Pollokshields

Pollokshields
Pollokshields
 Pollokshields shown within Glasgow
Population 21,291 
LanguageEnglish, Scots
Council areaGlasgow City Council
Lieutenancy areaGlasgow
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town GLASGOW
Postcode district G41
Dialling code 0141
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK ParliamentGlasgow Central
Scottish ParliamentGlasgow Southside
List of places
UK
Scotland
Glasgow

Coordinates: 55°50′26″N 4°19′34″W / 55.8406°N 4.3262°W

Pollokshields (Scottish Gaelic: Buthan Phollaig, Scots: Pollokshiels) is a district in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. It is a conservation area which was developed in Victorian times according to a plan promoted by the original landowners, the Stirling-Maxwells of Pollok, whose association with the area goes as far back as 1270.

History

Pollokshields was established by the Stirling-Maxwell family in 1849, and was set out or 'feued' by the Edinburgh architect David Rhind. Many well-known Glaswegian architects contributed to its development and, amongst others, it contains villas by Alexander 'Greek' Thomson. There are several contributions by contemporaries of Charles Rennie Mackintosh including a series of good 'Glasgow style' tenements by the architect H. E. Clifford, who was also responsible for the 'A' listed Pollokshields Burgh Hall, in Scottish Baronial style which was inaugurated in 1890, with Maxwell Park. The ground for Maxwell Park was given by Sir John Stirling-Maxwell of Nether Pollok in 1888, and the park was formally opened at the same time. Such was its early population growth Pollokshields attained 'burgh' status in 1876. However, this ended in 1891 when after being offered favourable tax terms the residents of the burgh agreed to it becoming a suburb of the growing city of Glasgow. The Victorian and Edwardian architecture and the parks of this area have remained almost untouched, leaving the feeling of a leafy Victorian suburb, while being well within the city.

Pollokshields Burgh Hall

Modern Pollokshields is an area of ethnic diversity, home to large communities of mainly Asian peoples including Pakistani, as well as Indian origin. The area's commercial eastern side is home to a large number of South Asian shops (fruit, meat and clothes shops) attracting shoppers from all over Scotland.

Albert Drive is the location of the two Eid celebrations when the Muslim community of Glasgow congregate to commemorate the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

In April 2004, local white youth Kriss Donald was abducted from Kenmure Street in Pollokshields, then tortured and murdered in a racially motivated attack. Five men of Pakistani descent, also from Pollokshields, were later jailed for the crime, four receiving life sentences.[1][2] The case drew attention to the issue of Asian gang culture and associated crime and violence in the area.[3]


Burgh Hall

Pollokshields Burgh Hall was designed by H. E. Clifford during the Scottish Renaissance in the late 19th Century and is currently listed as a significant building of Pollokshields. Built in Ballochmyle Red Freestone it was opened in 1890 by Sir John Stirling Maxwell whose coat of arms is depicted in the entrance porch in the stone of the Hall and is recorded in marble in the floor. To the outside of the building there is very high tower, housing a turret stair and balcony. Throughout the building there are detailed stained glass windows, brought from the town of Pollokshields. The lodge house adjacent comprises two flats; the Sanitary Inspector and the Park Gardener used these facilities as living accommodation and they are currently privately let by the Burgh Hall trust. In 1891 the Burgh Hall passed into the hands of Glasgow Council when the city extended its boundaries. In 1938 the back of the building was enlarged; however this meant that the last gallery in the spacious hall had to be sacrificed in order to permit the building of an extension.

By 1975 it was being used by the Social Work Department of Strathclyde Regional Council as an occupational day centre. In 1982 a decision was taken to sell it on the open market. This proved controversial—the residents of Pollokshields protested due to its connection to the heritage of the town and the historical significance to the area. Further protests ensued so a charitable trust was formed to ensure that the building would continue to be publicly owned. The Trust acquired the building for £1 in 1986. Only in 1991 was the title transferred with the condition that the derelict lodge house be restored within five years. Historic Scotland supported the heritage campaign as well as other organisations such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, Glasgow City Council, the Glasgow Development Agency and the local community and so the lodge house and the ground floor of the Hall were completely refurbished and reopened around 1997. The lower ground floor has since attracted further funding and what was once little more than cellar space has been converted to a contemporary conference room, which can be directly accessed from the outside.

Education

There are four primary schools in the area and four secondary schools in and around Pollokshields.

Pollokshields Primary Junior and Senior schools is one school split into two buildings on different streets for different age groups; Glendale Primary located on the south edge of Polloksheilds; St. Albert's Primary to the west; and the private Craigholme School for Girls on Nithsdale Road.

The four secondary schools in the vicinity are Bellahouston Academy (located on the western edge of Pollokshields near just south of Ibrox stadium and Paisley Road West) Shawlands Academy (inside the Shawlands area approximately a mile south of Pollokshields), Craigholme School Secondary on St Andrews Drive (an extension of the nursery and primary schools), and Hutchesons Grammar School, a private secondary school on Beaton Road.

Demographics

Pollokshields has a total population of 21,299 (49.6% female and 50.4% male)[4] as of 2008. 41.3% of the total population are below the age of 30. The largest group is the thirty to forty year olds numbering at 5,485. The elderly population is 3,086 accounting for 14.5% of all citizens.

Media

There are various forms of local media in Pollokshields. Radio stations such as Awaz FM have been created. This is an Asian community radio station which broadcasts on 107.2FM across Pollokshields and the greater Glasgow area and is based in Darnley Road. Radio Ramadan is another station broadcasting at the beginning of the religious months of Ramadan when Eid is about to commence. It currently has a broadcasting frequency of 88-89FM, although throughout recent years it has remained at a constant 87.7FM.

Newspapers include The Glaswegian a free paper covering the greater Glasgow area, The Extra which is another local free paper covering Glasgow South and Eastwood and based in Pollokshields. Eastern Eye Scotland, is another tabloid relating news of Asian showbiz businesses, such as Bollywood.

The 2004 film Ae Fond Kiss..., directed by Ken Loach, was filmed in Pollokshields. This is the story of a second-generation Asian man, who falls in love with a white girl.

Pollokshields has also been mentioned on the Scottish band 1990s debut album Cookies as they have lived in the area.

Architecture

The architecture in pollokshields is predominantly a mixture of Victorian tenements and large detached and semi-detached properties dating back to the late 18th and early nineteenth centuries.

The Church of St Albert the Great in Pollokshields was originally built for a congregation of the United Presbyterian Church. The Italian Renaissance design by John B. Wilson was also used in another building, Stockwell Free Church, in 1887. St Albert's original title was Albert Road Church, being named after Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert, rather than the German saint of the same name who is the current patron. The Archdiocese of Glasgow acquired the church in 1965 for the new parish and with minimal interference to the original interior or exterior design, it was brought back into use as a church in 1967. The cream sandstone facade has a very attractive octagonal vestibule and tall bell tower. St Ninian's church is part of the Scottish Episcopal Church located on the corner of Albert Drive and Pollokshaws road.[5]

Pollokshields Church of Scotland.

Pollokshields Church of Scotland was built as Pollokshields Established Church by Robert Baldie in 1877–1878. The architecture is mixed Gothic with an early English tower with tabernacles above the broaches of the spire at the southwest comer of the building. The tower has a clock face on each of its four sides. The south (entrance) front has a large geometrical window above a row of trefoil headed windows with stiff leaf capitals. The side aisles have twin lancet windows beneath the clerestory of triple lancet windows to the main church. The interior has aisle arcades formed by polished granite columns on high octagonal sandstone bases with French Gothic capitals supporting pointed arches beneath the clerestory windows and the high scissor braced roof trusses. Each column cap is different The timber roof of the side aisles and the main trusses add to the grandeur of the interior. The south balcony is reached by a staircase from the east porch. The deep chancel was remodelled in 1912–1914 with new organ, pulpit and communion table.

Sherbrooke St. Gilbert's Church is another Church of Scotland congregation. The church was built in 1894 and had to be rebuilt following a serious fire in 1994. It is located on Nithsdale Road, close to Dumbreck railway station.

Clydesdale Cricket Club is located at Titwood on the periphery of Pollokshields. Founded in Kinning Park in 1848 by Archibald Campbell, it was formed by members of two previous clubs which played on Glasgow Green, to cater for the burgeoning residential developments south of the river Clyde. It is now the oldest surviving team sports club in Glasgow. On moving to Pollokshields, the club sold its previous grounds in Kinning Park in 1873 to a newly founded football club called Rangers. At that time, the club also fielded a football team, Clydesdale, which came second to Queens Park in the first Scottish Cup final in 1874, after many associated with the club had been instrumental in the foundation of the Scottish Football Association.

Transport

Currently there are three functioning railway stations in Pollokshields: Maxwell Park railway station, Pollokshields East railway station and Pollokshields West railway station, all on the Cathcart Circle Line. Crossmyloof railway station on the Glasgow South Western Line and Dumbreck railway station on the Paisley Canal Line sit just outside the district's bounds. Closed railway stations include Pollokshields railway station and Strathbungo railway station.

Pollokshields is also served by Shields Road subway station on the Glasgow Subway, located in a non-residential area in the extreme north of the district, and by numerous bus routes.

Pollokshield's location offers easy access to the M77, M8 and, M74 motorways.

Notable residents

Notable people who have lived in Pollokshields include:

See also

Adjacent Districts

References

  1. ↑ Callous killer of schoolboy Kriss to spend at least 17 years in jail - News - Scotsman.com
  2. ↑ Boy murdered by gang in search of a white victim - Telegraph
  3. ↑ When politics gets in the way of policing - Top stories - Scotsman.com
  4. ↑ City Ward Fact Sheets 2007
  5. ↑ "St Ninian's Episcopal Church, Pollokshields, Glasgow". Retrieved 2008-01-28.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pollokshields.