Renfrew
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 55°52′00″N 4°22′00″W / 55.86666°N 4.36666°W
| Renfrew | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Rinn Friù | |
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  Renfrew shown within Scotland |
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| Population | 20,251 (1991 census) |
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| OS grid reference | |
| Council area | Renfrewshire |
| Lieutenancy area | Renfrewshire |
| Constituent country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | RENFREW |
| Postcode district | PA4 |
| Dialling code | 0141 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| European Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Paisley and Renfrewshire North |
| Scottish Parliament | West Renfrewshire West of Scotland |
| List of places: UK • Scotland | |
Renfrew (Rinn Friù in Scottish Gaelic) is a town, located 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Glasgow in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Traditionally, Renfrew is the county town of Renfrewshire (also known as the County of Renfrew), a unit of local government used until the reorganisation of 1975. The name Renfrewshire survives in local government in the names of the modern council areas of Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire.
The town is located at the confluence of the River Clyde and the River Cart. A passenger ferry crosses the Clyde to Yoker and a bascule bridge crosses the Cart to Inchinnan and Glasgow International Airport.
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[edit] Governance
[edit] Local government and royal burgh
Renfrew is known as the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" and held royal burgh status from 1397. The current Baron of Renfrew is His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay (known outside Scotland as The Prince of Wales).
Although the town gives its name to the council area of Renfrewshire and the larger county of the same name which was used for local government before 1975, the administrative functions of both have in modern times been operated from the considerably larger neighbouring town of Paisley.
Renfrew is now represented by its own community council, which meets in Renfrew Town Hall.[1]
[edit] Parliament of the United Kingdom
Renfrew was a parliamentary burgh as a component of Glasgow Burghs from 1708 to 1832, and as a component of Kilmarnock Burghs from 1832 to 1918, when it was merged into the East Renfrewshire constituency.
Since 2005, it has been part of the Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency.
[edit] Transport
The M8 motorway divides Renfrew and Paisley, and two junctions at Arkleston and Braehead provide access to the town. The former Renfrew Airport was located to the south of the town (only a couple of miles from the present Glasgow Airport)[citation needed]. Renfrew is connected to Yoker on the north bank of the Clyde by a foot ferry which takes a few minutes to make the crossing. Renfrew was also once served by a series of stations on a branch of the Glasgow and Paisley Joint Railway. However it was closed to passengers in 1967.
[edit] Economy
The major industry of Renfrew was previously shipbuilding. Simons and Lobnitz, most notable for building sand dredgers were based in the town.The Renfrew ship yards closed in the early 1960s. [1] [2]
Renfrew is home to the engineering company Doosan Babcock (formerly Babcock and Wilcox) and the Braehead out-of-town retail development.
[edit] Sports and recreation
- Renfrew has a King George's Field, in memorial to King George V. In the past certain pitches, particularly pitch '6' which was adjacent to the Tesco supermarket, were notoriously muddy during the frequent rain periods in this part of Scotland, and develop into bogs during some parts of the year, becoming flooded up to half a foot deep in places.
- It also has a municipal swimming pool, the Victory Baths, given by the Lobnitz family to the town.
- In 2004 Renfrewshire council opened a multi-purpose sports centre named Moorcroft at the corner of Paisley Road and Newmains Road.
- In April 2006 the Xscape centre was opened near Braehead Shopping Centre and Ikea, featuring indoor snowboarding, skiing, ten-pin bowling, climbing, cinema and much more.
- Renfrew Community Museum preserves historical aspects of the town.
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- History of Renfrew, J.A. Dunn, Town Council of Renfrew, 1971
