Can you imagine a town built on long, ploughed furrows? Barrhead, whose name comes from the agricultural term “barr”, meaning just that, started as a series of small textile villages. These villages, Barrhead, Arthurlie, Grahamston, and Gateside, eventually merged into a single entity. The name Barrhead first appeared around 1750. The town sits on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. It’s southwest of Glasgow city centre.
Barrhead’s growth is closely tied to the Industrial Revolution. The clear waters of the Levern provided ideal conditions for bleaching and printing cloth. Later, the water powered mills and printworks. This industry drew people from all over, swelling the town’s population from a mere 600 in 1755 to roughly 2,000 by 1811. One of Barrhead’s largest employers was the South Arthurlie Printworks, owned by the Heys family, and in operation until 1930. Streets like Heys Street, George Street, Henry Street, and John Street bear witness to their influence.
Barrhead wasn’t just textiles. The name Shanks, synonymous with sanitary ware, has its roots here. John Shanks, a Paisley plumber, established a workshop in Barrhead in the late 19th century. His innovative non-return valve, allowing toilets to be installed below the waterline in ships, propelled his business to international fame. Did you know Shanks provided sanitary ware for the Titanic? Or that a Shanks toilet graced the Dalai Lama’s palace in Tibet? The Shanks factory, a significant employer for generations, eventually became part of Armitage Shanks before closing in the 1990s.
The decline of textiles led other industries to repurpose old mill buildings. The Barrhead Kid Company transformed the Broadlie Mill into a tannery. James McIlwraith & Sons converted the Gateside Cotton Spinning Mill into the Fereneze Works. This factory produced waterproof materials for tents and camouflage during wartime and the decorative Alhambrine, used to adorn the Alhambra Theatre and even the royal train for the 1911 Delhi Durbar.
Barrhead has a rich sporting history. The town boasts a junior football team, Arthurlie, and was home to Alex McLeish, Scotland’s most capped defender. There are multiple bowling clubs and the Fereneze Golf Club, established in 1904. The town also has a history of boxing and Muay Thai, with several championship fighters emerging from local clubs.
Today, Barrhead is a commuter town for Glasgow and Paisley. Traces of its industrial past linger, like the two standalone railway viaducts. One sits near the Tesco store, the other, known as the Jerries, forms a footpath between Springhill Road and Woodside Park. Barrhead’s story is a mix of industry, innovation, and community. From the long ploughed furrows to the world-renowned Shanks toilets, Barrhead offers a glimpse into a unique piece of Scottish history.