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History of Garrowhill

The lands on which Baillieston, Garrowhill and Barrachnie are laid out belonged to the Maxwell family from the 1600s.

 

The main work in the area was coal mining and later brick manufacture. The Barrachnie Pit, owned by William Young & Co. sat on the edge of the Lanarkshire coal field and provided a living for many families in the then-rural district.

By the 1930s the coal and brickmaking industries were in decline, and in 1931 the Mount Vernon Colliery Co Ltd went into liquidation with their assets being disposed of, including land in the Garrowhill area.

By 1936 the house building firm of Henry Boot of Sheffield purchased ground to commence their 'Garden Suburb' project, offering new homes for around £400.

The Henry Boot development lay on the north side of Glasgow Road, and the community we know today as Garrowhill began to grow. Shops and a bank were built at Barrachnie Cross, a primary school was laid out adjacent to Garrowhill House, with the Mure Memorial Church close by. The still-thriving Garrowhill Bowling Club has provided recreation in the area since 1937 and a sense of community had been established.

In the 1960s and 70s, the Garrowhill area expanded when the land on the south side of Glasgow Road was developed through to Burntbroom, with Bannerman High School being built on the site of the former Baillieston House, seat of the Scott Maxwell family.

In 1973 legislation was passed allowing the formation of Community Councils throughout Scotland. These were to be voluntary bodies with members elected from the local identified community, with granted statutory rights. 

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