Bishopbriggs ( sco, The Briggs; gd, Achadh an Easbaig) is a town in
East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bea ...
, Scotland. It lies on the northern fringe of
Greater Glasgow
Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...
, approximately from the
city centre.
Historically
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
in
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...
, the area was once part of the historic
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
of
Cadder - originally lands granted by
King William the Lion to the
Bishop of Glasgow
The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Scottish Episcopal Church, it is now part of th ...
,
Jocelin, in 1180. It was later part of the county of
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...
, and then an independent
burgh from 1964 to 1975. Today, Bishopbriggs' close geographic proximity to
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 popul ...
now effectively makes it a suburb and
commuter town
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many ...
of the city. The town's original Gaelic name ''Coille Dobhair'' reflects the name of the old parish of Cadder, but modern Gaelic usage uses Drochaid an Easbaig, a literal translation of Bishopbriggs. It was ranked the 2nd most desirable postcode in Scotland to live in following a study by the Centre for Economic and Business Research in 2015 and 2016.
Bishopbriggs grew from a small rural village on the old road from Glasgow to
Kirkintilloch and
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
during the 19th century, eventually growing to incorporate the adjacent villages of
Auchinairn
Auchinairn ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Achadh an Fheàrna'') is a suburb (formerly a village) within East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, and shares its southern boundary with the Robroyston and Balornock districts within the City of Glasgow.
History
;Etym ...
,
Cadder, Jellyhill and Mavis Valley. It has a population of approximately 23,500 people.
History
Bishopbriggs' history stretches at least to
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
times, as
Cadder was a Roman fort on the
Antonine Wall, the furthest and most northerly boundary of the Roman Empire.
As early as 1568, reference is made to a path northwards from Glasgow as the 'common passage to Bischopis Briggis'. Bishopbriggs was first documented in the Cadder Parish records of 1655, and was recorded to have had only eleven residents in the mid-18th century. 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 the rapid expansion of nearby Glasgow it managed to avoid this, however of the wider parish of Cadder were eventually absorbed by Glasgow Corporation in 1926, which would be used to construct the
Milton peripheral housing scheme from the late 1940s.
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 rig
Run rig, or runrig, also known as rig-a-rendal, was a system of land tenure practised in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Islands. It was used on open fields for arable farming.
Its origins are not clear, but it is possible that the p ...
s and swept away independent tenants, known as the
Lowland Clearances
The Lowland Clearances were one of the results of the Scottish Agricultural Revolution, which changed the traditional system of agriculture which had existed in Lowland Scotland in the seventeenth century. Thousands of cottars and tenant farmers ...
. By 1836 there were 'almost no
cotters' with the largest farms employing no more than ten people, and some of those only 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.
19th-century development
With the completion of the
Forth and Clyde Canal
The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allowe ...
in 1790, the area began to attract ironstone and coal mining industry. The
Carron Company
The Carron Company was an ironworks established in 1759 on the banks of the River Carron near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, Scotland. After initial problems, the company was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom. T ...
, became the area's main employer, building the mining villages of Mavis Valley and Jellyhill to accommodate its workers. From there, the
Forth and Clyde Canal
The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allowe ...
formed a convenient and direct transport link with their famous ironworks near
Falkirk. There were also freestone quarries established at Coltpark (
Colston), Crowhill, Huntershill and Kenmure.
Development during the 19th century was slow compared to the industrially-driven expansion of other nearby areas, such as
Springburn
Springburn ( gd, Allt an Fhuairainn) is an inner-city district in the north of the Scottish city of Glasgow, made up of generally working-class households.
Springburn developed from a rural hamlet at the beginning of the 19th century. Its ind ...
. In 1836 Bishopbriggs' population stood at 175, compared to neighbouring
Auchinairn
Auchinairn ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Achadh an Fheàrna'') is a suburb (formerly a village) within East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, and shares its southern boundary with the Robroyston and Balornock districts within the City of Glasgow.
History
;Etym ...
Village's 284.
Bishopbriggs railway station
Bishopbriggs railway station is a railway station serving Bishopbriggs in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is located on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line, north of , but is currently only served by services on the Croy Line.
History
...
on the
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was authorised by Act of Parliament on 4 July 1838. It was opened to passenger traffic on 21 February 1842, between its Glasgow Queen Street railway station (sometimes referred to at first as Dundas Street) and ...
, 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 19th century. The population of Bishopbriggs was recorded as 658 in 1861 and 782 in 1871. At the time, the village had also been known as 'Bishopbridges' and was so described thus or similarly 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. Groome, in 1882, described it as being "inhabited chiefly by poor Irish families".
Cadder Yard (2 km north of the Cross) became a major facility for the routing of freight and minerals on the line. Short spurs were constructed to link the various quarries (initially with the Forth & Clyde Canal) for transportation of minerals, very little evidence of this is visible today, but it is still possible to discover wooden sleepers in odd places. An underpass for the line which crosses under the A803 Kirkintilloch Road (at Hilton Road) was converted to a pedestrian subway and is one of the town's hidden gems. Also at Cadder Yard was a short spur that connected with Bishopbriggs Oil Terminal, used as a distribution point for West of Scotland deliveries before it ultimately closed in 1982.
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
Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...
's new
Glasgow University
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
main building (the second largest
Gothic Revival building in Britain). The blonde coloured Bishopbriggs Sandstone is from the Upper
Limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
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 along with stone from quarries in other local areas such as
Giffnock
Giffnock (; sco, Giffnock; gd, Giofnag, ) is a town and the administrative centre of East Renfrewshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland.
It lies east of Barrhead, east-southeast of Paisley and northwest of East Kilbride, at the south ...
. Increasing demand for building stone and the emergence of the railways allowed for the additional transportation of red sandstone to Glasgow from quarries in
Locharbriggs
Locharbriggs is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located near the Lochar Water, north-northeast of the town of Dumfries. It was one of several villages that stood on the edge of the Lochar Moss which was largely reclaimed in ...
from the late 19th century onwards.
The blonde sandstone however was still considered to be of such value that in the 1850s 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 however 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 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. The tram service ceased across Glasgow in 1962.
Bishopbriggs suffered an economic decline in the early decades of the 20th century. With the working out of the quarries at that time, what mines the area had closed systematically thereafter, throughout the 1920s.
Manufacturing in the town began to grow after the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, one of the manufacturers that located in Bishopbriggs at the time was a producer of
Infant formula
Infant formula, baby formula, or simply formula (American English); or baby milk, infant milk or first milk (British English), is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepar ...
,
Sister Lauras Food Supplement
Sister Lauras Food Supplement (sometimes written as Sister Laura's Food'','' though the product's label did not include an apostrophe) was a nutritional product, developed and manufactured in Scotland in the early- and mid-twentieth century.
H ...
. There were also engineering firms and the Scottish Wire Rope Company factory at Crowhill,
Trebor Bassett
Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mars ...
at Huntershill, and Blackie and Sons Publishers at Cadder amongst those providing alternative employment.
In 1929, a new printing works for
Blackie and Sons Publishers were erected on Kirkintilloch Road, retaining the name of their original
Townhead
Townhead ( gd, Ceann a' Bhaile, sco, Tounheid) is an area of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated immediately north-east of Glasgow city centre and contains a residential sector (redeveloped from an older neighbourhood in the mid 20th ...
works, 'The Villafield Press'. 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 ...
, 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
William Beardmore and Company was a British engineering and shipbuilding conglomerate based in Glasgow and the surrounding Clydeside area. It was active from 1886 to the mid-1930s and at its peak employed about 40,000 people. It was founded and ...
; 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).
The Robert McCarroll
Plant Hire
Equipment rental, also called plant hire in some countries (in the UK for instance), is a service industry providing machinery, equipment and tools of all kinds and sizes (from earthmoving to powered access, from power generation to hand-held ...
company was established at Crowhill in 1934 and continues to operate today.
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 (and demolished in 1993). The entrance to the cinema was where the Bishopbriggs Sub-Post Office is now located.
Proposals were also drawn up for the creation of a "
Garden suburb
The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, industry, and ...
" at
Cadder by
Patrick Abercrombie
Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie (; 6 June 1879 – 23 March 1957) was an English regional and town planner. Abercrombie was an academic during most of his career, and prepared one city plan and several regional studies prior to the Second Worl ...
, under the instruction of
Sir John Stirling-Maxwell in 1936 but by the 1950s just 26 art deco
bungalows had been completed.
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 town was bombed by the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
at around midnight on 7 April 1941, as part of a series of raids on the
Greater Glasgow
Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...
area during early 1941, which included the notorious
Clydebank Blitz
The Clydebank Blitz were a pair of air raids conducted by the ''Luftwaffe'' on the shipbuilding and munition-making town of Clydebank in Scotland. The bombings took place in March 1941.
The air raids were part of a bombing program known today as ...
some three weeks earlier. Approximately five bombs were dropped in the vicinity of South Crosshill Road. One fell behind Cadder Church Hall, an annex building of Bishopbriggs School (now the library) housing the junior school, that had been converted into an
Air Raid Precautions first-aid post, received a direct hit, killing five staff instantly, along with four civilian residents of South Crosshill Road. Three ARP staff were also injured in the blast and died of their injuries at Lennox Castle Hospital in
Lennoxtown
Lennoxtown ( gd, Baile na Leamhnachd, ) is a town in East Dunbartonshire council area and the historic county of Stirlingshire, Scotland at the foot of the Campsie Fells, which are just to the north. The town had a population of 4,094 at the 20 ...
the next day. The only strategic targets in the area were the railway and RAF Bishopbriggs (now Low Moss Prison), a barrage balloon depot established at Cadder in 1939.
After the war, an unprecedented boost to the town's population came about as a result of the large-scale building programmes of the fifties and sixties which eventually 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, increasing the population from 5,272 in 1951 to 21,000 in the early 1970s. The significant increase in local population was at least partially influenced by the recommendations of the
Bruce Report
The Bruce Report (or the Bruce Plan) is the name commonly given to the ''First Planning Report to the Highways and Planning Committee of the Corporation of the City of Glasgow''Robert Bruce (1945), ''First Planning report to the Highways and Pla ...
, which advocated the reduction of the population density of inner-city Glasgow and dispersal of its population to the outskirts and suburbs of the city.
Agriculture continued to diminish in importance throughout the 20th century as demand for residential development grew; in 1920 there were 31 working farms in the area, in 1948 that number had fallen to 24 and by 1989 there were only 13 left.
Modern Bishopbriggs
Bishopbriggs Cross
The
Town centre
A town centre is the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town. Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus s ...
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 development called 'The Triangle' so called due to the shape of the available land. The first floor fronting Kirkintilloch Road contained commercial offices, with its first anchor tenant
as a district council office, twelve retail units, and a
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqu ...
(formerly
Safeway
Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...
) 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 are proposals by Muse Developments for a £32 million redevelopment of the Triangle Shopping Centre, incorporating the former site of Bishopbriggs High School. The plans include: the creation of new public space, retail units, surface car parking, the relocation of St. Matthew's Church and hall and the construction of a new, larger, Morrisons supermarket. There has however been controversy over the demolition of the former Games Hall at Bishopbriggs High in May 2010.
Within Bishopbriggs Cross is also a pedestrianised area at Cross Court which includes the
war memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
, erected in 1920 by the
Stirling family, once major land owners in the area.
Other retailers in Bishopbriggs include an
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...
superstore and the Strathkelvin
Retail Park
A retail park is a type of shopping centre found on the fringes of most large towns and cities in the United Kingdom and other European countries. They form a key aspect of European retail geographies, alongside indoor shopping centres, standal ...
, including a
B&Q, located to the north of the town at Cadder, which opened in 1992.
A number of businesses located at
Huntershill Village generates useful employment in the area.
In architectural terms, Bishopbriggs is notable for its superior Victorian
villa
A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...
s, 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 Estate, and also for its large-scale post-war private housing developments, which has more recently also including housing developments in the neighbouring formerly rural area of
Robroyston
Robroyston ( gd, Baile Raibeart Ruadh) is a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, located around 3 miles (5 km) north-east of the Glasgow city centre, city centre.
To the north, it directly adjoins Auchinairn (part of Bishopbriggs) in the neighbour ...
.
Education
The area is served by six
Primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
s; Balmuildy, Meadowburn, St Helen's, St Matthew's, Thomas Muir and Wester Cleddens. Meadowburn Primary School hosts a Gaelic Medium Unit. There are also two Secondary schools, both of which have been rebuilt as the result of a
Public-Private Partnership investment into education infrastructure, first launched in 2006 by
East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bea ...
Council.
Bishopbriggs has two secondary schools;
Bishopbriggs Academy
Bishopbriggs Academy is a secondary school in the town of Bishopbriggs, Scotland, in the district of East Dunbartonshire. Bishopbriggs Academy is a non-denominational, co-educational, comprehensive school taking pupils from S1 to S6. It is cur ...
(
Non-denominational) at Woodhill and
Turnbull High School
Turnbull High School is a co-educational comprehensive Secondary School located in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The school was named after William Turnbull, Bishop of Glasgow from 1448 to 1454, and founder of the University of ...
(
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
) at Kenmure. Both schools rank as some of the best in Scotland, with Bishopbriggs being named Scottish State School of the year in both 2014 and 2017. Both schools have had new-build campuses built, 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 initially housed in the old Bishopbriggs High School building. The new building for Bishopbriggs Academy was scheduled to be built at the site of the old Bishopbriggs High School campus near Bishopbriggs Cross. However, after representations from the contractors, it was relocated to 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 has, however, made a large area of land adjacent to the Cross available for redevelopment.
In addition to these schools, there is also St Mary's on the edge of Bishopbriggs, which is a secure residential school for
Young offender
A young offender is a young person who has been convicted or cautioned for a criminal offense. Criminal justice systems often deal with young offenders differently from adult offenders, but different countries apply the term "young offender" ...
s on remand, under sentence and Children's Panel Orders. It is a modern, purpose built secure unit for 24 young people aged between 11 and 16
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
Ambulatory care or outpatient care is medical care provided on an outpatient basis, including diagnosis, observation, consultation, treatment, intervention, and rehabilitation services. This care can include advanced medical technology and proce ...
facility, which will result in the nearest
Accident and Emergency
An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pa ...
and
inpatient
A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health car ...
facilities being located at the
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
The Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) is a large teaching hospital. With a capacity of around 1,000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around , and straddles the Townhead and Dennistoun districts on the north-eastern fringe of the city cen ...
in the city centre, as well as the development of an inpatient
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...
at the site. This resulted in
Jean Turner's election as the
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
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
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...
has three churches and parishes in the town, Cadder, Kenmure and Springfield Cambridge.
Colston Wellpark Church also serves the southern end of the town at the Glasgow boundary. The neighbouring parish of Robroyston has also been set up to accommodate the growing population on the outskirts of Bishopbrigs. The
Free Church of Scotland worships at its church at Auchinairn Road. The
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland.
A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...
of St James The Less is situated on Hilton Road, having transferred from
Springburn
Springburn ( gd, Allt an Fhuairainn) is an inner-city district in the north of the Scottish city of Glasgow, made up of generally working-class households.
Springburn developed from a rural hamlet at the beginning of the 19th century. Its ind ...
in 1980.
There are also two
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
Parishes in the town, St Matthew's parish was founded in 1946 and the C-listed church building was designed by
Gillespie, Kidd & Coia
Gillespie, Kidd & Coia was a Scottish architectural firm famous for their application of modernism in churches and universities, as well as at St Peter's Seminary in Cardross. Though founded in 1927, they are best known for their work in the ...
, opening in 1950, featuring sculpture panels by
Benno Schotz
Benno Schotz (28 August 1891 Arensburg, Livonia, Russian Empire – 11 October 1984 Glasgow, Scotland) was an Estonian-born Scottish sculptor, and one of twentieth century Scotland's leading artists.
Biography
Early life
Schotz was the y ...
depicting the life of St. Matthew. To reflect the ongoing expansion of the town, St Dominic's parish was established in 1973 and the church building completed in 1977. Bishopbriggs Community Church has premises at Park Avenue, behind the Asda store, serving the whole town. Woodhill Evangelical Church, situated on Westercleddens Road, also serves the whole town. There is also a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in the town which is shared by Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch Congregations.
Rugby
Located near Bishopbriggs Cross are the former
playing field
Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...
s of Glasgow-based
Allan Glen's School
Allan Glen's School was, for most of its existence, a local authority, selective secondary school for boys in Glasgow, Scotland, charging nominal fees for tuition.
It was founded by the Allan Glen's Endowment Scholarship Trust on the death, ...
, which opened in 1923 and continue to be used by
Allan Glen's RFC, who play in the
National League Division 3
The National Football League (NFL; ga, Sraith Náisiúnta Peile) is an annual Gaelic football competition between the senior county teams of Ireland plus London. Sponsored by Allianz, it is officially known as the Allianz National Football Lea ...
. The club has teams covering all age groups, from Primary 1 all the way up to the senior 1st XV team. Former Scotland and
Glasgow Warriors
Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...
captain
Alastair Kellock
Alastair 'Al' David Kellock (born 14 June 1981) is the managing director at Glasgow Warriors. He is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He played as a lock for Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors, captaining the Warriors to a Pr ...
started his rugby days at Allan Glens.
Football
Among the youth and junior football teams that play in the town are
Rossvale, Westpark, East Dunbartonshire F.C. and Huntershill AFC.
Golf
The town has three golf courses. The oldest, Bishopbriggs Golf Club, was founded in 1906 and is situated in parkland which was once part of Kenmure House (built 1806 by
David Hamilton, demolished 1955), formerly family seat of the
Stirling-Maxwell Baronets
The Maxwell, later Stirling-Maxwell, later Maxwell Macdonald Baronetcy, of Pollock in the County of Renfrew, is a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 12 April 1682 for John Maxwell, with remainder to the heirs of the body. ...
. Cadder House, built in 1654, was also a Stirling family residence. It is now the clubhouse of Cawder Golf Club, which was established in 1933. Both original courses were designed by
James Braid.
Bowling
The town has two bowling clubs; Bishopbriggs Bowling Club and Auchinairn Bowling Club.
Curling
The town has a curling club, Cadder Curling Club, which originally met in Cawder Estate but now meets at Braehead.
Youth Groups
The town has 3 Boys Brigades (182 Glasgow, 212 Glasgow and 268 Glasgow), a Scout group (175th Glasgow), a Girls Guides
and a Girls Brigade.
There is also numerous, much smaller groups often linked to local churches.
Other economic and social amenities
Other amenities include a municipal library, which forms a local landmark, housed in the B-Listed former buildings of the Bishopbriggs School, which was first opened in 1896 and was converted to a library when the new Bishopbriggs High School opened in 1965. The library was enhanced by a £400,000 refurbishment in 2003.
Major local firms include the
Distribution centre
A distribution center for a set of products is a warehouse or other specialized building, often with refrigeration or air conditioning, which is stocked with products (goods) to be redistributed to retailers, to wholesalers, or directly to co ...
of publisher
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...
, located in the Westerhill area of Bishopbriggs, employing some 340 people, William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd had moved there from
Townhead
Townhead ( gd, Ceann a' Bhaile, sco, Tounheid) is an area of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated immediately north-east of Glasgow city centre and contains a residential sector (redeveloped from an older neighbourhood in the mid 20th ...
in the early 1970s. Also in Westerhill is an
Aviva customer service centre, employing over 1,000, along with automotive
Graphic design firm John McGavigan, which employs around 135 people.
Bishopbriggs is also the location of a number of firms operating in the construction sector, with
Carillion (approx 250), Carillion Training Services/TIGERS STA Training (currently there is approximately 100 live apprentices training at Huntershill Village depot, with over 600 apprentices having been registered over the last 6 years 2009–15), the Robert McCarroll
Plant Hire
Equipment rental, also called plant hire in some countries (in the UK for instance), is a service industry providing machinery, equipment and tools of all kinds and sizes (from earthmoving to powered access, from power generation to hand-held ...
company, Roofing contractor Marley Contract Services and
Civil Engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...
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
Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...
area.
HMP Low Moss
HMP Low Moss is located on the outskirts of Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire; near Glasgow, Scotland. It has been operated by the Scottish Prison Service as a prison since 1968 and was for low-category prisoners who had sentences of less than 3 ...
was located on the outskirts of the town at the site of a former
World War II
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 opposing ...
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
Barrage balloon station, near to the Strathkelvin Retail Park and Low Moss 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 underway after a review by the Scottish Government.
Noted residents
Residents born or who have lived in the area include the political reformer
Thomas Muir of Huntershill, the actor and writer
Dirk Bogarde, TV and
National Lottery draw presenter
Jenni Falconer
Jenni Falconer (born 12 February 1976) is a Scottish radio and television presenter. She appears on the ITV daytime show '' This Morning'' as a regular travel reporter and was a regular presenter of the National Lottery Draws on BBC One.
She ...
, singer
Amy Macdonald, former Miss Scotland and Miss United Kingdom
Nieve Jennings, actor and rock singer
Steve Valentine
Stephen John Valentine (born 26 October 1966) is a Scottish actor and magician. He is known for his roles as Nigel Townsend on NBC's crime drama series ''Crossing Jordan'', the voice of Harry Flynn in the video game '' Uncharted 2: Among Thiev ...
, footballer
Stuart Bannigan, poet laureate (
makar
A makar () is a term from Scottish literature for a poet or bard, often thought of as a royal court poet.
Since the 19th century, the term ''The Makars'' has been specifically used to refer to a number of poets of fifteenth and sixteenth cen ...
) and novelist Professor
Jackie Kay, musicians Paul Buchanan and Paul Joseph Moore from
The Blue Nile
The Blue Nile was a Scottish band which originated in Glasgow. The group's early music was built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured guitar more prominently. Following early cham ...
and bassist
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and bassist of British rock band Cream. After the group disband ...
of
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
.
STV presenter
Storm Huntley resides in the Meadowburn area where she attended Primary School. Humorists
Sanjeev Kohli
Sanjeev Singh Kohli (born 30 November 1971) is a British actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his role as shopkeeper Navid Harrid in the BBC sitcom '' Still Game'' (2002–2007, 2016–2019), Ramesh Majhu in the radio sitcom '' Fa ...
who played Navid in Scottish sitcom ''
Still Game'' and his brother
Hardeep Singh Kohli
Hardeep Singh Kohli (born 21 January 1969) is a Scottish presenter of Sikh heritage who has appeared on various radio and television programmes.
Background
Kohli was born in London and moved to Glasgow, Scotland, when he was four. His parents ...
, a contributor on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
magazine shows moved at a young age to Bishopbriggs and spent their childhood here. Oscar-winning director and actor
who attended Bishopbriggs High School.
and now Chief Executive Officer of Partick Thistle.
For local government, Bishopbriggs was originally part of the historic county of
'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
Region in 1975. The local Ratepayers Association again played a major role in keeping Bishopbriggs outwith Glasgow district and within the
in 1996, and the dissolution of the Regional and District setup, as a result of the
Council area. As a result of the
and following a further boundary review in 2017, the town is now represented on the council by two multi-member
with four councillors.