Arden, Carnwadric, Kennishead, Old Darnley, Jenny Lind and Deaconsbank are located in the southwest of Glasgow to the east of Junctions 2 and 3 of the M77 motorway and near the Barrhead and East Kilbride railway lines. The area lies in the Glasgow South and South West Westminster Parliamentary seats.

Carnwadric (below, left) was built between the wars around 1930 next to Thornliebank village and took its name from the local farm that used to occupy the area. It consists of low rise cottage flats and tenements.

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Initially, the houses had coal fires, however, a modernisation programme in the late 1970s resulted in conversion of most houses in Carnwadric to gas or electric heating (a small number kept their coal fires) and the painting of the outsides of the houses.

A combination of quality of the houses (built to a good standard in common with many inter-war housing estates), quality of the area, and good transport links, means that many of the former council houses are now owner-occcupied with house prices rising for a 2 bedroom cottage flat from around £35,000 in 2001 to around £70,000 by 2008.

In the last few years, there has been a programme organised by the local Parkview LHO (part of Glasgow Housing Association), which has resulted in a number of the tenements and cottage flats (where there are tenants) being upgraded with cladding and new roofs – this has improved the look of the area.

Carnwadric Primary School school operated from 1939 to 2008. Many of today’s local residents attended, and the school was a strong performer at the Glasgow Libraries’ Schools Quiz in the 1980s. The school was merged with Arden Primary in 2008 as part of the Council’s school refurbishment programme, and the site on Capelrig Street where it once stood has been redeveloped with new housing, with the first new tenants moving in during late 2013. St Vincent’s R C Primary opened in Crebar Street in 1974, and has recently been rebuilt and modernised.

Carnwadric Church of Scotland (above), situated on Boydstone Road, opened in the 1950s. The current minister, Rev Graeme Bell, has worked in the community for over 30 years. The church has been particularly active in providing a warm welcome to the many people of different nationalities who have moved into our area in the last decade or so. Further information about its work can be found at http://www.carnwadric.org.uk/.

The King George V Playing Fields are on the other side of Boydstone Road from the church, were opened by HM The Queen on 28 May 1951, before she ascended to the throne.

Boydstone Road was also the site of one of the last tramline extensions in Glasgow after the war, with the line extended from Thornliebank station to Boydstone Road shops on November 7, 1948. Tram service 25 served this route, until its withdrawal and replacement by buses in the late 1950s.

On the other side of the King George V Playing Fields from Carnwadric, in front of the Barrhead railway line near Kennishead station (which opened in 1848) stand the Kennishead flats.

The 5 high rise tower blocks of Kennishead (above left, viewed on a winter’s day) were built in the late 1960s, along with the low rise maisonette flats that lie in their shadow. Kennishead Avenue, the road on which the flats stand, is also the site of shops, a popular Community hall, and in the last decade or so has also become home to people of many nationalities. The maisonette flats and three of the five tower blocks have recently been refurbished. Two of the tower blocks have now been demolished as part of the regeneration plan with most residents being rehoused in the new housing built on the site of the old Carnwadric Primary School.

Kennishead flats overlook Regent’s Park (above), a housing development built by Beazer Homes in the 1990s on disused former industrial land. The first houses sold for between £60-100,000, and the prices have increased substantially since then. Regent’s Park was the site of units that the German Luftwaffe tried to bomb during World War 2. The estate is bordered on two sides by the Barrhead and East Kilbride railway lines with the King George V Playing Fields and back of Boydstone Place on the other two sides

Arden and Old Darnley were built after the war. Arden was the site of two primary schools, a nursery, and a small shopping area further up Kyleakin Road (in the picture on the left). Kyleakin Road is the main road through Arden and runs from Nitshill Road (A727) down toward Carnwadric Road (via the short Hopeman Road). It is now home to a joint non-denominational school with Carnwadric, called Ashpark. The former local R C school has merged with St Vincent’s and is now based in Carnwadric. Some houses in Arden were upgraded in the early 1990s, and further work is currently ongoing. The estate recently featured in a TV series starring the interior designers Colin and Justin.

Jenny Lind (below) and Deaconsbank complete our Community Council’s area. Jenny Lind, named after a Swedish opera singer who had reportedly stayed in the area in the 19th century, was built between the first and second world wars. Deaconsbank was developed more recently.

Facilities near the Community Council area include the shopping facilities in Darnley, Silverburn Shopping Centre, Rouken Glen Park and the Thornliebank shopping area situated around Main Street.

Our Community Council area is part of the wider Thornliebank area, which covers streets in both Glasgow and what is now East Renfrewshire. The area of Thornliebank was first recorded on Richardson’s map in 1795 as “Thorny Bank”. Before the development of Pollokshaws and subsequently, Carnwadric and Mansewood, the area was a seperate village – now the built-up area around Glasgow extends towards Newton Mearns due to new construction near Patterton. The area around Thornliebank Main Street and Kennishead Road, which serve as a main local shopping area for Carnwadric and Kennishead, underwent substantial redevelopment in the 1970s.

Thornliebank is also the site of the local health centre, which serves many of the Community Council’s residents. The bus route serving Carnwadric and Kennishead is the 57A, with Carnwadric and Arden served by the 10 route. Train stations at Kennishead and Thornliebank also serve both ends of Carnwadric.