Blackhill, Glasgow

Blackhill (Scottish Gaelic: Cnoc Dubh) is an area of north east Glasgow, Scotland. It is directly bordered by the M80 motorway to the west and the M8 motorway to the south. The neighbourhood falls within the North East ward under Glasgow City Council.

Blackhill
Blackhill
Location within Glasgow
OS grid referenceNS627666
Council area
Lieutenancy area
  • Glasgow
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGLASGOW
Postcode districtG33 1
Dialling code0141
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

History

Blackhill was developed as a council housing estate in the 1930s.[1] Most of the new development was designated Rehousing, the lowest grade of council housing intended for those cleared from Glasgow's 19th century slums, particularly those in the Garngad (now Royston) area.[2] The new buildings were three-storey, slate-roofed tenements built of reconstituted stone. The eastern side of Blackhill, nearer to Provanmill and Riddrie, was designated Intermediate, a grade up from Rehousing, and housing was of the cottage flat-type with front and rear gardens and a measure of landscaping in the streets ("Rehousing" areas cost £250 per house to build, while "Intermediate" areas cost £1000).

Blackhill Locks on the Monkland Canal
Blackhill Locks lower basin

Blackhill was built on a country golf course (see Glasgow Golf Club),[3] near the Monkland Canal with its Blackhill Locks.[4] Many early residents report summers of country rambles, often along the Molendinar Burn – now the only place this historic burn is still visible on the surface – to the loch at Hogganfield. There was (and is) a strong sense of neighbourliness, partly encouraged by the enclosed nature of the site, due to industry, railways and main roads cutting it off from other districts. It was, however, built close to a gasworks (Provan Gas Works) and a distillery, which did not add to the health of the area and, perhaps for this reason, it gained a reputation for being "difficult to let". Nearby is a prison, HM Prison Barlinnie, which may also have encouraged negative evaluations of the area.

The area was comprehensively redeveloped in the early 21st century, with all of its tenement stock demolished and replaced with modest semi-detached houses. A landscaped park was created around the Molendinar Burn.[5][6] A 2007 community survey[7] reported residents' concerns were similar to those in other urban areas:

"In the last issue we reported the findings of a local survey that helped to pinpoint the top 10 priority issues for your neighbourhood – things like road safety, litter and vandalism, dog fouling, dumping and youth disorder all featured strongly."

Notable residents

See also

References
  1. Blackhill Housing (Glasgow City Archives, Department of Architectural and Civic Design, 1930s), The Glasgow Story
  2. No Mean City: 1914 to 1950s | Neighbourhoods | Blackhill, The Glasgow Story
  3. "Glasgow Golf Club". Scottish Golf History. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  4. Monkland Canal, Gazetteer for Scotland
  5. Molendinar Park, Glasgow, MyParkScotland
  6. Royston Road Parks, Glasgow, Architecture & Design Scotland
  7. Blackhill View April '07 edition Archived 30 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  • Damer, Seán. Last exit to Blackhill : the stigmatization of a Glasgow housing scheme. University of Glasgow, Centre for Housing Research, 1992
  • Sparks, Ian. Working with a community : the Blackhill Project 1972-77 Barkingside/Dr Barnardo's, (1978)
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