Old Photographs Govanhill Glasgow Scotland

Tour Scotland wee video of old photographs of Govanhill, Scottish Gaelic: Cnoc a' Ghobhainn, an area of Glasgow. Historically part of Renfrewshire, it is situated south of the River Clyde between the Gorbals, Pollokshields, Crosshill and Queen's Park. The council ward has boundaries of Dixon Avenue and Dixon Road to the south, Victoria Road to the west, Butterbiggins Road to the north, and Aikenhead Road to the east. Govanhill had the status of a police burgh between 1877 and 1891 before becoming part of the City of Glasgow. The history of the area is linked to the Dixon family. A prominent ironmaster, William Dixon opened blast furnaces to the north of Govanhill which became known as Dixons Blazes. A company village called Fireworks Village was situated on the site of the later Burgh of Govanhill. The area itself was formed in 1877 and the main avenue that runs the length of it is called Dixon Avenue. Some of the local streets were named after the daughters of William Dixon Junior: Allison Street, Daisy Street, and Annette Street. Govanhill gained the status of an independent police burgh in 1877, sharing a burgh hall with its neighbour, Crosshill; this building is now known as the Dixon Halls. Both burghs were absorbed by the expanding city of Glasgow in 1891. From the first days of the neighbourhood's formation, Govanhill has always been a popular settlement area for people coming to Glasgow and Scotland. The population has regularly changed and diversified as migrants have chosen to live in the area. Migration started with people from the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland; from Ireland; Jewish people fleeing persecution in Eastern Europe; people from the Punjab and other parts of the Indian sub continent; Glasgow's new communities of former asylum seekers and refugees and, most recently, migrants from Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania. Glasgow Corporation acquired land for a recreation ground at Govanhill in 1894. The original layout split the area in two, with one laid out with ashes to create an area for playing football and similar games and the other part covered with grass and with a small gymnasium. A shelter with toilets was built in the centre of the park, trees, shrubs and flowerbeds were planted round the edges and there were park benches set at regular intervals along the gravel paths. The bandstand was added in 1903. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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