Cardross, Argyll

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Cardross" redirects here. For other uses, see Cardross (disambiguation).
Geilston House, by Cardross, owned by the National Trust for Scotland

Cardross (Càrdainn Ros in Gaelic) is a large village with a population of 1,925 (2001)[1] in Scotland, on the north side of the Firth of Clyde, situated halfway between Dumbarton and Helensburgh. Cardross is in the historic geographical county of Dunbartonshire but the modern political local authority of Argyll and Bute. Cardross is also the name of an historic parish where King Robert the Bruce once lived. The Parish area stretched from the west side of Dumbarton to Camus Eskan (near Helensburgh) and even as far as Loch Long and also included the village of Renton in the Vale of Leven.[2]

History

Robert the Bruce purchased the portions of lands of Pillanflatt from the Earl of Lennox, lying in the parish of Cardross in 1326. In 1329, he died at his manorial house that he built there. A field called the Mains of Cardross is thought to have been the location of his royal manor.[3]

Natural History

2 km north-west of Cardross is a peninsula called Ardmore Point. This privately owned area of land has a nature trail and is considered a Regionally Important Geographical Site (RIGS) due to unique rock formations including an exposed sea cliff.[4] It is a popular fishing and bird-spotting area[5][6] and grey seals can also be seen here.[7]

Facilities

Commercial

There are a number of shops, including a post office, newsagents, pharmacy, plumber's merchant and a café. Ardardan Estate[8] is a working farm with a farm shop, plant nursery and tea room and is situated just outside Cardross near Ardmore Point.

Sports

The town possesses a golf course, bowling, tennis and football clubs. Paul Lawrie won the Scottish Professional Golf Championship which was held at Cardross Golf Course in 1992.[9]

Education

Cardross has its own pre-school and primary school.

Transport

Cardross railway station has direct links to both Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley stations on the North Clyde Line; the station is operated by ScotRail.

A bus service is provided by First Glasgow.

Tourist attractions

Geilston Garden, a National Trust for Scotland property, is located to the north west of the village.

Religion

The village has two places of worship: Cardross Parish Church (Church of Scotland) and the Catholic Church parish dedicated to Saint Mahew. The original parish church was bombed during the Second World War and its ruins are located next to the manse.

Listed Buildings/Structures

There are nearly fifty listed buildings/structures in Cardross, two of which are category A.[10]

Some structures of note:

  • The 14th century St. Mahew's Chapel. Most recently restored in the 1950s as a Catholic church which remains in use.[11]
  • The former St. Peter's Seminary, designed by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, is situated to the north of the village; it is closed to the public. Abandoned in the late 1980s, it is in a state of dilapidation, particularly internally. Its future is uncertain.[12]
  • The ruined 15th century Kilmahew Castle that was built by the Napier Clan is situated just north of the village.
  • The main road through the village goes over Moore's Bridge(1688).

Famous residents

A. J. Cronin, the celebrated doctor and writer, was born in Cardross in 1896.

The BBC sports presenter Hazel Irvine lived in Cardross and attended Hermitage Academy in nearby Helensburgh.

Michael Curley famous for scoring a hat-trick of goals ( 3 ) from directly taking corner kicks in one match, and also attended Hermitage academy. The goals where scored in both halves and also against different goalkeepers during the game.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Population&mainArea=cardross&mainLevel=Locality
  2. ↑ Strathleven Artizans: Cardross
  3. ↑ Strathleven Artizans: Robert the Bruce King of Scots
  4. ↑ The Geology of Ardmore Point
  5. ↑ http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=fishing+ardmore+point&aq=f&aqi=g-v1&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=3788568279b141cc&biw=1280&bih=665
  6. ↑ "Clydebirds". Clydebirds. Retrieved 2011-11-03. 
  7. ↑ "Ardmore Point, near Helensburgh". Walkhighlands. Retrieved 2011-11-03. 
  8. ↑ Ardardan Estate: Welcome to Ardardan
  9. ↑ Cardross Golf Club Web Site
  10. ↑ List of listed buildings in Cardross, Argyll and Bute
  11. ↑ http://www.stmahew.rcglasgow.org.uk/ourchurch
  12. ↑ Historic Scotland's Statement of Significance for St. Peter's

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cardross.

Coordinates: 55°58′N 4°38′W / 55.967°N 4.633°W / 55.967; -4.633

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.