Overview of Bridgeton

An eastern suburb of Glasgow, Bridgeton (originally Bridgetown) developed on a site formerly known as Barrowfield following the construction of the Rutherglen Bridge in 1776. The marker here became the main street of Bridgeton and after 1782 a large area was laid out in a grid plan, the road junction taking the name Bridgeton Cross. In 1814 the land to the south by the River Clyde was designated Europe's first public park as Glasgow Green. Bridgeton expanded in the 19th Century to become an industrial suburb with textile, engineering, pottery and carpet manufacturing industries. In 1846 Bridgeton was incorporated into the city of Glasgow. Many of Bridgeton's former industrial buildings were demolished in the 1960s in advance of Scotland's largest urban renewal initiative, the Glasgow Eastern Area Renewal (GEAR) scheme. The Templeton Carpet Factory remains as the Templeton Business Centre.