Barrhead. Renfrewshire. The Town and Surroundings.

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This is the missing link between the two previous blog posts, completed on the same walk from South Nitshill, getting off bus number 57 then walking to Barrhead and then over the Fereneze Hills to Paisley.
Salterland Road, seen here above, a quiet, pleasant country lane leading from South Nitshill, Glasgow, into the nearby town of Barrhead in Renfrewshire. You can either take the main Darnley Road pavement walk (faster but busy with traffic), this slightly longer but greener corridor, or make you own way across the landscape, as described in a previous post a month ago. By the last two routes, all going well, you will end up here.

The Glasgow/Barrhead Boundary. A Railway Bridge. The same railway line and similar bridge that separates South Nitshill from Nitshill... and South Nitshill from Priesthill. For adults just an information sign and underpass but as a young teenager growing up, aged 10 to 16, these were important markers. A Portal. Going into Barrhead was the most inviting doorway, one we did often, either with friends or by myself. Going into Nitshill, under a similar bridge, not so bad either but higher up the scale of wary trepidation, looking out for trouble. Going across the railway line into Priesthill circa 1960s to 1980s ... always an exciting adventure. Even as an adult, working there every day.     An education.

A view of the Fereneze Hills/Brownside Braes. The path over to Paisley follows the line of houses,  right to left, then upwards diagonally at the end house, left to right. Before you reach that point however you have to go through Barrhead itself.

The minor country lane of Salterland Road takes you out onto the busier A736 Glasgow Road, which, after the railway bridge, leads you past a small industrial estate of garages, small business units, etc but with a good view ahead of Duncarnock's rocky summit and St John's Catholic church. This is it below. I like a nice Gothic spire sticking up in the landscape even though I'm not religious.

.At the same roundabout where this Catholic church stands I took a slight detour off route to head back up Darnley Road to visit Cowan Park, a Barrhead gem.

This was the closest public park to us living in South Nitshill, so we made regular trips to it from aged five to twenty five, when I moved away from the area. It was 30 minutes pleasant walk from the family doorstep to here and another five minutes to Barrhead's Shopping Centre so a very familiar walk and town to us back then.

Cowan Park has not changed much at all in the last 50 years. The bandstand is still there, the small playground of swings, monkey bars, roundabout and slide, always a childhood treat, has been replaced by a larger, more modern adventure play area for today's children but other than that it's untouched.

Quite a large park but half of it is seen in this photo with the distant boundary line of a dark hedge and spiked railing just visible. In twenty odd years we never walked down here when I lived in the area as there was not much to attract us in this sector but I did it on this occasion just out of curiousity. Nope, there's nothing much down there....my eyes did not deceive me... but I did meet a same aged local dog walker and had a good chat about where we went as children so that made it worthwhile.

A view from Cowan Park towards Auchenback, One of the largest schemes in Barrhead and looking much the same as I remember it. A few rows of tenements have been knocked down and replaced with newer, low level housing but other than that it's well maintained and in reasonably good condition for its age. (I know this as the number 3 McGill's bus from Neilston to Glasgow takes you round most of the streets within this very sizable estate on its weaving eventual route into the city. Local buses are amazing like that for seeing the best/deepest heart of every district on a journey :o) If you did it frequently it might prove irritating but as a twice off trip I found it both fascinating and enlightening to see the full extent of Auchenback in comfort, without legwork and expended energy. Built at roughly the same time as the original South Nitshill, what saved it from similar demolition and decay was cottage type housing with gardens, no large back courts for gang activity, tighter street layouts overall, and only a few rows of scattered tenements, some of which have been replaced. The photo view above only shows part of this large estate.

Barrhead High School from Cowan Park with another chunk of Auchenback behind it. Although not much has changed in Barrhead there are several notable additions- one of which is the new  Barrhead High School, seen here. East Renfrewshire scores high as one of the best UK places to raise a family apparently. Mind you, if they cover it all in houses, that may change.

I liked the architectural style of this building and the landscaped grounds surrounding it. Although not in a bad mood as I was enjoying this walk up to now I was surprised to find my mood lifting further, immediately and noticeably, crossing this area. So much so that while walking across this newly landscaped patch of ground (it was shut, a holiday, no pupils.) I had a sudden flash of insight between children growing up in this environment, (new school, good home, positive aspirational attitude), and children growing up in a rough area. (dilapidated houses, gangs, litter strewn waste ground where streets have been.) Even brought up with good parents, opportunities and academic ability this second environment must have some kind of corrosive effect on your mentality overall, seeing it day after day, without necessarily being aware of it happening. Even after you move away, carrying on years or even decades later in your psyche.

The new running track and sports ground. Vivid, intense. primary colours of red, green, and white. There was a real or half imagined fresh smell of newness off this track, which did not appear to have a single scuff mark on it. Visually stimulating to the senses. This was confirmed when I crossed out of this newly landscaped area back into ordinary Barrhead again and it was like the sun had vanished behind a cloud in my perceptions. I could not help remembering my own estate at the beginning, everything newly built, fresh, and sparkling as a first generation child let loose into this bright clean Eden, reflected in my own positive attitude growing up- then 30 years later when it was all dirty, damaged, and soiled- and a not so positive attitude... although again, not always consciously aware of this, by now ingrained negativity and slight cynicism to everything around me.

Coming out of the school grounds onto Aurs Road, beside Auchenback, scene of many a long circular walk up through the Barrhead Dams from my house, first done in a pram, as a baby, so I'm told, then walking with companions, then frequently, alone, as a fantastic freewheel long descent on a bike off the high moors after a Christmas present, turning 14 years old. A welcome passport to greater travelling ability and day long explorations further afield.

Barrhead and Dovecothall at the Roundabout. Left to Crossmill, the railway bridge, the Hurlet, then Pollok... right to South Nitshill, Darnley and Arden via Darnley Road. The white building used to be a well known pub, which closed, but is now an Indian restaurant.

Looking in the other direction towards Barrhead shops. A view unchanged since the 1960s. Just here where the photo was taken is the start of the Levern Water path/cycle track, a pleasant green ribbon that bypasses the urban centre of Barrhead by following this stream. At one time nearby Neilston and Barrhead had numerous separate cotton mills dotted along the length of the Levern Water, employing many thousands of workers within walking distance of their house. Barrhead also manufactured  porcelain bathroom ware, exporting its products to a world wide market. Nearly every family in our district and across the Central Belt sat on a Shanks white toilet and washed up in one of their sinks.
A link to that here.
http://www.portaltothepast.co.uk/article/3328/Shanks--Co-Ltd-1851-1969

For an out of the way small commuter town, as it is now, back then, like many towns and even villages UK wide, during the industrial British past, it had a wide range of important local industries... from carpet manufacturing, to large iron works to turning animals into useful leather goods.  At this same spot is this info board to the cotton mill that once stood near here, beside the Levern Water, until the early 1970s. Unbelievably, most of the workforce employed inside were young children, working long hours beside the adults. Worth a read. Luckily, I grew up in the 1960s- a golden age for personal freedom and not just in record sales.

It is also at this point that you can access the Levern Water path/cycle track and here it is. A green way to pass through Barrhead to the hills beyond. However, on this occasion I thought I'd visit the town centre.

The Flying Horse pub and a row of shops. Not changed in 50 years.

Barrhead Shopping Centre. Not a full modern walk in indoor arcade, just this frontage. Ironwork could do with a scrape and paint after 50 years or so but still OK. Shops all in use for a change. Barrhead Travel, a local company gone international, started out here and still have a shop in the town. We used to go on bus trips from Barrhead occasionally as a family to The Trossachs, The Lake District, and Fife. A local garage ran buses from here through Nitshill and Pollok, picking up locals in several appointed locations first. Not sure if that was an early Barrhead Travel operation? 1960s 1970s style.

All the change/ additions in Barrhead lie on the other side of the road from the original shopping centre. The new Asda supermarket. (I went in here to buy sandwiches and use the toilets) Opened 2014.

East Renfrewshire Council Offices. All these buildings on this side have been up about 5 to 7 years at a guess, but still look new.

Barrhead Health Centre.  The other addition on this side of the street is The Foundry. A drop in community/sports/ fitness hub but I never managed a photo of that as it was too busy with families in front of it, being a holiday.

Further up the street older buildings still dominate. Original Council Chambers and Burgh Court Hall. Built in the early 1900s but no longer used for that purpose. It's supposed to be a local museum, going by the sign outside, but I've never been lucky enough to find it open. May be defunct. Used now for Youth Development projects I think, going by the window displays.

But I've always liked this wee guy in the upper balcony. The Town Proclamation reader. The local pigeons love him as well.

St Andrew's Parish Church. Barrhead.

New houses in Crossmill. Barrhead. Replacing some of the earlier estate here.

And a final distant view of the University of Glasgow from the hills and fields between Nitshill and Barrhead. The tall stone spire above the old building.... the modern tall grey building to the left houses the University Gallery of Modern Art and Macintosh house/museum. The end.









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