Bishopton, Renfrewshire

Bishopton
Renfrewshire
Gledstane Road, Bishopton
Location
Grid reference:	NS435712
Location:	55°54’30"N, 4°30’19"W
Data
Population:	5,157  (2011)
Post town:	Erskine
Postcode:	PA7
Dialling code:	01505
Local Government
Council:	Renfrewshire
Parliamentary constituency:	Paisley and Renfrewshire North

Bishopton is a large village in Renfrewshire, a few miles west of Erskine. The village is in the northeast of the county, 2 miles south of the River Clyde. The village borders a number of nearby village, separated by fields and farms.

The village was originally in the Parish of Erskine and consisted of two hamlets named Blackstown and Easter Rossland. These grew and combined into Bishopton in 1840: the name 'Bishopton' came from a nearby house named Bishopton House, whose owners were a prominent local family, the Brisbane family. The house later became a convent known as 'Good Shepherd Centre' and latterly the 'Cora Foundation'.

Royal Ordnance Factory site

The gate of ROF Bishopton

A large explosive manufacturing factory was once sited in Bishopton; ROF Bishopton. The Royal Ordnance Factory was opened during the Second World War on farm land, acquired by compulsory purchase order. It was situated on the other side of the railway line running through Bishopton. Over 2,000 acres of land from up to seven farms was used to build the factory and encompassed Dargavel House, which still survives. The southern end of the site included the majority of the land formerly used by the First World War National Filling Factory, Georgetown.

The ROF was privatised in 1984 and sold to British Aerospace (now BAE Systems). It has since scaled down and BAe has shut most of the site.

After privatisation the MOD Police moved out and the former MOD Police Social Club at HolmPark, and its adjoining sports field, became part of Bishopton. The former MOD Police houses at both HolmPark and Rossland Crescent were sold off to private buyers. Bishopton's Medical Centre was built in a corner of the sports field, opposite the shops.

BAE Systems and Redrow have submitted controversial proposals to use a large part of the site for building new housing which would, at least, double the size of Bishopton. Local residents expressed their concern and organised a local referendum, coming out 91.6% against it. In December 2008 Renfrewshire Council granted outline planning consent for the development nevertheless, with detailed planning consent for a related new motorway junction off the A8 / M8 motorway.

Transport links

Bishopton railway station

Bishopton railway station opened in 1841 and is on the Inverclyde Line (formerly the Caledonian Railway), with services to Gourock and to Wemyss Bay and to Glasgow Central. A link connected the line to ROF Bishopton, but this is now disused.

Bishopton is a couple of miles from the southern end of the Erskine Bridge, which spans the River Clyde between Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire. Before the bridge was built the Erskine Ferry transported vehicles across the Clyde.

The A8 road passes through Bishopton and the M8 motorway runs parallel to it, with access to Bishopton from junctions 30 and 31.

Glasgow Airport is just 2½ miles southeast of the village.

Trivia

Bishopton actually has no 'streets'. All of the roads have names such as 'road' and 'crescent' but there are currently no streets.

In 2014, Annabel Goldie, a former Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, was ennobled as 'Baroness Goldie of Bishopton in the County of Renfrewshire'.

Pictures

• 
  Station Road
• 
  Greenock Road
• 
  Bishopton Tennis Club
• 
  Hewlett-Packard Factory
• 
  Blantyre Monument
• 
  Bishopton Parish Church

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Bishopton, Renfrewshire)

• InBishopton.org.uk
• Bishopton Broncos Basketball Club
• The Gazette