Renfrew, Renfrewshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Renfrew | |
|---|---|
 Renfrew's location locally and nationally |
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| Demographics | |
| Population: | 20,251 (1991 Census) |
| Administration | |
| Local Government Region: | Renfrewshire |
| Nation: | Scotland |
| Geography | |
| Traditional County: | Renfrewshire |
| Former Region: | Strathclyde |
| Post Office and Telephone | |
| Post Town: | Renfrew |
| Postcode: | PA4 |
| Dialling Code: | 0141 |
Renfrew (Rinn Friù in Scottish Gaelic) is a town, located six miles west of Glasgow on the west coast of Scotland. It was the county town of the county of Renfrewshire until 1975. From 1975 to 1996 it was within the Renfrew district of the Strathclyde local government region. It is now in the unitary council area of Renfrewshire.
The town is located at the junction of the River Clyde and White Cart Water. A passenger ferry crosses the Clyde to Yoker and a swing bridge crosses the Cart to Inchinnan and Glasgow International Airport.
Renfrew is known as the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" and held royal burgh status from 1397 until 1975. The current Baron of Renfrew is Prince Charles. Although the town gives its name to the council area of Renfrewshire, the function of administrative capital of the area now falls on the town's larger neighbour Paisley.
The main weekly newspaper for the town of Renfrew is The Gazette which is currently one of Scotland's fastest-growing regional newspapers.
Renfrew is home to the engineering company Doosan Babcock (formerly Babcock and Wilcox) and the Braehead out-of-town retail development.
The shipbuilders Simons and Lobnitz were based in Renfrew. William Simons and Company had begun business elsewhere but settled in Renfrew in 1860. During World War II the rival shipbuilding firm Lobnitz, apart from shipbuilding, designed and built Mulberry Harbours which were used to offload cargo on a beach during the Allied invasion of Normandy. Simons-Lobnitz Ltd was established in 1959 when G & J Weir Holdings Ltd, pump manufacturers, Glasgow, took over Lobnitz & Co Ltd, shipbuilders, Renfrew, Scotland, and merged it with William Simons & Co Ltd, ship and dredger builders, Renfrew, Scotland, which had been acquired by G & J Weir Ltd in 1957. Simons and Lobnitz were famous for building sand dredgers. The Renfrew ship yards closed in the early 1960s. [1] [2]
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[edit] Sports and recreation
Renfrew has a King George's Field,in memorial to King George V. These feilds are known locally to be notoriously muddy during the frequent rainy seasons in this part of Scotland, and the to develop into insurmountable bogs during some parts of the year, becoming flooded up to half a foot deep in some parts. It also has a municipal swimming pool, the victory baths, gifted by the Lobnitz family to the town. In 2004 Renfrewshire council openend a multi-purpose sports centre at the corner of Paisley Road and Newmains Road. In April 2006 the Xscape center was opened near Braehead Shopping Centre and Ikea, featuring indoor snowboarding, skiing, ten-pin bowling, climbing, cinema and much more.
[edit] Parliamentary burgh
Renfrew was a parliamentary burgh as a component of Glasgow Burghs from 1708 to 1832, and as a component of Kilmarnock Burghs from 1832 to 1918, when it was merged into the East Renfrewshire constituency.
[edit] References
- History of Renfrew, J.A. Dunn, Town Council of Renfrew, 1971
[edit] External links
