military Way, a road that ran parallel to the south of the wall. They built the aforementioned fort at the intersection of the Military Way, and the north-south road from Glasgow to Loch Lomond. In 164 AD, after only 20 years, the Romans withdrew to Hadrian's Wall.
Little of the fort remains to be seen today. However, close to the fort was a Roman bath-house, built in approximately 142–143 AD. The bath-house's remains were discovered by builders digging foundations for a housing development in 1973. The site was donated to the government, and today the remains lie well-preserved 150 metres from the town centre. Furthermore, two stretches of the Antonine Wall's stone base can be seen in the New Kilpatrick cemetery on Boclair Road.
Modern
Modern Bearsden began in an agricultural area as a small hamlet called New Kirk, or, perhaps, Chapelton. Close landmarks included Canniesburn Toll, a water mill at Garscube, and the New Kilpatrick Parish Church, which was first built in 1649. The present-day church was built in 1808. Prior to 1649 the area formed part of a larger parish called Kilpatrick, the other part then being called Old Kilpatrick covering Dunbarton and areas of west Dunbartonshire,such as Clydebank.
The New Kirk settlement grew in the middle of the nineteenth century when Glaswegian businessmen built houses at a short distance from the city. As a result, the town centre is mainly Victorian and also lies in the Old Bearsden Conservation Area. In 1863, the Glasgow and Milngavie Junction Railway opened, with a station at New Kirk called Bearsden. This soon became the name of the community. The name came from a nearby house but the origins of it are uncertain.
The Bearsden Amateur Football Club was constituted in 1890 and its founders were drawn mainly from the employees of the staging post, originally situated at Bearsden Cross. Their first ground was in Drymen road, now the site of the public hall and All Saints church and when the ground was re-developed the club moved on to Station Road where they played until the club disbanded on the outbreak of war in 1914.
In 1919 the club reformed and played for the first time on their present ground at Thorn Park.
The club won the Scottish Amateur Cup in 1961-62, beating Pencaitland 1-0 at Hampden Park. Presently they participate in the Caledonian Amateur Football League.
In 1906, many buildings were built at Bearsden Cross by Mathew Henderson (he also tried, unsuccessfully, to develop another commuter suburb at Drumchapel). Westerton Garden suburb was built around 1913 and is also now a conservation area near Westerton station. Near this is the site of the former Canniesburn Hospital, which has many Art Deco buildings and where pioneering plastic surgery was performed, notably on the Boy David who was featured on many television programmes and was adopted by one the doctors there. The hospital site has now been developed into flats, but much of the character has been retained and copied. A further station in Bearsden is at Hillfoot.
Bearsden continued to expand in the twentieth century as residents built large independently-designed villas, estates of bungalows, and other types of houses. Few sites are now left unoccupied.
There are two renowned senior schools Bearsden Academy and Boclair Academy which enjoy a strong reputation for excellence. A new Bearsden Academy is due to open in 2009 on the site of the former St Andrews College a teacher training college.
In 1958, Bearsden became a Burgh. Then, in 1975, it became part of Bearsden & Milngavie District Council. Since 1996, it is one of the five towns of East Dunbartonshire Council.
Transport links and physical layout
Bearsden can be accessed by rail from Bearsden, Westerton or Hillfoot stations.
It can also be accessed by road, of which the main routes are:
| Road | Starting point | Ending point | Common names |
|---|---|---|---|
| A739 | Craigton | Canniesburn Toll | Bearsden Road, Switchback Road |
| A809 | Canniesburn Toll | Drymen | Drymen Road, Stockiemuir Road. |
| A808 | Bearsden Cross | Hillfoot station | Roman Road, Roman Drive |
| A81 | Centre of Glasgow | Callander | Milngavie Road |
This aerial photo of Bearsden Cross may be useful when reading the following paragraph. The photo looks south, and the main road running in the vertical direction is Drymen Road. The single (very straight) road which intersects Drymen Road near the centre of the picture is Roman Road.
The town centre is located at the intersection of the A809 (Drymen Road) and A808 (Roman Road). It is known as Bearsden Cross, and, as of December 2005, its surrounding roads were being upgraded by East Dunbartonshire council. Bearsden Primary School,[2] the Burgh Hall, Bearsden Cross Parish Church, at present using the former Bearsden South Church building, and All Saints Episcopal Church[3] are all located immediately next to the town centre. A quarter of a mile east along the A808 (Roman Road), there is a Roman bath-house (see 'History', below) Across from which is the Scout Hall of the 24th Glasgow Scout Group. North, along the A809 (Drymen Road), there is New Kilpatrick Parish Church,[4] Brookwood Library, and Bearsden Ski Club.
Baljaffray is a housing estate in the town. The area now known as "South Baljaffray", encircled by one road, Grampian Way, was the first phase of housing in the early 1970s. In the 1980s, North Baljaffray was built. The two areas are divided by Baljaffray Road. The Manse Burn separates South Baljaffray from an older housing estate, Bonnaughton, to the South, while the east boundary with Mosshead is defined by Stockiemuir Road. It has had a Primary School since 1974, (Baljaffray Primary School) and is within the catchment area for Bearsden Academy. The symbol of Baljaffray Primary is a mine wheel, reflecting the mining history of the area.
Baljaffray also contains a small shopping precinct with a Farmfoods, Chinese Restaurant (New Manor Garden), Newsagents (Shop 'N' Save), fast food takeaway (Spice Chilli), Moss Chemists, Fish and Chip Shop, A barbers, Great Western Taxis and Lidl supermarket.
Due to its proximity to the Rangers FC training ground, many of the players live in Baljaffray.
Demography
Bearsden is primarily a middle-class commuter suburb, with its residents travelling into Glasgow each day to work or study. The majority of its housing stock is detached. According to the 2001 census of Scotland, the area comprises 10,417 households, with a total population of 27,967. This is an increase of 0.6% (or 161 people) since 1991, when the population stood at 27,806 (there are an average of 2.64 people per household). Of these, 8,306 are over 55 years old, 17,700 are in social class ABC1, and 6,052 are in social class C2DE. 73% of working residents surveyed travel to work by car, 16% by train or bus, 5% by other methods, and 6% work mainly at home. Many of the west of Scotland's most expensive houses are in the Old Bearsden Outstanding Conservation Area - Bearsden's postcode (G61) was ranked 7th richest in the UK by a 2005 survey,[5] with an estimated 176 millionaires living there.
Notable people
- Former manager of the Scotland national football team, Alex McLeish
- Singer Darius Danesh
- Wet Wet Wet drummer Tommy Cunningham
- Snooker player Alan McManus
- Singer Alex Kapranos of the Glaswegian band Franz Ferdinand[citation needed]
- Character actor Moultrie Kelsall (b.1901, d.1980)
- Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden
- Everton F.C manager David Moyes.
- Actor Riccardo Arcari.
Leisure Activities
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Bearsden Ski Club
Bearsden Ski Club was formed circa 1964 by a small band of enthusiasts. Located in the middle of Bearsden the club quickly grew to be recognised as one of the major influencers in Scottish ski-ing,[citation needed] producing many world class skiers including Olympian Lesley Beck.
40 years on, the club is based at the West of Scotland Snowsports Centre in the town, and has a membership of about 1200 skiers, boarders and social members. Following the proud traditions of the club a number of skiers are now in the fulltime British Team.[citation needed]
Having spent circa £1million in 2005-06, the club now provides dry slope facilities, incorporating Main alpine slope, two nursery slopes and the freestyle slope. This freestyle slope is the home of the Legion Snowboard who cover the freestyle scene in and around Scotland. However, Legion are independent of the ski club.
Scout Groups
There are two Scout Groups in Bearsden. The first is the 24th Glasgow Scout Group, formed in January 1908[6] it is one of the largest Groups in the UK[7] with four Beaver Colonies, four Cub Packs, two Scout Troops and an Explorer Unit, as well as providing a meeting place for Scout Network. [8]. There is a published history of the group.[6] The group is known for its many international camps, including a biennial visit to the Kandersteg International Scout Centre since 1949 [9]. The Second is the 183rd Glasgow Scout Group, formed in 1947 by the Home Guard. It has two Beaver Colonies, two Cub Packs, one Scout Troop and an Explorer Unit. It currently has over 130 members. Both Groups are part of the Clyde Region of the Scout Association.
Boys' Brigade
Bearsden has two Boys' Brigade Companies. The 1st Bearsden Company of the Boys' Brigade, Founded in 1898. The Company has three sections - Anchor Boys, Junior Section and Company Section. And the 2nd Bearsden Company of the Boys' Brigade, attached to the Westerton Parish Church which was established in 1957, but the BB Company can trace its history back to before that date.
Girlguiding
Girlguiding is active in Bearsden, with units based at Killermont Parish Church and at the Guide Hut in Pendicle Road. The local units are members of the Girlguiding Dunbartonshire.
References
- ^ Bearsden coat of arms: GIF file at the Probus Clubs website.
- ^ Bearsden Primary School: BearsdenAcademy.org website.
- ^ All Saints Episcopal Church: from Joan Kemp's Virgin.net webspace.
- ^ New Kilpatrick Parish Church: NKChurch.org.uk website.
- ^ Millionaire Report: at EuroDirect.co.uk website.
- ^ a b Alec J. Spalding, The 24th 1908–1988: a history of the 24th Glasgow (Bearsden) Scout Group, published by ?, ISBN 0951343904.
- ^ 24th Glasgow (Bearsden) Scout Group (Early History)
- ^ 24th Glasgow (Bearsden) Scout Group (Sections)
- ^ Alec J. Spalding
