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Bridgeton (, ) is a district to the east of
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
city centre. Historically part of
Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...
, it is bounded by
Glasgow Green Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge. History In ...
to the west, Dalmarnock to the east and south, Calton to the north-west at Abercromby Street/London Road and Broad street to the north-east.


History

It started as a small weaving village in 1705, when the third John Walkinshaw marked out a portion of his Goosefauld estate for rent. However, not much interest was shown until 1776 when Rutherglen Bridge was built over the
River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...
and the area became known as ''Bridge Town'' (or ''Brig Toun'' in Scots). The area was incorporated into the city of Glasgow officially in 1846. A major employer was carpet manufacturer James Templeton & Co. Bridgeton used to be bounded by a village named Mile-End to the north, however this district seems to have vanished over the years, resulting in Bridgeton's boundary moving north to Crownpoint Road.


Bridgeton Cross

Bridgeton Cross, also known as 'The Toll' is a major junction, the meeting point of London Road ( A74 towards
Celtic Park Celtic Park is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium and the home of Scottish Premiership team Celtic F.C., Celtic, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest List of football stadiums in Sco ...
), Dalmarnock Road ( A749), Main Street, James Street (leading to Glasgow Green), Olympia Street and Orr Street. The intersection is notable for the , a Victorian (1875) cast iron
bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an ornamen ...
covering the centre of the Cross. The
Category A listed Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * Category ( ...
landmark structure and surrounds was renovated in the early 21st century, resulting in improved public realm areas and the complete refurbishment of the Umbrella. Bridgeton Cross is the location for Bridgeton railway station (opened in 1895, closed in 1964, reopened in 1979) which is on the Argyle Line connecting the area to central Glasgow. The Category B listed building which previously housed Bridgeton Central railway station (1892-1979) is a short distance away. A number of local buses also pass along London Road and Dalmarnock Road. The Cross is also the location for the ''Olympia Theatre'' (built 1911), which after lying abandoned for many years has undergone rebuilding and reopened in 2012 as a library and community facility for the people of Bridgeton. There are several public houses in the vicinity, with most themed around Rangers F.C. In 1893 William Millard started ''Millers Linoleum Stores'', renting sheds in Charles Street (now Olympia Street) from the North British Railway Company. On 26 June 1913 planning permission was granted to build a two-storey warehouse on this land, which had now been purchased by Millard. Under the directorship of William's great-grandson David Millard, the building was sympathetically renovated in 2013. Believed to be the only surviving family business from the 1800s in the area, ''Millers 1893'' continues to operate.


Points of interest

Bridgeton has one of Glasgow's original Carnegie libraries, designed by the Invernesian architect, James Robert Rhind. Since 2014, the library has been in use by the Glasgow Women's Library, holding a lending library, archive and museum collection, who have made significant renovations both inside and out. After the
2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...
was held in Glasgow, Bridgeton now has international-class sporting facilities within walking distance: the
Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome The Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, known for sponsorship reasons as the Emirates Arena, is an indoor arena and velodrome in Dalmarnock, Glasgow, Scotland. Built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, these venues hosted the badminto ...
are located in nearby Dalmarnock, with the ''Crownpoint Sports Complex'', a modern outdoor athletics track, also located in the area adjacent to St Mungo's Academy. Bridgeton has been the centre of the Orange Order in Scotland. Their marches are a fairly common sight in Glasgow during the summer months but reach a peak around
the Twelfth The Twelfth (also called Orangemens' Day) is a primarily Ulster Protestant celebration held on 12 July. It began in the late 18th century in Ulster. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution (1688) and victory of Protestant King William of Ora ...
of July when the parades commemorating the
Battle of the Boyne The Battle of the Boyne ( ) took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and James's daughter), had acceded to the Crowns of England and Sc ...
are in full flow. In 2019, the ''Sunday Times'' reported that concerns over an incident during the 2018 Apprentice Boys of Derry (Bridgeton) march had led to suggestions that Glasgow council reroute the march to avoid passing near two Catholic churches. The Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust, one of the largest voluntary commercial and passenger vehicle preservation groups in Scotland are based at Bridgeton Bus Garage which opened on 5 June 1965 on a site bordered by London Road to the south, Fordneuk Street to the West, Broad Street to the north and Rimsdale Street to the east. It replaced the former tram depot at Dalmarnock which had suffered fire damage. In 1870 a grocer name of John Wilson of 13 Main Street and a few friends from the local bowling club founded Bridgeton Burns Club, a charity which continues to this day, assisting local children. Bridgeton's use as a Glasgow Bus Garage was brief, the tendency was to use a smaller fleet of larger buses and that led to the garage being closed in 1976, however it was then taken on by Strathclyde Regional Council for its Internal Transport fleet, servicing everything from light vans to Gritting Lorries. In this capacity it later passed to
Glasgow City Council Glasgow City Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Ghlaschu'') is the Local government in Scotland, local government authority for Glasgow, Glasgow City council area, Scotland. In its modern form it was created in 1996. Glasgow was former ...
who when they ceased using it for that purpose were prevailed upon to rent it out for vehicle preservation.


Football

For four decades in the mid-20th century, Bridgeton was represented in the
Scottish Junior Football Association The Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the junior grade of football (soccer), football in Scotland. The term "junior" refers to the ...
by Bridgeton Waverley F.C. Initially a local Juvenile team, upon joining the Junior setup they played at Shawfield Stadium (home of Clyde F.C.), then moved to ''Barrowfield Park'' which was bought and demolished by Glasgow Corporation for the construction of the housing scheme of the same name in the 1930s. Waverley then moved to ''New Barrowfield'' on the edge of the
Parkhead Parkhead () is a district in the East End of Glasgow. Its name comes from a small weaving hamlet (place), hamlet at the meeting place of the Great Eastern Road (now the Gallowgate and Tollcross Road) and Westmuir Street. Glasgow's Eastern Necro ...
district. After they folded in the 1960s, that site became the training ground of Celtic F.C. Another Junior club which became defunct around the same time, Strathclyde F.C., was also based in the area. Strathclyde's predecessor senior league club Thistle F.C. had their roots in Bridgeton/ Dalmarnock, as did the aforementioned Clyde and the 19th century side Eastern F.C. who both once played at another Barrowfield Park. Although Celtic's stadium is nearby the district is now known for a large and passionate Rangers following.


Notable people

* Elky Clark, boxer * Jim Diamond, singer and musician *
Lonnie Donegan Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the " King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scotland and brought ...
, skiffle musician * Bobby Dougan, footballer * Don Greenlees, footballer *
David Hayman David Hayman (born 9 February 1948) is a Scottish film, television and stage actor and director from Glasgow. His acting credits include '' Sid and Nancy'' (1986), '' Hope and Glory'' (1987), '' Rob Roy'' (1995), '' The Jackal'' (1997), '' Tri ...
, actor *
Lorraine Kelly Lorraine Kelly (born 30 November 1959) is a Scottish television presenter. She has presented various television shows for ITV and STV, including '' Good Morning Britain'' (1988–1992), ''GMTV'' (1993–2010), ''This Morning'' (2003–2005, ...
, TV presenter * Archie Kyle, footballer * Hugh MacDonald, journalist *Billy Mack, actor * Henry May, recipient of the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
* Frankie Miller, rock musician * Willie Miller MBE, footballer * William Sheret, showjumper * Jim Watt, boxer * John Paul Young, singer *Rev William John Thomson (born 1852 in Ireland) Free Church minister of Bridgeton 1879 to 1882. The only known minister "loosed" (fired) for constant intoxication.Ewing, William ''Annals of the Free Church''


See also

* Glasgow tower blocks * Sectarianism in Glasgow


References


External links

*
Calton and Bridgeton
socio-economic profile at ''Understanding Glasgow'' (2012)

ast Endat ''Glesga Pals'' {{Authority control Areas of Glasgow Irish diaspora in Scotland Road junctions in Glasgow Bridgeton–Calton–Dalmarnock