“Robert Croc did what?” That’s what everyone asked in 1170. Robert Croc became the feudal Anglo-Norman lord of these lands. David I of Scotland granted him the deeds. Walter fitz Alan facilitated this. Thus began the story of Crookston.
Crookston has two distinct neighborhoods. They are geographically separate. The White Cart Water divides them. Both share Crookston Road. Both fall within the same parliamentary constituencies. One area falls under the Cardonald ward. The other is in the Greater Pollok ward.
Robert Croc built Crookston Castle. It was initially a wooden structure on a small knoll. John Stewart of Darnley built the stone version around 1400. Croc also constructed a chapel and a hospital. This started a legacy of healthcare in the area. That legacy continues today.
North of Crookston Castle was Crookston Wood. Iron Age remains were found there in 1959. Farms surrounded the castle. These farms also shared the Crookston name. There was Crookston House and Farm. Nether Crookston was just south. Old Crookston was further south. Mains of Crookston lay to the east.
The castle was captured in the mid-1500s. Its importance diminished. The Maxwells of Pollok restored it in the mid-19th century. In 1931, they donated it to the National Trust for Scotland. It became the organization’s first managed property.
In 1885, the Crookston name gained prominence again. A new railway station opened. It was on the Glasgow and South Western Railway’s route. The station was named Crookston. A commuter suburb grew around it. This community also became known as Crookston.
After 1926, Glasgow Corporation annexed the lands. They were previously part of Paisley Abbey. Residential neighborhoods gradually surrounded it. These included South Cardonald, Hillington, and Penilee.
Housebuilding developments occurred over many eras. These ranged from tenements to bungalows. The original station buildings were converted. The line closed in 1983. It re-opened in 1990 with a single track.
The Crookston area has local shops and services. There are churches on Paisley Road West. Bowling clubs exist to the east and west. Cardonald Place Farm is a remnant of the pre-railway era.
In 1895, a lunatic asylum and hospital opened. It was known as Govan District Asylum. Later, it was named Leverndale Hospital. It expanded over time. New buildings were constructed in the 1990s. Older units became private housing in the 2000s.
In 1906, Renfrewshire Combination Poorhouse was built. It was later reconfigured as a nursing home. In 1938, cottage homes were built nearby. Glasgow purchased land for housebuilding. The Pollok housing scheme was constructed after World War II.
The Crookston Home facility closed in the 1990s. The site was cleared for housebuilding. Suburban villas were added from the 1990s to the 2010s.
This southern sector lacks an official center. The crossroads at Bullwood Drive and Dalmellington Road serves as one. There’s a supermarket, chemist, and medical center there. Crookston Bowling Club originated in the 1940s. It was for Rolls-Royce factory workers.
Crookston Community Group supports deprived communities. Despite family homes, there are no primary schools in this area. Meadowburn Home, an elderly care facility, opened in 2019. It is close to where Crookston Home once stood.
While developments have various names, “Crookston” is the common name. No prefixes distinguish the areas on either side of the railway.
The First Glasgow number 3 bus runs through Crookston Road. Trains operate from Crookston every half hour.
Iain Connell, Mary Lee, and Jack Milroy are notable people from Crookston. They have contributed to writing, singing, and comedy.
Today, Crookston stands as a testament to its rich history. It is a blend of old and new. A community shaped by lords, railways, and healthcare.