West Dunbartonshire is a council area on the north bank of the River Clyde, north-west of Glasgow. It covers 159 square kilometres (61 sq mi), making it one of the smallest council areas in Scotland, and had a population of 88,399 at the 2022 census. The council has its headquarters in Dumbarton.
Clydebank is the largest town. The council area was created in 1996 from the former Clydebank district and the eastern part of the Dumbarton district, both previously in Strathclyde Region.
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Gaelic name | Siorrachd Dhun Breatann an Iar |
| Status | Council area, created 1996 |
| Area | 159 km2 (61 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | 88,399 |
| Population (2011) | 90,720 |
| Largest town | Clydebank |
| Administrative centre | Dumbarton |
| Council | West Dunbartonshire Council |
| Postcode areas | G60, G81 to G83 |
Towns and Villages in West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire has 17 named towns and villages. Three centres hold nearly all the population: Clydebank in the east, Dumbarton at the mouth of the Leven, and the Vale of Leven towns of Alexandria, Bonhill, Renton and Jamestown running north towards Balloch. Only Gartocharn, on the Loch Lomond road, sits clear of that built-up strip.
- Alexandria
- Balloch
- Bonhill
- Bowling
- Clydebank
- Dalmonach
- Dalmuir
- Dumbarton
- Duntocher
- Faifley
- Gartocharn
- Hardgate
- Inchmurrin
- Jamestown
- Milton
- Old Kilpatrick
- Renton
Clydebank’s districts, including Whitecrook, Radnor Park, Drumry, Linnvale, Parkhall and Kilbowie, are parts of the town rather than separate villages, so they are not listed above. The same applies to Bellsmyre, Brucehill and Silverton in Dumbarton.
Geography
The council area is a narrow strip between the Clyde and the Kilpatrick Hills, widening northwards up the Vale of Leven. The River Leven carries the outflow of Loch Lomond six miles south to the Clyde at Dumbarton, one of the shortest and fastest large rivers in Scotland.
Balloch, at the southern tip of Loch Lomond, lies inside the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, and Inchmurrin, the largest island in the loch, is within the council area. Dumbarton Rock, a twin-peaked volcanic plug rising 73 metres straight out of the Clyde, dominates the southern shoreline.
Neighbours are Argyll and Bute to the west, Stirling to the north-east, East Dunbartonshire and Glasgow to the east, and Renfrewshire across the Clyde by the Erskine Bridge.
Demographics
The 2022 census recorded 88,399 residents, down 2,321 on 2011 and down more than 5,000 since 2001. West Dunbartonshire is one of the few council areas in Scotland with sustained population decline, a legacy of industrial closures and of housing clearance in Clydebank.
Density is about 556 people per square kilometre, high for the size, because the population is packed into the Clyde and Leven corridors while the Kilpatrick Hills are empty. Clydebank holds roughly a third of the total, and the Vale of Leven towns another third between them.
Economy and Local Life
Shipbuilding shaped Clydebank. John Brown and Company launched the Lusitania in 1906, the Queen Mary in 1934 and the QE2 in 1967, and the yard employed tens of thousands before closing to shipbuilding in the 1970s. The Singer sewing machine factory next door was, at its peak, one of the largest factories in Europe; it shut in 1980.
Today the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank is a major employer, along with the council and the Chivas Brothers bottling plant at Kilmalid in Dumbarton. Loch Lomond Distillery works at Alexandria. Tourism concentrates at Balloch, where Loch Lomond Shores and the loch cruises draw day visitors from Glasgow, 20 miles away.
History
Dumbarton Rock was Alt Clut, the fortress capital of the Britons of Strathclyde, and has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Britain. A Viking fleet besieged and took it in 870 after a four-month blockade. Dumbarton became a royal burgh in 1222.
The Vale of Leven turned to textile printing and bleaching in the eighteenth century, then to Clydeside heavy industry. Clydebank grew from farmland to a town of 45,000 in 50 years around the yards. On the nights of 13 and 14 March 1941 German bombing killed 528 people there and damaged all but a handful of the town’s 12,000 houses, the worst civilian destruction of any Scottish town in the war.
Getting There
The A82 dual carriageway runs from Glasgow through Clydebank and Dumbarton to Balloch and on up Loch Lomond. The A814 follows the shoreline, the A811 crosses east to Stirling, and the Erskine Bridge carries the A898 and M898 over the Clyde to the M8.
The North Clyde line serves Clydebank, Dalmuir, Bowling, Dumbarton Central, Alexandria and Balloch, with a second branch continuing to Helensburgh; Argyle line trains run from Dumbarton to Glasgow Central and Lanarkshire. Glasgow Airport is about eight miles away over the Erskine Bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of West Dunbartonshire?
88,399 at the 2022 census, down 2,321 on 2011.
What is the largest town in West Dunbartonshire?
Clydebank. Dumbarton is second and is where the council is based.
How many towns and villages are there?
17 named settlements, excluding the districts and housing schemes within Clydebank and Dumbarton.
Is Loch Lomond in West Dunbartonshire?
The southern tip is. Balloch, Inchmurrin and the western shore up to the Argyll boundary lie within the council area and inside the national park.
Which council covers Clydebank?
West Dunbartonshire Council, with headquarters at Church Street in Dumbarton and offices in Clydebank.
What postcodes cover West Dunbartonshire?
G81 for Clydebank, G82 for Dumbarton, G83 for the Vale of Leven and Balloch, and G60 for Bowling and Old Kilpatrick.