Renfrewshire

One of Scotland's 32 council areas, Renfrewshire is home to more than a million people. It is one of three council areas that make up the historic county of Renfrewshire and can be found in the central west of Scotland, along with East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde. It is on the southern bank of the River Clyde and has common borders with Glasgow, North Ayrshire, and West Dunbartonshire.

Historic Renfrewshire, also known as the County of Renfrew and Greater Renfrewshire, dates back to the 16th century. Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, and East Renfrewshire are still considered part of the larger Renfrewshire for electoral registration and local tax valuation purposes, as well as for the purposes of the registration county and lieutenancy area.

The historic county town, the royal burgh of Renfrew, is located within the city of Paisley, the area's main settlement and the seat of local government.

History

Toponymy

Renfrew, the county town, has been around since the Romans occupied Britain, hence the county's name. Common Brittonic/Cumbric ren (as in Scottish Gaelic rinn) and frew (as in Welsh fraw or ffraud) are thought to be the source of the name (flow of water). This sounds like a spot on land close to a major waterway, like where the Cart and Clyde rivers meet.

Emergence as a county

From territory centered on the ancient lordship of Strathgryfe, King Robert III of Scotland created the county of Renfrew in 1402. This region was once a part of Lanarkshire. Historically, Paisley Abbey had jurisdiction over all of the churches in the surrounding towns and villages.

In accordance with the provisions of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, the County Building in Paisley serves as the seat of the Renfrewshire County Council, the governing body of the county.

Local government reform

The ancient county of Renfrewshire was split into the modern-day districts of Renfrew, Inverclyde, and Eastwood in the Strathclyde area of Scotland in 1973. Later, after the reform of local government in Scotland in 1996, new boundaries were drawn up for Renfrewshire, making it one of the 32 local council areas. East Renfrewshire was formed when Renfrew District and Eastwood District merged, bringing with them the communities of Barrhead, Neilston, and Uplawmoor.

Industry

The Industrial Revolution sparked a massive expansion of Paisley's textile industry in the 17th and 18th centuries. During that time, the shipbuilding sector benefited.

Dispute over the border with Glasgow

Since the Braehead shopping center was built in 1999 on land that belonged to both Renfrewshire and the City of Glasgow, the two jurisdictions have been at odds over who should be responsible for maintaining the boundary between the two. The original ancient boundary was preserved in 2002 when the boundary was redrew by the Local Government Boundary Commission to include all of the center in Renfrewshire. Along Kings Inch Drive, a chain link fence serves as a boundary.

Culture and community 

Multiple tourist attractions can be found in Renfrewshire. West of Renfrewshire, you can visit Castle Semple Loch in Lochwinnoch, as well as the larger Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, and south of the county, you can visit the Gleniffer Braes country park.

In addition to Paisley Abbey, the Paisley Museum and Coats Observatory, the Paisley Town Hall, the Coats Memorial Church, Sma' Shot Cottages, and St. Mirren Park are also located in the city of Paisley (home of St Mirren F.C.). Just outside of Paisley, the town of Elderslie boasts a monument to the Scottish knight William Wallace and the village of Kilbarchan is home to the Weaver's Cottage, both of which are maintained by the National Trust for Scotland. Famous landmarks in Johnstone include Johnstone Castle, Johnstone High Parish Church, and the museum found inside of a local supermarket.

The Braehead Arena is where the Scottish Rocks of the British Basketball League play their home games in Renfrewshire, not far from the city of Glasgow. The 2000 Ford World Curling Championships were also held at the arena.

Education

Previously known as the University of Paisley, the University of the West of Scotland is a young institution located in Renfrewshire that received its university status in 1992. There was a time when the Paisley Technical College and School of Art was a Central Institution or polytechnic. The Bell College in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire was merged with the university in 2007, and the UWS name was officially adopted in 2008. The university's main campus is still located in Paisley, but it now also has locations in Ayr and a joint campus in Dumfries.

About 20,000 students attend the Paisley Campus of West College Scotland each year to pursue further education. Locations in Inverclyde and West Dumbartonshire are also part of the college's infrastructure. 

Renfrewshire has 11 public high schools, 51 elementary schools, and 3 special education institutions.

Transport

Glasgow International Airport, located in Abbotsinch between Paisley and Renfrew, is Renfrewshire's largest and busiest airport. With its proximity to Glasgow and its airport, Renfrewshire has one of the busiest transportation networks in all of Scotland.

The airport is conveniently located near the end of the M8, a major highway that connects the northern and southern parts of Scotland and crosses the Erskine Bridge just east of Langbank.

The removal of tolls on the Erskine Bridge, plans to extend the rail network to connect to the airport, and the extension of the M74—which will handle traffic from Renfrewshire heading south and divert it away from the heart of Glasgow—have all been implemented to improve traffic flow. Renfrewshire is serviced by a number of bus companies, including FirstGroup, McGill's Bus Services, and a few others.

Scotland, UK Description

Scotland is the most northern of the UK's four constituent countries, occupying roughly one-third of the island. In the 5th century CE, Irish Celts settled on the west coast of Britain, naming it "Scotland." Scotland's name comes from the Latin Scotia, meaning "land of the Scots." Caledonia is a term frequently used to refer to Scotland, particularly in poetry. Caledonii was the Roman name for a tribe that lived in what is now northwest Scotland.

Scotland's harsh climate and extreme weather conditions have made it difficult for many generations to live there, but they have cherished it for its natural beauty and unique culture. During the Scottish Enlightenment, philosophers like Francis Hutcheson and Adam Smith forged important contributions to political and practical theories of progress. Scottish inventors, engineers, and businessmen like Alexander Graham Bell, James Watt, Andrew Carnegie, and John McAdam helped Scotland's influence far beyond its borders.

Scotland-England relations have been strained since the two countries united in 1707 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Despite heavy English influence, Scotland has long maintained its independence, clinging to historical fact and legend to preserve national identity and the Scots dialect of English.

Geographical Description of Scotland

The Aegean, Atlantic, North, and English Channels border Scotland's southern, western, and northern borders, as well as its eastern border. The west coast is dotted with large islands ranging in size from small rocks to the massive Lewis and Harris, Skye, and Mull landmasses (sea lochs or fjords). Orkney and Shetland islands are located north of Scotland. 274 miles (441 kilometers) from Cape Wrath to the Mull of Galloway, and 154 miles wide from Applecross in the western Highlands to Buchan Ness in the eastern Grampians. Scotland's mainland has two halves: north and south (248 km). With only 30 miles of land separating the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth, Scotland's two major estuarine inlets on its west and east coasts, from the sea, the vast majority of places are within 40 to 50 miles (65 to 80 kilometers) of the sea.

The Highlands are in the north, the Midland Valley (Central Lowlands) is in the middle, and the Southern Uplands are in the south. (The latter two are part of the Lowlands cultural region, which includes the former two.) Low-lying areas run the length of the Midland Valley and the US east coast. The east coast's smoother outline contrasts with the west coast's rugged outline, resulting in a topographic as well as a north-south divide. The Glen Mor (Glen Albyn) fault line separates the Highlands from the rest of the country. To the north of Glen Mor is an ancient plateau eroded into a series of peaks of similar height separated by glens carved by glaciers (valleys). The Lewisian Complex rocks have been worn down by severe glaciation to form a hummocky landscape punctuated by small lochs and protruding rocks from thin, acidic soil. The magnificent Torridonian sandstone mountains have weathered into sheer cliffs, rock terraces, and pinnacles.

The Grampian Mountains are located southeast of Glen Mor, though there are intrusions such as the Cairngorm Mountains' granitic masses. The Grampians are less rocky and rugged than the Northwest Mountains, being more rounded and grassy, with larger plateau areas. The area has some of Britain's highest mountains, including Ben Nevis (4,406 feet), which has cliffs and pinnacles that make climbing difficult (1,343 metres). Rannoch Moor, a desolate expanse of bogs and granitic rocks punctuated by narrow, deep lochs such as Rannoch and Ericht, is the most striking example (Rannoch Moor is the most striking of these). The Highland Boundary Fault runs northeast-southwest from Stonehaven, just south of Aberdeen, to Helensburgh on the River Clyde, passing through Loch Lomond, Scotland's largest freshwater body. The southern boundary of the Midland Valley is divided by a fault that runs from northeast to southwest, beginning with the Lammermuir and Moorfoot hills. It's misleading to call this part of Scotland the Lowlands because, while it's low compared to other parts of Scotland, it's not flat. Volcanic hills like the Sidlaws, Ochils, Campsies, and Pentlands dominate the landscape (579 metres). The Southern Uplands are not as high as the Highlands. Glaciation has created narrow, flat valleys that divide rolling mountains into sections. The gently sloping, grassy, and rounded hills just east of Nithsdale open up into fertile Merse farming land to the south. With time, the landscape west of Nithsdale becomes more rugged, with granitic intrusions around Loch Doon, and the soil becomes more peaty and wet. Merrick's high moorlands and hills can support a sheep farm at 2,766 feet (843 metres) above sea level. The uplands slope down to the Solway Firth's coastal plains in the south and the machair and Mull of Galloway in the west.

The Economy of Scotland

As a result of the problems that plagued many European countries during the 1970s and 1980s, including the widespread failure of heavy industries, Scotland's economy suffered greatly during this period. Unemployment became a significant issue, particularly in areas where major industries were in decline at the same time. A variety of measures were implemented by successive governments to improve the situation. Because of the extraction of North Sea oil and natural gas, as well as the development of high-technology industries and other economic sectors, Scotland's economy began to prosper during the 1980s.

Scotland's economy remains small but open, accounting for approximately 5% of the total export revenue of the United Kingdom. Aside from London and the eastern regions of England, no other region in the United Kingdom has a higher gross domestic product (GDP) per capita than the West Midlands, and its unemployment rate is relatively low. To be sure, wealth distribution in Scotland is not evenly distributed, and the average unemployment rate conceals pockets of significantly higher unemployment in specific regions and localities. Scottish economic development, education, and training are all overseen by the Scottish Parliament, despite the fact that the British government has control over macroeconomic policy in the country. This includes central government spending, interest rates, and monetary policy in Scotland.