Mosspark ( gd, Pàirc na Mòna) is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

in the Scottish city of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

. It is situated south of the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

, in the southwest of the city.

History

Mosspark and the lands of East and Mid-Henderston were incorporated into Glasgow in 1909. They covered seventy-two hectares of farmland and their acquisition was prompted by the need to develop peripheral communities to help ease the city's notorious overcrowding. The

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

was crucially important in determining Mosspark's pioneering place in

Glasgow Corporation The politics of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city by population, are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of Glasgow City Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament. Local government As one of ...

's housing programme. In 1919, groundbreaking legislation made it compulsory for local authorities to implement planned housing schemes, underpinned by subsidies. As a result, Mosspark became the most ambitious of the Corporation's immediate post-war developments. Mosspark Avenue, Glasgow

The housing density and extensive green space were inspired by

Raymond Unwin Sir Raymond Unwin (2 November 1863 – 29 June 1940) was a prominent and influential English engineer, architect and town planner, with an emphasis on improvements in working class housing. Early years Raymond Unwin was born in Rotherham, Yorks ...

and the

Garden city movement The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, industry, a ...

. The neighbourhood is almost unique within the surrounding area with its tree-lined streets and boulevard stretching the length of the area at its most northern point. Entirely residential, the scheme's green and semi-rural setting was intended to provide a healthier alternative to the city's traditional tenement landscape, which had become too much identified with urban corrosion. The 1500 house development was built by the firm Mactaggart and Mickel, with the local church also seen as an important consideration - its buildings on Ashkirk Drive were begun in 1927 and completed two years later. Although flats featured in Mosspark's plans, two-thirds of the housing stock was built in the form of cottages, semi-detached and terraced, and surrounded by gardens. The dwellings were built to high standards with spacious rooms and modern conveniences including the clean new energy source of electricity. The allocation of tenancies was predominantly to "professional" and "skilled" strata, and the area became and remained one of the most desirable for Corporation tenants. The district's exclusive character had arisen because it was generally not cost-effective for the Corporation to build such prestigious, low-density developments, especially in the depressed economic climate of the inter-war years. Mosspark was consequently a showpiece of modern planning in Glasgow, but it could not serve as a realistic blueprint for the Corporation's long-term housing strategy. Similar later housing schemes were built like Knightswood, although the blueprint was changed to cheaper building materials, fireplaces were removed from the bedrooms and interior walls were no longer brick.

Transport

To the North of Mosspark is

Bellahouston Park Bellahouston Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Bhaile Ùisdean'') is a public park in the Bellahouston district on the South Side of Glasgow, Scotland, between the areas of Craigton, Dumbreck, Ibrox and Mosspark covering an area of . The ma ...

and Paisley Canal railway line to the south which separates the area from

Corkerhill Corkerhill is a neighbourhood of Glasgow, Scotland, southwest of the city centre. The area was originally a farm and a few houses built for workers of the Glasgow and South Western Railway at the Corkerhill Depot.Corkerhill Corkerhill is a neighbourhood of Glasgow, Scotland, southwest of the city centre. The area was originally a farm and a few houses built for workers of the Glasgow and South Western Railway at the Corkerhill Depot.Mosspark railway station more accurately serves South Cardonald and northern Pollok.

Facilities

The area has a great deal of amenities in spite of its rather small size, including a church, school, bowling club, several shops and a park directly facing the much grander

. There are no public houses in Mosspark, the nearest being the Parkway Bar in Cardonald. In late 2017, the local parish church closed and the congregation merged into another in

Pollokshields Pollokshields ( gd, Buthan Phollaig, Scots: ''Powkshiels'') is an area in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. Its modern boundaries are largely man-made, being formed by the M77 motorway to the west and northwest with the open land of Pollok C ...

to form Sherbrooke Mosspark Church. The ''Category B''

Listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ire ...

were taken over and renovated by the Harvest Bible Chapel's Glasgow branch.Welcome
Harvest Church Glasgow

In popular culture

*Some outdoor portions of the sitcom

Still Game ''Still Game'' is a Scottish sitcom, produced by The Comedy Unit with BBC Scotland. It was created by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, who played the lead characters, Jack Jarvis, Esq and Victor McDade, two Glaswegian pensioners. The charact ...

were filmed in Mosspark. *The TV show Vids used an empty shop in Mosspark as the storefront in the show.

Notable people

* Peter Mullan, Scottish actor and film maker, former resident *

Robert J. Murray Robert J. Murray was United States Under Secretary of the Navy in 1980–81. He was born in Marlborough, Massachusetts. He was educated at Suffolk University, receiving a B.S. in 1961. He then attended Harvard University, receiving an M.P ...

, Scottish songwriter * John Fraser, actor * Dean Keenan, Scottish Footballer,Played for Greenock Morton,Ayr,Current Assistant Manager and inducted into Hall Of Fame at Troon Football Club

Notes and references

{{Areas of Glasgow Areas of Glasgow Garden suburbs