Renfrew
Renfrew | |
---|---|
Renfrew Town Hall and centre | |
Arms of Renfrew Community Council | |
Population | 24,270 (2020)[2] |
OS grid reference | NS519186 |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Renfrew |
Postcode district | PA4 |
Dialling code | 0141 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Renfrew (
As the county town, Renfrew once was a centre of local government for the surrounding area. Whilst the county remained known as "Renfrewshire", the focus of local government gradually shifted from Renfrew to its larger neighbour Paisley.
Following the
The House of Stewart was previously based out of the former
Renfrew's historic industries include shipbuilding, given its position on the River Clyde and River Cart, and engineering. Today it primarily contains
History
The name Renfrew comes from the
Renfrew Castle was situated in what is now part of the well-known Braehead shopping complex. It was located on the King's inch or King's Island.[5]
Later in the 12th century,
The role of the Stewarts continued to grow and in 1315 Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward married Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce. Their son succeeded to the throne as Robert II of Scotland.[8]
During the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll was injured and captured at Renfrew before being transported to Edinburgh and executed for his role in attempting to overthrow the Crown. The Argyle Stones in the town mark the site where his capture took place.[9]
During the night of 13 March 1941, three Polish airmen saved Renfrew's Roman Catholic church of Saint James. Lance Corporal Pawel Radke, Aircraftman Antoni Ptaszkowski, and Aircraftman Zygmunt Sokolowski were at the church and at great risk were extinguishing incendiaries. These had caused a number of fires in the church. Two of the airmen were killed by a bomb and the third died in Alexandria Hospital the following day. They were in their twenties. When 309 Squadron transferred to Dunino in Fife in May 1941, it presented to the church a portrait of Our Lady as a token of their appreciation to the people of Renfrew. Parishioners never forgot the sacrifice and in October 1982 at a special Mass, a silver plaque in memory of the airmen and the portrait of the Black Madonna was blessed and dedicated by Bishop McGill. The plaque was crafted by a local Polish jeweler, Eugeniusz Waclawski.[10]
At the
Renfrew also has two Masonic Lodges: Prince of Wales and Lodge Moorpark, numbers 426 and 1263 respectively, of the Roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.[13]
Governance
Local government and royal burgh
Although the town gives its name to the council area of Renfrewshire and the larger county of the same name which was used for local government before 1975, the administrative functions of both have in modern times been operated from the considerably larger neighbouring town of Paisley.[14]
The early origins of Renfrewshire lie in the expanding influence of the Stewarts of Renfrew, the family holding the hereditary
Renfrewshire's
Renfrew is now represented by its own community council, which meets in Renfrew Town Hall.[16]
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Renfrew was a
In the Scottish Parliament, Renfrew is part of the Renfrewshire North & West Constituency. Scottish Government Finance Secretary Derek Mackay has held the seat for the SNP since 2011.[19]
Transport
The M8 motorway intersects Renfrew and two junctions at Arkleston and Braehead provide access to the town, with the neighbouring town of Paisley largely lying on the opposite side. The former Renfrew Airport was located to the south of the town (only a couple of miles from the present Glasgow Airport). The site of the terminal building is now occupied by a Tesco supermarket.[20] The Renfrew Ferry connects to Yoker on the north bank of the Clyde, with the crossing taking a few minutes to make. Renfrew was also once served by a series of stations on a branch of the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway. However it was closed to passengers in 1967.[21] The nearest present-day station is Hillington West.
Renfrew is served by the McGills bus company which operates regular services to the Braehead Shopping Centre, and has various routes that pass through Renfrew connecting Erskine, Glasgow city centre, Paisley, and Govan.[22]
In the early 21st century, as part of the wider 'Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside Project' involving regeneration and new residential developments,[23][24] a new moveable bridge was proposed to connect Renfrew/Braehead to Yoker/Clydebank for vehicular traffic, using 'City Deal' funding.[25] The bridge project stalled at the planning stage in late 2018,[26] but construction was underway by early 2024.[27][28]
Notable people
Notable people from Renfrew include:
- Fred Colledge, cricketer
- Lorne Crerar, lawyer
- Winifred Drinkwater, aviator
- Bob Harley, footballer
- Alex Hunter, footballer
- Jackie Husband, footballer
- Derek Mackay, former SNP politician[29]
- James McDonald, WW1 flying ace
- Neil Oliver, television presenter, archaeologist, historian and author
Economy
The major industry of Renfrew was previously
Further expansion of Renfrew's economy took place in 1938 with the opening of Hillington industrial estate, now named Hillington Park, not to be confused with the neighbouring
Renfrew is home to the engineering company Doosan Babcock (formerly Babcock & Wilcox), the King George V Dock and the Braehead out-of-town retail development.[32]
Geography
Renfrew is at the confluence of the
See also
- Doosan Babcock
- Robertson Park
- Braehead
- Normandy Hotel
- Renfrew Ferry
- White Cart Bridge
- Renfrew Golf Club
- Renfrew F.C.
Citations
- ^ "Map of Scotland in Scots - Guide and gazetteer" (PDF).
- ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ISBN 0198605617.
- ^ "Renfrew History". Retrieved 21 January 2010.
- ^ a b "Renfrew, King's Inch". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ^ Paterson 2008, p9
- ^ "The Royal Family - HRH The Prince of Wales", Burke's Peerage.
- ISBN 0-7524-1991-9
- ^ HUGH CRAIG. "The Argyll Stones (C) HUGH CRAIG :: Geograph Britain and Ireland". geograph.org.uk.
- ^ "Portrait of a Lady and a Silver Plaque in memory of Polish Airmen". ostrycharz.free-online.co.uk. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
- ^ "Queen's Chaplain to be next moderator". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012.
- ^ "Posh flats plan for iconic gothic church, four years after it closed to worshipers". Daily Record. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "Provincial Grand Lodge of Renfrewshire East". Grand Lodges of Scotland. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ "Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley". Renfreshire Council. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 98.
- ^ "Renfrewshire Community Website - Renfrew meetings". Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2007.
- ^ "2019 - UK General Election". Renfrewshire Council. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Paisley & Renfrewshire North parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ "Scots finance secretary quits over messages to boy". BBC News. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "302 Found".
- ^ "Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ "McGill's will move over to emergency timetable and stop issuing change from Monday". Renfrewshire 24. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside, Renfrewshire Council
- ^ Ministers give green light to £90m Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside project, Scottish Condstruction Now, 20 November 2018
- ^ "Clyde to get its first opening road bridge". Evening Times. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- ^ "New River Clyde bridge plan could be at risk after council objection". Evening Times. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- ^ First section of new Renfrew Bridge arrives on Clyde, BBC News, 24 April 2024
- ^ Final section of Renfrew Bridge floated up the Clyde, BBC News, 17 May 2024
- ^ "Profile of Derek Mackay: the ex 'fundie' tipped as the next SNP leader". HeraldScotland. 9 December 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 October 2005. Retrieved 8 June 2005.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Location". Hillington Park. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ "Braehead Shopping Centre - Glasgow Skating". Retrieved 25 October 2013.
General and cited references
- Patterson, Raymond Campbell (2008). The Lords of the Isles, A history of Clan Donald. Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited. ISBN 978-1-84158-718-9.
Further reading
- History of Renfrew, J.A. Dunn, Town Council of Renfrew, 1971