Barrhead


East Renfrewshire

An industrial town is East Renfrewshire, Barrhead lies on the Levern Water, 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Glasgow. It developed from a number of smaller villages in the late 18th Century in association with the textile industry, in particular bleaching, cotton spinning and calico printing. Created a burgh in 1894, the town expanded in the interwar period through the building of public housing on the policies of Arthurlie House (built 1780 and still extant), and again to the southeast in the 1950s. Its stoneware industry became widely known through its links with the Shanks firm of sanitary engineers. Copper was mined from volcanic rocks at the nearby Boylestone Quarry and in the late 20th Century industries included waterproofing and the manufacture of soft leather and pet foods.

Cowan Park was the gift of a native of the town, James Cowan (1830 - 1910). Others born in Barrhead were the ecologist Prof. Kenneth Mellanby (1908-93) and artist Ken Currie (b. 1960).


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