Finnieston

Finnieston is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, situated on the north bank of the River Clyde roughly between the city's West End and the city centre.

Finnieston

Finnieston with the Finnieston Crane and North Rotunda in the foreground and the Clyde Auditorium in the background.
Finnieston
Location within Glasgow
Population8,989 (2016)[1]
OS grid referenceNS569656
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGLASGOW
Postcode districtG3
Dialling code0141
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Finnieston is home to the SECC and SSE Hydro, where many musical concerts, sporting events and conferences are held.[2] It is also the location of Glasgow City Heliport, the former home base of both the Police Scotland air support unit and the Scottish Ambulance Service "Helimed 5".[3][4]

Finnieston borders the neighbourhoods of Anderston, Kelvingrove, Kelvinhaugh, Overnewton and Sandyford. Historically, it covered a primarily industrial area between the River Clyde and the main thoroughfare at Argyle Street, but in the 21st century the wider area has become a popular tourist destination marketed under the Finnieston name.

History

The village of Finnieston was established in 1768 on the lands of Stobcross by Matthew Orr, the owner of Stobcross House. Orr named the new village "Finnieston" in honour of the Reverend John Finnie, who had been his tutor.[5]

The area has had a significant change in land-use since deindustrialisation.[6] Previously, Finnieston was an area of warehouses and docks — the film Deathwatch (a.k.a. "La Mort en Direct"), used this aspect extensively in location shots.[7]

Rounded tenement at junction of Argyle Street and Minerva Street

In the early 21st century, Finnieston has been promoted and built up as a modern residential and leisure area, mirroring Shoreditch in Greater London. To this end many new bars and restaurants have been established.[8] There is modern housing, office, retail, leisure and arts & culture developments. In 2016, Finnieston ranked first in The Times list "20 Hippest Places to Live in Britain" and The Herald claimed it the 'Hippest Place in Britain'.[9]

Finnieston Street is a major junction on the Clydeside Expressway, and on 18 September 2006, was augmented with the addition of the Clyde Arc (known locally as "The Squinty Bridge") over the River Clyde.[10] Finneiston forms part of the Glasgow City Council ward of Anderston/City/Yorkhill.[11]

Transport

Exhibition Centre railway station, on the Argyle Line, was previously known as Stobcross station.[12] Built by the Glasgow Central Railway and opened in 1894, it was closed in 1955. When it was reopened in 1979 it was called 'Finnieston' until it was given its current name in 1986.[13] A separate Finnieston railway station of the Glasgow City and District Railway was opened in 1886 but is now disused, although reopening was under consideration in the late 2010s.[14] However, the line is still in use as part of the North Clyde Line.

Landmarks

The Corunna Bowling Club located on A-Listed St Vincent Crescent has been a key feature of the area since 1850.[15][16]

The Clyde Arc (known locally as "The Squinty Bridge") over the River Clyde sits to the south of Finnieston.[10]

The SECC, where many musical concerts and important conferences are held, is located in Finnieston.[2]

The SSE Hydro opened in 2013 next to the SECC and welcomed over 1 million visitors per year to the venue and surrounding area.[17] In 2016 the SSE Hydro boasted the title as 8th largest venue in the world.[18]

Notable people

References

  1. "statistics.gov.scot - Finnieston and Kelvinhaugh - 07". statistics.gov.scot.
  2. "Glasgow wins international pathology congress". Conference News. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  3. "About Us". Bond Air Services.
  4. "Planning submission". glasgow.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  5. "Sobcross House". The Glasgow Story. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  6. MacLeod, Gordon (2002). "From Urban Entrepreneurialism to a "Revanchist City"? On the Spatial Injustices of Glasgow's Renaissance" (PDF). Antipode. Oxford and Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers. 34: 602–624. doi:10.1111/1467-8330.00256. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  7. "Death Watch (1980) Filming & Production". IMDB. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  8. McKelvie, Robin (9 February 2014). "A day in Finnieston, Glasgow: city guide" via www.theguardian.com.
  9. "The Shoreditch effect: How Finnieston became the hippest place in Britain". HeraldScotland.
  10. "Date for 'Squinty Bridge' opening". BBC News. 5 June 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  11. "Glasgow City Council City Ward Factsheets 2017 Ward 10 - Anderston/City/Yorkhill". Glasgow City Council. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  12. "Stobcross Railway". Railscot. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  13. "Glasgow Central Railway". Railscot. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  14. Armstrong, Gary (22 June 2016). "Re-opening of Finnieston Railway Station considered 101 years after closure". glasgowlive. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  15. "Campaign to save greenspace at Corunna Bowling Club agrees to explore buy-out". Glasgow West End Today. 15 January 2017.
  16. "Corunna Bowling Club - History". corunnabowlingclub.yolasite.com.
  17. "Timeline". SSE Hydro Official Website. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
  18. "TOP 200 ARENA VENUES 2016" (PDF). 31 December 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  19. "Danny McGrain". Neil Brown – Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  20. "Sharleen Spiteri: I'm happy in my life, and more than happy with the record we've made". Glasgow Evening Times. 16 April 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
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