Dams to Darnley Country Park is a 1350 acre
country park
A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.
United Kingdom
History
In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised coun ...
in
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 of ...
and
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 ...
, in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
comprising the historic greenspace between the towns of
Barrhead
Barrhead ( sco, Baurheid, gd, Ceann a' Bharra) is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow city centre on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. At the 2011 census its population was 17,268.
History
Barrhead was formed when ...
and
Newton Mearns
Newton Mearns ( sco, The Mearns; gd, Baile Ùr na Maoirne ) is a suburban town and the largest settlement in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. It lies southwest of Glasgow City Centre on the main road to Ayrshire, above sea level. It has a populat ...
in
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 of ...
, and the areas of
Darnley
Darnley is an area in south-west Glasgow, Scotland, on the A727 just west of Arden (the areas are separated by the M77 motorway although a footbridge connects them). Other nearby neighbourhoods are Priesthill to the north, Southpark Village t ...
,
Parkhouse and
Southpark Village
Southpark Village is a housing estate in the Darnley area of the Scottish city of Glasgow. The northwestern area was built during the mid to late 1980s, but the southeastern part was built in the late 2010s. It is located on the south-western ...
in south
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 ...
. Being designated since 2000, it is one of the newest country parks in Scotland.
Geography
The area occupied by Dams to Darnley Country Park has been used for leisure for many years. The park is largely farmland, but contains some historic woodlands. The park is also noted for its large
reservoirs
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...
. By far the largest of these is Balgray Reservoir, which has Aurs Road, the main road through the park, alongside it for some distance. The rural portion of Aurs Road is entirely included within the park, and the road is the main road connecting the two halves of East Renfrewshire (although a new road is planned for this purpose). There are three other reservoirs in the park: Ryat Linn Reservoir, the
Category A Listed
This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom.
For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland.
Key
The organization of the lists in th ...
Waulkmill Glen Reservoir, and the small Littleton Reservoir. The Brock Burn flows around the reservoirs, very directly adjacent to several, although Littleton Reservoir is the only one that the burn actually flows through, with the burn going on to flow into the
White Cart Water near the
Silverburn Shopping Centre
Silverburn (also known as Pollok Town Centre or The Centre) is an out-of-town shopping centre located on Barrhead Road in Pollok, Glasgow, Scotland. The development replaces the Pollok centre with a brand new shopping centre, anchored by Te ...
in
Pollok
Pollok ( gd, Pollag, lit=a pool, sco, Powk) is a large housing estate on the south-western side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The estate was built either side of World War II to house families from the overcrowded inner city. Housing 30,0 ...
.
At the west, the park ends at the
Glasgow Central to Neilston railway line (the railway enters the park for around 2 km east of this point and crosses a large viaduct over the Waulkmill Glen Reservoir before being used as part of the park boundary in Newton Mearns). In this area, there is a plan to rebuild
Barrhead South railway station
Barrhead South was once one of four railway stations in Barrhead, Renfrewshire (now East Renfrewshire), Scotland.
History
The station was originally part of the Paisley and Barrhead District Railway. The line was opened in 1897 and used for fr ...
, after new housing developments in the area. This railway station would also serve the park.
History
Mining was conducted in the Darnley area since 1610, as evidenced by a lease agreement between Sir John Maxwell, John Hall and George Stephenson, which is archived together with the Pollock-Estate Papers. In it, Stevenson acquired the rights to mine limestone at Over Darnley. As early as 1615 coal was mined, as evidenced by a contract between Sir John Maxwell and Robert Milne in April 1615. The
Darnley Lime Works Tramway and Mineral Railway
The Darnley Lime Works Tramway and Mineral Railway consisted of a narrow gauge field railway and probably a standard gauge works railway at today's Dams to Darnley Country Park in East Renfrewshire, 9.7 km southwest of Glasgow. They were succ ...
consisted of a narrow gauge field railway and probably a standard gauge works railway, which were successively operated at least from 1898 until the late 1950s or early 1960s. Then the old quarries were used as landfills.
[''Mining, quarrying and the qandfill legacy.''](_blank)
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Features
The park currently lacks many features, however the long-term plan includes adding more leisure facilities and better access to the local communities.Development and Management Plan 2011-2016
East Renfrewshire Council
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 of ...
As of 2020, the park mainly consists of a long path from Balgraystone Road, around the large Balgray Reservoir, across Aurs Road, down a steep hill past the other reservoirs and under a large viaduct. The path then passes an old mill before going through a woodland disconnecting Darnley from the Parkhouse area before ending on the
Nitshill Road.
Future proposals for the park include realignment of Aurs Road including construction of a new bridge over Brock Burn (as the current bridge has a weight limit preventing buses from connecting using the road), a visitor centre/leisure centre on the northern peninsula into the Balgray Reservoir, as well as new cycle and walking routes around the park.
References
External links
*
*
Dams to Darnley outlineon
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free, open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveys, trace from aerial imagery and also import from other freely licensed g ...
{{Parks and gardens in Glasgow
Parks in East Renfrewshire
Parks and commons in Glasgow
Country parks in Scotland
Barrhead
Newton Mearns