Fernhill is a residential neighbourhood in the Scottish town of

Rutherglen Rutherglen (, sco, Ruglen, gd, An Ruadh-Ghleann) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having existed as a Lanarkshire burgh in its own ...

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

; it is situated south of the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

and borders the Rutherglen neighbourhoods of High Burnside to the north and Cathkin to the east, the

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 ...

district of

Castlemilk Castlemilk ( gd, Caisteal Mheilc) is a district of Glasgow, Scotland. It lies to the far south of the city centre, adjacent to the Croftfoot and Simshill residential areas within the city to the north-west, the town of Rutherglen - neighbourhoo ...

to the west, and the open lands of Fernbrae Meadows (formerly Blairbeth Golf Club which closed in 2015) to the south. Its location on a steep incline which is part of the

Cathkin Braes Cathkin Braes is an area of hills to the south east of the city of Glasgow, in Scotland. It lies to the south of the districts of Castlemilk, Fernhill and Burnside, and to the east of Carmunnock. Rising to over in elevation, it includes the ...

range of hills offers panoramic views over the south and eastern parts 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 ...

. Fernhill is within the Rutherglen South

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of South Lanarkshire Council which is also the extent of the neighbourhood community policing zone; local councillors include the experienced politician Robert Brown.

History

Until about 1950, the territory of Fernhill was open fields to the south of Rutherglen outwith the boundaries of the town (instead falling under the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Carmunnock Carmunnock ( gd, Cathair Mhanach) is a conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural reso ...

), overlooked by a large

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

, ''Fernhill House'', constructed around 1870.142 Fernbrae Avenue, Fernhill School
British Listed Buildings In order to alleviate overcrowding and housing shortages in central Rutherglen, the town council identified and purchased the territory for a

housing scheme Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

. Construction took place over the late 1950s and 1960s, consisting of terraced and semi-detached houses as well as apartments and

maisonettes An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ...

in traditional tenement-style buildings and standalone flat-roofed blocks. A few years later, the construction of a

Dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

bypass road through central Rutherglen caused further housing issues there; road access to Fernhill to reach the new housing became easier, but the bypass intended to connect to the A749 dual carriageway to

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...

was not completed, with traffic having to use existing minor roads in the south of the town, including Fernhill Road. The edge-of-town development has some similarities with the much larger

housing estate in

which borders Fernhill immediately to the west and was built around the same time for similar reasons. Residents of Fernhill and Castlemilk have suffered as a result of antisocial behaviour and territorial violence between rival

youth gangs A gang is a social group, group or secret society, society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over Territory (animal), territory in a communi ...

, although in recent years this has been tackled and the situation appears to be improving. The boundary between the two areas, which also separates the Glasgow and

local authority zones, is known as the 'Hole in the wall', a historic term referring to an opening between fields on a drover's route across the undeveloped countryside. Today this is the site of one of the area's main landmarks, a whitewashed statue by

Kenny Hunter Kenny Hunter (born 1962) is a Scottish sculptor. He lives and works in Edinburgh. Between 2015 and 2018, he was programme director of sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art where he now continues to work part-time as a lecturer in Fine Art, Sculp ...

of a boy with binoculars and cape looking downhill towards Glasgow. A motto below the statue reads "Somewhere in the distance... Is My Future" . King of the Castle (geograph 3721172)

In common with many urban neighbourhoods in the UK, the area suffered over decades from a lack of employment opportunities and underinvestment, leading to social problems and deterioration in some of its housing stock and amenities. Improvements to Fernhill in the 21st century as part of a regeneration masterplan included the opening of a new Community and Sports Centre in 2011 (replacing the outdated pavilion on the same site), energy efficiency improvements and recladding of the 'cube' blocks, murals to brighten public areas the rebuilding of local shops on the main road in 2014, and the demolition of the deck-access maisonettes which were replaced modern houses with gardens. Fernhill Community Centre (geograph 5093008)

Fernhill Community Centre (geograph 5093008)

In summer 2017, plans were outlined for the creation of an

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...

on the lands of Blairbeth Golf Club, in addition to areas of new housing. Named Fernbrae Meadows after a local consultation, the park was formally opened in June 2019.

Cathkin Relief Road

In 2014, the local council released plans to complete the Rutherglen bypass road (see above) along the north side of Fernhill to better link Glasgow to East Kilbride and alleviate pressure on traffic along other routes including Fernhill Road. However the 'Cathkin Relief Road' project faced considerable local opposition as the undeveloped land earmarked for the road had been used as an informal park by locals for many years, and it was also felt this new road could isolate Fernhill from the other nearby communities. Ultimately these concerns were disregarded and the project was approved in late 2015; work began on the site in 2016 and was completed in 2017, however the company responsible for its maintenance collapsed soon afterwards. Two years later, a legal action for compensation was submitted by nearby residents due to noise and air pollution. The bypass, including the new section which was named ''Willow Boulevard'', was subsequently re-designated as part of the

A730 road The A730 road in Scotland runs between the centre of Glasgow and the south-eastern edge of the city's urban area at Cathkin. Route Glasgow The A730 starts at Gorbals Cross in the Laurieston neighbourhood just south of the River Clyde; it is ...

between the southern end of the Rutherglen dual carriageway at Spittal and the East Kilbride Road roundabout at Cathkin, in place of the residential Blairbeth Road (which in turn was re-labelled as a continuation of the B762 between King's Park Avenue and Dukes Road).

Facilities

There are two places of worship at either end of the main road through the district: St. Marks RC Church at the west side, and Fernhill & Cathkin Church (of Scotland) at the east side.Rutherglen: Fernhill and Cathkin's new minister speaks on starting work at the parish, her unexpected road to the ministry and surprising media attention
Jonathan Geddes, Daily Record, 20 January 2017 There is a regular public bus service running along Fernhill Road, linking the community to Rutherglen, central Glasgow and

. The nearest train station is Burnside which is approximately away via a steep hill. There are no local authority schools in Fernhill itself – the closest primary schools are in Cathkin (Cathkin Primary) and Blairbeth (St. Marks RC Primary) and affiliated to Cathkin High School and

Trinity High School Trinity High School is the name of high schools: United Kingdom * Trinity High School, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland * Trinity High School, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland * Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre, in Redditch, England *Trini ...

respectively; however it is the location of one of the more prestigious fee-paying educational institutions in Scotland, Fernhill School who have their premises at the highest point of the incline at the southern edge of the district – the main building is the historic Fernhill House which is

Category C 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 ...

and the oldest surviving structure in the area.

References

External links

* {{Areas of Rutherglen and Cambuslang Rutherglen Neighbourhoods in South Lanarkshire Housing estates in Scotland