Clarkston
| Clarkston | |
| Renfrewshire | |
|---|---|
 Busby Road, Clarkston | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NS565565 |
| Location: | 55°46’52"N, 4°17’15"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 14,944 |
| Post town: | Glasgow |
| Postcode: | G76 |
| Dialling code: | 0141 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Renfrewshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
East Renfrewshire |
Clarkston is a suburban town in Renfrewshire, five miles east of Barrhead, seven miles east-southeast of Paisley and four miles northwest of East Kilbride. Its sits at the southwest of the Glasgow conurbation.
Clarkston is a small, affluent commuter town with a population of 14,944. It is served by Clarkston railway station on the Glasgow South Western Line branch to East Kilbride.
On 21 October 1971, the shopping centre was the scene of the Clarkston explosion which killed 22 people and injured around 100. It was caused by a cracked gas main beneath the shopping centre, in a void in which the escaped gas built up, . A plaque on the site commemorates the event.
In 2006, plans were, despite numerous objections, approved to build a public house by Clarkston toll, putting an end to the "dry area" which has made Clarkston unique.
Greenbank Garden, a National Trust for Scotland property, is located on the outskirts of Clarkston.
History
When a new road from Paisley to East Kilbride was built through the area in the 1790s, a toll point was set up where it crossed what was then the main route from Glasgow to Kilmarnock. A man named John Clark built a house at the toll, and the name 'Clarkston' came to be used for the locality.[1][2] The Maxwell family (owners of the Williamwood Estate, on which Clarkston was situated) advertised the creation of a new village there in 1801, but initially it grew slowly. Clarkston at this time had no industry of its own, and villagers were mainly employed in the mills at nearby Netherlee.[1][2]
The area began to expand more rapidly following the opening of Clarkston railway station by Busby Railways in the village in 1866,[3] and later the expansion of the Glasgow tram network to Clarkston in 1921.[4] The 1920s also saw the final breaking up of the Williamwood Estate, encouraging further house building.[1] Clarkston expanded rapidly as new suburban housing developments sprang up such as Williamwood, Carolside and Overlee.[5]
Outside links
References
- Nisbet, Douglas (2007). Old Clarkston and Netherlee. Catrine: Stenlake.