Sandyhills

Across the centuries, Sandyhills has transformed from a quiet settlement to a modern suburb. Sandyhills initially nestled beside the Tollcross Burn. It sat on the road leading east from Shettleston village. This area, known as Sandyhills, took its name from a sprawling estate to the south. Both are clearly marked on William Roy’s 1755 Military Map of Scotland. The 19th century brought mining to Sandyhills. Two pits, part of the Mount Vernon Colliery, operated where Blackford Road and Crownhall Place now stand. Although the coal was gone by the early 20th century, Sandyhills continued to thrive on the outskirts of Shettleston. A variety of industries helped it grow. Some of the oldest buildings still standing include a row of cottages, the Gables pub, and a terrace of sandstone houses across the road. Sandyhills Church, originally built in 1900, was rebuilt in the mid-1980s. Railways were vital, with Mount Vernon North station serving the area until the 1950s. Shettleston, which includes part of Sandyhills, became part of Glasgow in 1912. However, the original part of Sandyhills remained in Lanarkshire until the Local Government reorganisation in 1973. The southern part of the Sandyhills House estate transformed into a golf course in 1905. In the early 1930s, a housing scheme developed on the north-west part of the estate. This continued the garden suburb style south of Shettleston Road, reaching Amulree Street. Sandyhills Bowling Club opened in 1930, and a post office serves the area. A recreation area, once a quarry and later the site of a Glasgow Corporation foamslag factory, separates these streets from Tollcross. After World War II, the remaining Sandyhills House estate, including the 1853 mansion, became home to 205 prefab dwellings and four 22-story tower blocks. These towers, completed in 1968, became a prominent landmark. They are now among the tallest residential buildings in Scotland east of Springburn, managed by Glasgow Housing Association. The prefabs were eventually replaced by a park and permanent housing. The Glasgow Eastern Area Renewal project brought significant changes to Sandyhills’ low-rise housing from the late 1970s onwards. Refurbishments included rewiring, replumbing, and central heating. New social housing was built in 1990 where the prefabs once stood. The Lizzy Lodge pub, situated in a 19th-century villa, closed in the late 2000s. The Farmington private housing development was built on the site of Sandyhills Farm in the late 1980s. This development, north of the main road, marked the most recent major growth phase. In 2012, the Farmington area boasted one of the lowest crime rates in Glasgow. Sandyhills remains connected to central Glasgow via public transport, despite the closure of North Mount Vernon station. Shettleston and Garrowhill stations on the North Clyde Line and Carmyle and Mount Vernon stations on the Whifflet Line are all within a mile.