Mearnskirk is not just the name of the housing development where we live; Mearnskirk is an area within Newton Mearns that has a long and rich history all its own!

Newton Mearns is our district, sitting in South East Renfrewshire, close to the City of Glasgow. The appearance of the name Newton Mearns (coming from “Nova villa de Mernis” meaning Newtown of Mearns) goes back at least as far as the 11th century.

The ancient parish of Mearns, which we often refer to as Mearns Kirk, is equally as steeped in history. The Mearns Kirk has occupied its current site in one form or another for many hundreds of years; mention of it can be found in church records going back to 1272!  Naturally when the construction of a new childrens hospital began in the vicinity, Mearnskirk hospital was the logical choice of name.

Mearnskirk hospital was instructed to be built by Glasgow Corporation Public Health Department. Glasgow Corporation had bought the land by purchasing the Southfield Estate , and 4 neighbouring farms (Hazelden Head, Westfield, Eastfield and Langrig). It was to be built as a 500 bed childrens tuberculosis hospital and opened on the 9th of May 1930, under the watch of its first Superintendent Dr John Wilson. The official opening was on the 12th of October 1932, and was attended by HRH the Duchess of York who planted a commemorative tree at the entrance ( which was tragically removed during the construction of the housing development as we see it now). The site was chosen for the children due to its agricultural location , where children would access fresh air in outdoor beds at points! Over the years use changed several times between an emergency medical hospital during WW2, a Naval hospital, and eventually back to a civilian hospital. By the late 1980s Mearnskirk had become solely a geriatric unit.

As time passed the centralisation of Glasgow’s hospital provision meant that the site of Mearnskirk hospital was sold for residential development. The site was purchased by a consortium of builders (Ambion , Bryant and Dickie ) who converted some of the original buildings into flats, as well as creating several zones of new housing. This development, its common ground, and the greenbelt surrounding it, are what we strive to look after today.