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Westburn is a district of the town of
Cambuslang Cambuslang (, from ) is a town on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 30,000 residents, it is the 27th-largest town in Scotland by population, although, never having had a town hall, it may also be cons ...
in
South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburban towns, as well as many rural towns and villages. It also shares bor ...
, Scotland. It was formerly home to a
steel works A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-fini ...
and power station which were the area's major employers; the sites are now occupied by a housing development and modern
industrial estate An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or 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 par ...
respectively. Administratively, Westburn is within the Cambuslang East ward of the
South Lanarkshire Council South Lanarkshire Council is the unitary authority serving the South Lanarkshire council area in Scotland. The council has its headquarters in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, has 16,000 employees, and an annual budget of almost £1bn. Th ...
area and has a population of around 2,000.


Location

Due to its physical isolation from the main built-up areas of Cambuslang, Westburn has something of a rural village character as opposed to a neighbourhood in a medium-sized town. 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 ...
runs to the north of the village, opposite the
Carmyle Carmyle (; ) is a suburb in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, directly north of the River Clyde. It is in an isolated location separated from the main urban area of the city and has the characteristics of a semi-rural village. Administratively, ...
district 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 ...
– for about two decades the banks were connected by
Westburn Viaduct Westburn Viaduct, also known as Carmyle Viaduct, is a disused railway bridge over the River Clyde between Carmyle in Glasgow (north side) and Westburn, South Lanarkshire, Westburn (Cambuslang) in South Lanarkshire (south side). It is constructed ...
, a disused rail bridge, but this was later blocked off (in 2021, plans to refurbish and re-open the bridge were published). To the south is the
West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
railway line with the district of Halfway beyond. To the east, Westburn is separated from the neighbouring district of
Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...
by a small burn and hill.Disgusted Cambuslang residents blast a new housing development for destroying the local wildlife
Daily Record, 2 March 2021
To the west, a park and golf course form a boundary with the Circuit neighbourhood and the Cambuslang town centre.


History


Ancient Estate

The Westburn name has appeared on local maps for centuries, but initially this was a
country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
and a nearby
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
closer to Cambuslang Main Street than the current village. The estate of Westburn existed from the
Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
and was largely in the hands of minor nobility, members of the
Clan Hamilton The Clan Hamilton, or House of Hamilton, is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council ...
who latterly married into the
Clan Dundas Clan Dundas is a Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pages 124 - 1 ...
. The last Westburn House was built in 1685 but the later owners failed to maintain it well, and in the 1890s it was demolished and a golf course (Cambuslang Golf Club) was laid out in the grounds. An octagonal
doocot A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pig ...
from the 18th century in the middle of the course is the surviving feature of the old estate (and is a Category B
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
). The farm buildings to the east are presently an indoor go-kart racing circuit. Part of the estate which nowadays is housing was a football ground at the end of the 19th century; ''Westburn Park'' was home at various times to Cambuslang F.C., Cambuslang Hibernian and the surviving local club Cambuslang Rangers. Prior to the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
, the area where modern Westburn is now situated was merely open ground with a small road running down towards Newton House on the other side of the burn.


19th Century

A notable feature in the area was the local cemetery located on high ground, which still serves the Cambuslang population to this day and has been extended several times. It has records from 1889 although there are headstones on the site dating from the 1750s. This was also the location of ''Old Cambuslang'' or ''Cambuslangtown'', the hamlet from which the town took its name as it became larger – this settlement did not last beyond the 19th century. A small
colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extra ...
operated in Westburn from 1875 until 1905 and had a branch railway connecting it to the main lines. There was also a small tile works in the mid 19th century, and later some row
cottages A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...
for railway workers and a public house were built near to
Newton railway station Newton railway station is a railway station located between the neighbourhoods of Drumsagard, Halfway, Newton and Westburn in the town of Cambuslang (Greater Glasgow), Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and it lies on the Argyle ...
and the ''Hallside Steelworks'' on the other side of the railway tracks. One of the oldest surviving buildings in the district housed a small cinema ''('The Empire')'' for a time; it has long since been converted to use as a workshop.


Steel Village

Westburn was transformed with the arrival of its own steel works in 1921. The Redpath Brown & Co firm was established in 1802 in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
and had premises in
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 ...
by 1905 but needed a bigger site and identified Westburn, on the road to Newton House as the location for their new works. The business proved very successful, and a network of houses (around 160 dwellings, mainly
cottage flat Cottage flats, also known as four-in-a-block flats, are a style of housing common in Scotland, where there are single floor dwellings at ground level, and similar dwellings on the floor above. All have doors directly to the outside of the buildi ...
s) was built alongside for the workers. A group of uncommon black 'Swedish timber' houses (64 dwellings) was also constructed on the south side of Westburn Road up to the railway lines in the late 1930s;Buildings of Scotland: Glasgow
(page 504), Elizabeth Williamson, Anne Riches, Malcolm Higgs, 1990,
the same style can be seen in pockets of similar numbers within Lanarkshire including at High Blantyre,
Larkhall Larkhall (, ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, around southeast of Glasgow. It is twinned with Seclin in northern France. Larkhall sits on high ground between the River Clyde to the East and the Avon Water to the West. Larkhall ...
, Allanton,
Moodiesburn Moodiesburn is a village in Scotland, located northeast of Glasgow, in the North Lanarkshire council area. It is situated on the north side of the A80 road and between the M73 and M80 motorways which converge nearby. Moodiesburn does not dire ...
and Birkenshaw, while other less distinctive examples using the materials are found in many parts of Scotland. Redpath Brown & Co were acquired by ironmaking giant Bolckow, Vaughan which was the driving force in the growth of
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
but they soon ran into difficulties and was bought over by another firm from that area,
Dorman Long Dorman Long & Co was a UK steel producer, later diversifying into bridge building. The company was once listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The company was founded by Arthur Dorman and Albert de Lande Long when they acquired '' ...
; the Redpath Brown works at Westburn was well suited to their speciality of bridge building (including
Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...
). After building landing craft duggin
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, in 1967 the group became part of
British Steel Corporation British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...
and was renamed Redpath Dorman Long Ltd, later Redpath Engineering Ltd. The residential portion of Westburn had expanded further – comprising around 120 family homes - by the time the works ceased operations in 1990, with the resultant job losses leading to considerable financial hardship in the community. The fact that the other major employers in the local area, the larger Hallside Steelworks (1873 to 1979) and the Clydesmill Power Station (1903 to 1982) had also folded in the recent past did not help matters. The power station had been built on the river at an old mill
weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
(traces of which are still visible) and at one point had the largest generating capacity in Scotland. Westburn was also the scene of a tragedy in 1991 when the Newton rail accident occurred on the tracks right next to the village. The site of the steelworks is now a
suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
housing estate – ''Westfarm'' or ''Newton Grange'' (around 250 dwellings), built between 2004 and 2009. The old colliery was also converted to modern housing (''Overton Grange'', around 230 dwellings with its streets named after local metalworking firms including Redpath, Arrol, Colville and Dalzell).


Westburn Today

Like many former industrial locations across Scotland, in the 21st century the people of Westburn are attempting to maintain and modernise their community in the face of economic challenges. The 2016
Scottish index of multiple deprivation A deprivation index or poverty index (or index of deprivation or index of poverty) is a data set to measure relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of small areas. Such indices are used in spatial epidemiology to identify socio-economic con ...
results suggested those living in the older part of the district were still struggling in some ways after a generation of underemployment. The new affluent housing estates in the area (and in neighbouring Newton Farm) have been designed with homeowners
commuting Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...
to work in central Glasgow or elsewhere in mind, due to the proximity of the
M74 Motorway The A74(M) and M74 form a major motorway in Scotland, connecting it to England. The routes connect the M8 motorway (Scotland), M8 motorway in central Glasgow to the Scottish-English Anglo-Scottish border, border at Gretna, Scotland, Gretna. T ...
(five minutes by car) and Newton station (ten minutes on foot). The secluded area around the footbridge to Newton was a congregating point for local youths for many years, with antisocial behaviour often resulting - this continued after the surrounding land was dug up and fenced off for housebuilding as part of the Newton Farm CGA project, and after public gatherings were banned during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland The COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland is part of the COVID-19 pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease-2019, caused by the virus Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2. The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Scotland on 1 M ...
.


Amenities

Westburn has some recreational provision; there is a children's play area in the east of the village (on the site of the old row cottages), and this is also the location of the community centre where birthday parties, dance classes etc. can be booked. There are other small play areas in the new housing estates, and a full-size grass football field at ''Peter Brownlee Park'' which is well used by children's teams (an adjacent red blaes pitch is not in use although it has floodlights and some perimeter fencing). The Clyde Walkway runs alongside the river to the north of Westburn, although at that point it is simply a muddy track, and
National Cycle Route 75 National Cycle Route 75 runs from Edinburgh to Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula, via Glasgow. It is often known as the ''Clyde to Forth cycle route''. Route 75 includes two ferry crossings from Gourock to Dunoon on the Cowal peninsula and from ...
runs through the south side of the village offering a safe bicycle route towards Glasgow (it is less safe in the other direction towards
Uddingston Uddingston (, ) is a small town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the north side of the River Clyde, south-east of Glasgow city centre, and acts as a dormitory suburb for the city. Geography and boundaries Uddingston is located to t ...
which involves busy country roads with some inclines and blind bends). The ''Scotkart'' facility is also an option, albeit this is an expensive hobby – a popular informal alternative in the area is the riding of
quad QUaD, an acronym for QUEST at DASI, was a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiment at the South Pole. QUEST (Q and U Extragalactic Sub-mm Telescope) was the original name attributed to the bolometer detector instrume ...
and
motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
bikes through the nearby fields. Other amenities are somewhat lacking in the village. There are no schools or nurseries (there is a facility known as Westburn Nursery, but this is actually in the Circuit neighbourhood closer to Central Cambuslang); however a large nondenominational primary school and nursery in Newton opened in 2017, and a standalone nursery in that area, Millburn ELC, opened in late 2020. The local Catholic school, St Charles' Primary, is also in Newton. There are no local healthcare facilities, no places of worship and just one licensed grocer incorporating a
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
by way of shops. Its location on the south side of the main road through the district (while most residents live on the north side) was also a concern in the community as children and the elderly put themselves at risk trying to cross against speeding vehicles – the road had no
pedestrian crossing A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American and Canadian English) is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or Avenue (landscape), avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna Convention on Road Sign ...
or other
traffic calming Traffic calming uses physical design and other measures to improve safety for motorists, car drivers, pedestrians and bicycle-friendly, cyclists. It has become a tool to combat speeding and other unsafe behaviours of drivers. It aims to encour ...
measures in place and the road became increasingly busier in recent years due to new housing in Newton and Drumsagard Village. After a concerted effort by local residents over several years, a pelican crossing was installed outside the grocer in mid-2019. The small public house from the 19th century survived in various hands until 2016 when it closed awaiting redevelopment, being converted into a fast food takeaway the following year. Another old pub still operates in Newton, but most facilities are located in central Cambuslang and Halfway.


Commerce

There is a modern
industrial estate An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or 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 par ...
near Westburn at the site of the former power station. It is home to the Scottish headquarters of Greggs bakers who moved there from
Shawfield Shawfield is an industrial/commercial area of the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located to the north of the town centre. It is bordered to the east by the River Clyde, to the north by the Glasgow neighbourhood of Oat ...
,
Rutherglen Rutherglen (; , ) 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 previously existed as a separate Lanarkshire burgh, in 1975 Rutherglen lo ...
in 2007;Greggs Bakery - Glasgow
Caunton Engineering
£2million plan to clean up Shawfield
Daily Record, 8 February 2019
the national training centre for the
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is the national fire and rescue service of Scotland. It was formed by the merger of eight regional fire services in the country on 1 April 2013. It thus became the largest fire brigade in the Unite ...
alongside a new community fire station; chemical distributors Brenntag;
plant hire Equipment rental, or plant hire, is a service industry providing machinery, equipment and tools for a limited period of time to final users, mainly to general contractors but also to industry and individual consumers. Renting can be defined a ...
firm ''AB2000''; ''Mitchell Engineering'' which is one of Cambuslang's oldest surviving businesses (established 1891); and poultry processing company
2 Sisters Food Group 2 Sisters Food Group, a subsidiary of Boparan Holdings Ltd, is a privately owned food manufacturing company with head offices in Birmingham, England primarily focusing on private label manufacturing for retailer and food service markets. Esta ...
which ceased operations at Westburn in 2018 with the loss of 450 jobs.End of an era as Cambuslang's 2 Sisters plant closes its doors for the last time, with grave warnings over local economy
Daily Record, 5 September 2018
The development adjoins a larger
industrial suburb An industrial suburb is a community, near a large city, with an industrial economy. These communities may be established as tax havens or as places where zoning promotes industry, or they may be industrial towns that become suburbs by urban ...
on the north bank of the Clyde, based near Carmyle around the site of the historic
Clyde Iron Works The Clyde Iron Works was a Scottish-based ironworking plant which operated from 1786 to 1978. Clyde Iron occupied a large site near the Carmyle and Tollcross areas of Glasgow. The plant was built by William Cadell (1737–1819) and Thomas Edin ...
; it is a popular location for businesses due to its proximity to the motorway and to Glasgow.


References


External links


Information and photographs of Clydesmill Power Station at Canmore.org

''Scotkart Cambuslang'' based in Westburn

South Lanarkshire Council – Westburn Community Hall
{{Areas of Rutherglen and Cambuslang Cambuslang Neighbourhoods in South Lanarkshire