Hillhead
Encyclopedia
Hillhead is a district of Glasgow
, Scotland
. Situated north of Kelvingrove Park
and to the south of the River Kelvin
, Hillhead is at the heart of Glasgow's fashionable West End, with Byres Road
forming the western border of the area, the other boundaries being Dumbarton Road to the south and the River Kelvin
to the east and north.
The land was the property of the Gibsons of Hillhead from 1702 until 1862. Plots for housing development were made available by the Gibson family from the 1820s onwards.
Hillhead was an independent Police Burgh from 1869, but as Glasgow grew during the nineteenth century it was first swallowed up physically by the growing city, and then administratively in 1891.
The University of Glasgow
is located in the area, having moved from its original site on the High Street
to its current Gilmorehill location in 1870. Consequently a great number of students live in the area. Many academics from the University live in the area along with BBC Scotland
employees, actor
s, broadcasters
, writers and many students from various universities
and teaching hospital
s, creating an economically and culturally diverse community.
Politically there was once a parliamentary constituency entitled Glasgow Hillhead
which had been held for many years by the Conservatives
(indeed, after the 1979 general election
it was the only Conservative seat left in Glasgow), but at a by-election in 1982
it was won by the Social Democrat
candidate Roy Jenkins
. He held onto the seat until the 1987 general election
when he was defeated by the Labour
candidate George Galloway
. This seat formed the basis of the Glasgow Kelvin constituency. The area now has a mixed political profile, with the Labour Party
, SNP
, Greens
and Liberal Democrats each gaining one councillor for the Hillhead ward on the City of Glasgow Council in 2007.
Other features of Hillhead include Ashton Lane
, Western Baths
, Hillhead High School
, Glasgow Academy (a private school), and the Kelvinbridge
, which straddles the River Kelvin
which used to form an eastern boundary between Hillhead and Glasgow, until Hillhead's incoporation into the city.
The area is served by Hillhead subway station
and Kelvinbridge subway station
on the Glasgow Subway
system. The two stops on either side of those are Kelvinhall
in Partick
, and St George's Cross
in Woodlands
.
Byres Road
is a commercially important district to the city of Glasgow, featuring many of the city's most fashionable and popular independent boutiqes.
colonnaded Wellington Church
is located on University Avenue, directly opposite the University. The church is a Category A listed building.
.
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...
, 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...
. Situated north of Kelvingrove Park
Kelvingrove Park
Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the world-famous Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.-History:...
and to the south of the River Kelvin
River Kelvin
The Kelvin rises on watershed of Scotland on the moor south east of the village of Banton, east of Kilsyth - . At almost 22 miles long, it initially flows south to Dullatur Bog where it falls into a man made trench and takes a ninety degree turn flowing west along the northern boundary of the bog...
, Hillhead is at the heart of Glasgow's fashionable West End, with Byres Road
Byres Road
Byres Road is a street located in Hillhead, Glasgow and is the central artery of the city's West End.- Location and history :Byres Rd is a mixed commercial, shopping and upmarket residential area consisting largely of traditional sandstone tenements with retail premises on the ground floor and...
forming the western border of the area, the other boundaries being Dumbarton Road to the south and the River Kelvin
River Kelvin
The Kelvin rises on watershed of Scotland on the moor south east of the village of Banton, east of Kilsyth - . At almost 22 miles long, it initially flows south to Dullatur Bog where it falls into a man made trench and takes a ninety degree turn flowing west along the northern boundary of the bog...
to the east and north.
The land was the property of the Gibsons of Hillhead from 1702 until 1862. Plots for housing development were made available by the Gibson family from the 1820s onwards.
Hillhead was an independent Police Burgh from 1869, but as Glasgow grew during the nineteenth century it was first swallowed up physically by the growing city, and then administratively in 1891.
The University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
is located in the area, having moved from its original site on the High Street
High Street (Glasgow)
High Street in Glasgow, Scotland is the city's oldest and one of its most historically significant streets.Originally the city's main street in medieval times, it formed a direct north-south artery between the Cathedral of St...
to its current Gilmorehill location in 1870. Consequently a great number of students live in the area. Many academics from the University live in the area along with BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
employees, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s, broadcasters
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, writers and many students from various universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and teaching hospital
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
s, creating an economically and culturally diverse community.
Politically there was once a parliamentary constituency entitled Glasgow Hillhead
Glasgow Hillhead (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Hillhead was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1997...
which had been held for many years by the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
(indeed, after the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
it was the only Conservative seat left in Glasgow), but at a by-election in 1982
Glasgow Hillhead by-election, 1982
A Glasgow Hillhead by-election was held on 25 March 1982. The by-election was caused by the death of the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Glasgow Hillhead Tam Galbraith on 2 January 1982....
it was won by the Social Democrat
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
candidate Roy Jenkins
Roy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
. He held onto the seat until the 1987 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
when he was defeated by the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
. This seat formed the basis of the Glasgow Kelvin constituency. The area now has a mixed political profile, with the Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
, SNP
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
, Greens
Scottish Green Party
The Scottish Green Party is a green party in Scotland. It has two MSPs in the devolved Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, representing Lothian, and Patrick Harvie, for Glasgow.-Organisation:...
and Liberal Democrats each gaining one councillor for the Hillhead ward on the City of Glasgow Council in 2007.
Other features of Hillhead include Ashton Lane
Ashton Lane
Ashton Lane is a cobbled backstreet in the West End of Glasgow. It is connected to Byres Road by a short linking lane beside Hillhead subway station and is noted for its bars, restaurants and a licenced cinema....
, Western Baths
Western Baths
The Western Baths Club is a Victorian era private swimming and leisure club founded in 1876. The club remains at its original site at 12 Cranworth Street, Hillhead, Glasgow. The 19th-century baths are proteced as a category B listed building...
, Hillhead High School
Hillhead High School
Hillhead High School is a day school located in Glasgow, Scotland, on Oakfield Avenue, neighbouring the University of Glasgow. It is one of the largest schools in Glasgow.Until 1976 it was a selective school...
, Glasgow Academy (a private school), and the Kelvinbridge
Kelvinbridge
Kelvinbridge is the common name of the Great Western Bridge, a cast iron road and pedestrian bridge built in the 19th century to carry the Great Western Road at a high level across the River Kelvin. West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland...
, which straddles the River Kelvin
River Kelvin
The Kelvin rises on watershed of Scotland on the moor south east of the village of Banton, east of Kilsyth - . At almost 22 miles long, it initially flows south to Dullatur Bog where it falls into a man made trench and takes a ninety degree turn flowing west along the northern boundary of the bog...
which used to form an eastern boundary between Hillhead and Glasgow, until Hillhead's incoporation into the city.
The area is served by Hillhead subway station
Hillhead subway station
Hillhead subway station is a station on the Glasgow Subway, serving the Hillhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. The entrance is located on Byres Road.This station is the nearest to Glasgow Botanic Gardens and the University of Glasgow....
and Kelvinbridge subway station
Kelvinbridge subway station
Kelvinbridge subway station serves the Woodlands, Woodside and Hillhead areas of Glasgow, Scotland. It is named after the bridge crossing the River Kelvin, next to the station...
on the Glasgow Subway
Glasgow Subway
The Glasgow Subway is an underground metro line in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the third-oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro. Formerly a cable railway, the Subway was later electrified, but its twin circular lines...
system. The two stops on either side of those are Kelvinhall
Kelvinhall subway station
Kelvinhall is an underground station on the Glasgow Subway, renamed after the nearby Kelvin Hall. It is located in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, near to many of the city's best known tourist destinations including:...
in Partick
Partick
Partick is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch. Partick was a Police burgh from 1852 until 1912 when it was incorporated into the city.-History:...
, and St George's Cross
St George's Cross subway station
St George's Cross subway station serves the Woodlands area of Glasgow, as well as Queens Cross, Glasgow, in Scotland. The station name appears without an apostrophe on signs for no apparent reason....
in Woodlands
Woodlands, Glasgow
Woodlands is a residential area in the west-end of Glasgow, Scotland. It is to the east of Hillhead, the south of Maryhill and Woodside, and north of the city's Park District...
.
Byres Road
Byres Road
Byres Road is a street located in Hillhead, Glasgow and is the central artery of the city's West End.- Location and history :Byres Rd is a mixed commercial, shopping and upmarket residential area consisting largely of traditional sandstone tenements with retail premises on the ground floor and...
is a commercially important district to the city of Glasgow, featuring many of the city's most fashionable and popular independent boutiqes.
Churches
The neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
colonnaded Wellington Church
Wellington Church
Wellington Church is a congregation and parish church of the Church of Scotland, serving part of the Hillhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. The building is located on University Avenue, Glasgow, opposite the University of Glasgow.-Building:...
is located on University Avenue, directly opposite the University. The church is a Category A listed building.
Archives
The archives about Hillhead are maintained by the Archives of the University of Glasgow (GUAS)Archives of the University of Glasgow
The Archives of the University of Glasgow maintain the historical records of the University of Glasgow back to its foundation in 1451. Its earliest record is a charter dating from 1304 for the lands of the earliest mention of record-keeping in the University is in 1490 when it is recorded in...
.