List of Towns, Villages and Cities in East Renfrewshire

East Renfrewshire is a council area on the southern edge of Glasgow, running from the city’s suburbs out onto the Renfrewshire moors. It had a population of 96,817 at the 2022 census and covers 174 square kilometres (67 sq mi). Newton Mearns is the largest town; the council is based at Eastwood Park in Giffnock.

It was created in 1996 from the Eastwood district and part of Renfrew district. Roughly nine in ten residents live in the northern quarter of the area, in a continuous suburban belt along the Glasgow boundary.

Towns and Villages in East Renfrewshire

East Renfrewshire has 13 named towns and villages. Newton Mearns holds about 28,200 people, Barrhead 17,900, Giffnock 12,100 and Clarkston 9,500. Eaglesham, Neilston, Busby, Waterfoot and Uplawmoor are the main villages beyond the suburban belt.

• Barrhead
• Busby
• Clarkston
• Eaglesham
• Giffnock
• Millerston
• Neilston
• Newton Mearns
• Shillford
• Thornliebank
• Uplawmoor
• Waterfoot
• Waterside

These are the neighbourhoods within the built-up areas.

• Arthurlie
• Auchenback
• Broom
• Crookfur
• Dunterlie
• Gateside
• Hillside
• Kirkhill
• Levernside
• Lochlibo
• Mearns
• Nether Kirkton
• Netherlee
• Orchard Park
• Sheddens
• Springhill
• Stamperland
• Whitecraigs
• Williamwood

Geography

East Renfrewshire borders Glasgow City to the north-east, Renfrewshire to the north-west, North Ayrshire to the south-west, East Ayrshire to the south and South Lanarkshire to the south-east.

The north is suburban and gently rolling, at around 60 to 150 metres above sea level. South of Newton Mearns and Neilston the land rises onto Eaglesham Moor and the Fereneze Braes, open blanket bog and rough grazing reaching about 350 metres.

The White Cart Water rises on the moor above Eaglesham and runs north through Waterfoot, Busby and Clarkston towards Glasgow. The Levern Water drains Neilston and Barrhead. A chain of reservoirs across the moor, including Balgray, Ryat Linn and Waulkmill Glen, was built to supply Paisley and Glasgow and now forms Dams to Darnley Country Park.

Demographics

The 2022 census counted 96,817 residents, up 6,243 on 2011, a rise of 6.9%. Almost all of that came from new housing at Newton Mearns and Barrhead.

Density is about 556 people per square kilometre, concentrated overwhelmingly in the north: the moorland south of Eaglesham is nearly empty.

East Renfrewshire consistently records the strongest school attainment of any Scottish council area and one of the highest shares of degree-qualified adults. It also has a notable religious mix by Scottish standards, including the largest Jewish community in Scotland, centred on Giffnock and Newton Mearns, and a substantial Muslim population.

Economy and Local Life

The area functions as a commuter district. Most working residents travel into Glasgow, and local employment is dominated by education, health, retail and professional services. Newton Mearns and Clarkston have sizeable retail centres, and Barrhead retains some manufacturing, including a long-established sanitaryware works.

Whitelee Wind Farm, on Eaglesham Moor, is the largest onshore wind farm in the United Kingdom, with more than 200 turbines and a capacity above 500 megawatts. Its visitor centre and 80 miles of moorland tracks are open to walkers and cyclists.

Farming on the moor edge is dairy and beef. Neilston and Uplawmoor keep working farms, and the Neilston Show each May is one of the older agricultural shows in the west of Scotland.

History

Eaglesham is the area’s most distinctive settlement: a planned village laid out in 1769 by the tenth Earl of Eglinton around a wide triangular green, and now a conservation area with its original street plan intact. On 10 May 1941 Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy, parachuted onto Floors Farm just outside the village.

Barrhead and Neilston grew on textiles. Cotton mills and bleachfields along the Levern Water employed thousands from the 1780s, and Shanks and Company began making sanitary ware in Barrhead in 1853, exporting worldwide.

Giffnock, Clarkston and Newton Mearns were farmland until the railways arrived in the 1860s and 1900s; Giffnock also quarried the pale sandstone used in many Glasgow tenements. On 21 October 1971 a gas explosion destroyed a shopping row in Clarkston, killing 22 people, the worst peacetime disaster in the area’s history.

Getting There

The M77 runs south from Glasgow through the middle of the area, with junctions for Giffnock, Newton Mearns and Barrhead, and continues to Kilmarnock. The A77 follows the same corridor as the old road, the A726 crosses east to East Kilbride through Eaglesham, and the A736 runs south-west from Barrhead to Irvine.

Three rail lines serve the area. The Neilston line calls at Giffnock, Thornliebank, Whitecraigs and Patterton; the East Kilbride line at Clarkston and Busby; and the Glasgow to Kilmarnock line at Barrhead. Journey times to Glasgow Central are 12 to 20 minutes. Glasgow Airport is about eight miles north-west of Barrhead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the population of East Renfrewshire?

96,817 at the 2022 census, up 6,243 since 2011.

What is the largest town in East Renfrewshire?

Newton Mearns, with about 28,200 residents. Barrhead is second with roughly 17,900.

How many villages are in East Renfrewshire?

There are 13 named towns and villages, plus around 20 neighbourhoods within the built-up areas.

Which council covers Newton Mearns and Barrhead?

East Renfrewshire Council, based at Eastwood Park in Giffnock.

Where is Whitelee Wind Farm?

On Eaglesham Moor in the south of East Renfrewshire, extending into East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. It is the largest onshore wind farm in the UK.

What postcodes does East Renfrewshire use?

G46 for Giffnock and Thornliebank, G76 for Clarkston, Busby and Eaglesham, G77 for Newton Mearns, and G78 for Barrhead, Neilston and Uplawmoor.