Eaglesham


East Renfrewshire

A village in the old county of Renfrewshire, Eaglesham is situated 9 miles (14.5 km) south of Glasgow and 5 miles (8 km) southwest of East Kilbride. The original village had held a weekly market since the mid 17th Century, but the present layout of two rows of houses separated by a common area with trees, a meadow and a stream was created in 1796 for the workers at the Earl of Eglinton's cotton factory. Work halted when the factory burned down in 1876. The houses have long gardens to the rear and the two streets (Montgomery Street and Polnoon Street) fall steeply, losing more than 50m / 160 feet of altitude over their half-mile (1 km) length.

The village was extended to the north with the building of bungalows in the 1930s, although by that time many of the original houses were in poor condition and threatened with demolition. The village was further extended to the south in the 1950s. By that time there was an active Preservation Society in the village and, in 1960, Eaglesham became the first Scottish village to be designated a conservation area as a place of special historical interest and many of its buildings are individually listed.

Notable structures include Eaglesham Old and Carswell Parish Church (1788), a monument to two Covenanters shot in May 1685, the ruins of Polnoon Castle (14th century), and Eaglesham House. In 1941 the German Nazi leader Rudolf Hess landed by parachute near this house, possibly on a peace mission.

There is an 18 hole golf course.


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