Bellsmyre
Encyclopedia
Bellsmyre is a large housing estate
in the town of Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire
, Scotland
. Located on the edge of the Kilpatrick Hills
in the northeast of Dumbarton, Bellsmyre is one of five predominantly council housing schemes in Dumbarton, the other four being Westcliff
, Silverton
, Brucehill
and Castlehill
.
The estate was originally masterplanned by the architect Ninian Johnston of Boswell, Mitchell & Johnston, and developed by the Scottish Special Housing Association (SSHA) in the 1950s as a municipal housing estate, with many residents moving from the city of Glasgow
as part of the "overspill" programme of moving people from inner city districts to new towns and other areas outwith the city boundaries. Much of the remaining publicly owned housing under landlord Scottish Homes was transferred to the Bellsmyre Housing Association
in 1992.
There are two areas within Bellsmyre; Stoneyflatt and Glenside. Stoneyflatt has been almost totally demolished to make way for new mixed tenure housing.
There are also two primary schools in the area, namely Aitkenbar and St Peter's. St Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Bellsmyre was designed by Garner, Preston & Strebel and opened in 1971, winning a RIBA
award in 1973.
In 2002, Bellsmyre was selected as the pilot area for a Scottish Executive digital inclusion project, which entailed the free provision of home computers with internet access to all households in the area.
On 5 June 2007, an unexploded World War II bomb was found at a housing construction site, and some houses nearby and Aitkenbar Primary School were evacuated. The pupils were relocated to St Peters Primary School for that day.
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
in the town of Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. Bordering onto the west of the City of Glasgow, containing many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages as well as the city's suburbs, West Dunbartonshire also borders onto Argyll and Bute, Stirling, East...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Located on the edge of the Kilpatrick Hills
Kilpatrick Hills
The Kilpatrick Hills are a range of hills in central Scotland, stretching from Dumbarton in the west to Strathblane in the east. Strathblane divides the Kilpatricks from the Campsie Fells to the east, while to the north is part of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park...
in the northeast of Dumbarton, Bellsmyre is one of five predominantly council housing schemes in Dumbarton, the other four being Westcliff
Westcliff, Dumbarton
Westcliff is a Council housing estate situated in the western part of Dumbarton, Scotland, across from Castlehill. It is one of the towns poorer areas and like the other housing estates in Dumbarton, it too has its share of drugs and crime...
, Silverton
Silverton, Dumbarton
Silverton is a large housing scheme in Dumbarton East Scotland, located between Dumbarton Rock and Dumbuck Hill and Round Riding Road to the north. It derives its name from the farm upon which it is now located....
, Brucehill
Brucehill, Dumbarton
Brucehill is a medium-sized council estate in Dumbarton, in the West Dunbartonshire area of Scotland.Largely made up of Irish immigrant families the area has always been blighted by high levels of crime and poverty....
and Castlehill
Castlehill, Dumbarton
Castlehill is an area of the town of Dumbarton in the West Dunbartonshire area of Scotland. Located in the Western part of the town next to the Brucehill area, Castlehill was built as a council run housing scheme...
.
The estate was originally masterplanned by the architect Ninian Johnston of Boswell, Mitchell & Johnston, and developed by the Scottish Special Housing Association (SSHA) in the 1950s as a municipal housing estate, with many residents moving from the city of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
as part of the "overspill" programme of moving people from inner city districts to new towns and other areas outwith the city boundaries. Much of the remaining publicly owned housing under landlord Scottish Homes was transferred to the Bellsmyre Housing Association
Housing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
in 1992.
There are two areas within Bellsmyre; Stoneyflatt and Glenside. Stoneyflatt has been almost totally demolished to make way for new mixed tenure housing.
There are also two primary schools in the area, namely Aitkenbar and St Peter's. St Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Bellsmyre was designed by Garner, Preston & Strebel and opened in 1971, winning a RIBA
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
award in 1973.
In 2002, Bellsmyre was selected as the pilot area for a Scottish Executive digital inclusion project, which entailed the free provision of home computers with internet access to all households in the area.
On 5 June 2007, an unexploded World War II bomb was found at a housing construction site, and some houses nearby and Aitkenbar Primary School were evacuated. The pupils were relocated to St Peters Primary School for that day.