Arden is a medium-sized

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States ...

on the south-western edge of the city of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

, Scotland. The

M77 motorway The M77 motorway is a motorway in Scotland. It begins in Glasgow at the M8 motorway at Kinning Park, and terminates near Kilmarnock at Fenwick, becoming the A77 dual carriageway. Changes were made in 2005 segregating a lane on the M8 motor ...

runs directly to the west of the neighbourhood, with Junction 3 serving the area; a small

industrial estate An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...

is located to the south-east (this falls within Glasgow although is named after the neighbouring settlement of

Thornliebank Thornliebank ( Scots: ''Thonliebank'', Scottish Gaelic: ''Bruach nan Dealgan'') is a suburban area in East Renfrewshire, in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation, it is located on the Auldhouse Burn about ...

East Renfrewshire East Renfrewshire ( sco, Aest Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù an Ear) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. Until 1975, it formed part of the county of Renfrewshire for local government purposes along with the modern council areas ...

). The residential area of

Carnwadric Carnwadric is a residential area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated south of the River Clyde, and is bordered by a park to the north (King George V Park, on the other side of which is the Kennishead neighbourhood), the Arden housing estate t ...

is to the north-east of Arden, and the

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and ...

part of

Deaconsbank Deaconsbank is a neighbourhood in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde. The main feature of the area, which falls into the ''Greater Pollok'' ward of Glasgow City Council and directly borders the East Renfrewshir ...

to the south, while the land to the north is open ground (formerly Kennishead Farm) and woodland.

History

Historically, Arden was a farm and formed part of

Sir John Maxwell ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

's land, one of approximately seven adjoining holdings which were situated on ancient Stewart land, originally granted to

Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland Walter Stewart (G. W. S. Barrow, ‘Stewart family (per. c.1110–c.1350)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004.9 April 1327) was the 6th Hereditary High Steward of Scotland and was the father of King Ro ...

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...

upon his marriage to Marjorie Bruce, the King's eldest daughter. Arden is near

, a village formed on the river to manufacture cloth and a specialized printing of cloth known as

beetling Beetling is the pounding of linen or cotton fabric to give a flat, lustrous effect. Process Beetling was a textile finishing method of obtaining an aesthetic finish i.e. lustre in cotton or linen based fabrics, the cloth was exposed under the ha ...

; Thornliebank linen was quite famous from the early-nineteenth century until the closure of the mill, in or around 1920. The building adjoining part of what is now Arden was used as a Prisoner of War (POW) camp during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The S.S.H.A (Scottish Special Housing Association) built the estate (consisting mostly of four-storey

tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, i ...

s with a common close entrance) between 1953 and 1957 to rehouse families from the old, overcrowded inner city tenements. Arden became very run-down during the 1970s and 1980s, with grants made for its refurbishment. It is not quite completed but is much improved. The shopping area containing around six businesses is in immediate need of investment and refurbishment. In 1999, the estate was bought by ''Glen Oaks Housing Association'' for a rumoured £6 million but the association has since acknowledged this may have been a rather inflated sum, and they have struggled to make necessary repairs as they are funded only by rents.

Amenities

Arden became the first housing scheme to have a public house (The Cuillins) privately built in 1964-5 which then became a brewery pub in 1968. Arden boasts the new Ashpark Primary School which opened on 2 December 2008 and replaced the former Arden Primary School and Carnwadric Primary School. The second school, St. Louise Primary was merged with the newly rebuilt St. Vincent's Primary in

, St. Louise's closed in June 2009 and the buildings subsequently demolished. The nearest railway station is , named after another of Sir John Maxwell's farms.

In popular culture

Arden featured in the documentary programme '' Colin and Justin on the Estate'' which looked at the efforts to improve the area. Some of the current and former residents of Arden, were concerned about the slant of the show, and were particularly annoyed by the fact that the producers of the show concentrated their attention on housing units that were scheduled for demolition and not on housing that had seen extensive and successful renovation. Alasdair McKee, Glen Oaks chief executive, concluded however, that the program was a success and "the improvements have helped to convince people that we can make a difference" and contributed to a waiting list of people wanting to get into the estate.

Social deprivation

Over the years, the area has gained a reputation as a well documented centre of social deprivation, particularly the southern area near Nitshill Road. The life expectancy for males in this part of the city is around 60 years, as a result of the 'Glasgow effect'.

Gallery

File:Glasgow. Arden. Housing estate. Kyleakin Road.jpg, Housing. 95-97 Kyleakin Road. File:Glasgow. Arden. Housing estate. Carnwadric Road.jpg, Housing. Carnwadric Road. File:Glasgow. Arden. Housing estate. 1 Kilmiur Road.jpg, Housing. 1 Kilmiur Road. File:Glasgow. Arden. Housing estate. 72 - 74 Kyleakin Road.jpg, Housing. 72-74 Kyleakin Road. File:Glasgow. Arden. Polish Shop "Varsovia". 9 Kilmaluag Terrace.jpg, Polish Shop "Varsovia". 9 Kilmaluag Terrace. File:Glasgow. Arden. View from Kyleakin Road to the shops between Kilmaluag Terrace and Kyleakin Road.jpg, Shops between Kilmaluag Terrace and Kyleakin Road. File:Glasgow. Arden. Grocery store. 59 Kyleakin Road.jpg, Grocery store. 59 Kyleakin Road. File:Glasgow. Arden. Cuillins Bar. 51 - 53 Kyleakin Road.jpg, Cuillins Bar. 51-53 Kyleakin Road. File:Glasgow. Arden. Playground. Bench. Kilmuir Crescent.jpg, Playground. Bench. Kilmuir Crescent. File:Glasgow. Arden. Arden Community Hall. 7 Kilmuir Drive.jpg, Arden Community Hall. 7 Kilmuir Drive.

Notes and references

External links

*
D.A.C.K. Community Council
{{Areas of Glasgow Housing estates in Glasgow Areas of Glasgow