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Hillington
| |
|---|---|
  Hillington Location withinGlasgow | |
| OS grid reference | NS523647 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area |
|
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GLASGOW |
| Postcode district | G52 |
| Dialling code | 0141 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
| 55°51′03″N04°21′41″W / 55.85083°N 4.36139°W /55.85083; -4.36139 | |
Hillington (Scots:Hullintoun,Scottish Gaelic:Hileantan)[1] is an area on the southwestern edge of the Scottish city ofGlasgow comprising a residential neighbourhood and a largeindustrial suburb. While the residential area (close toPenilee to the west and directly adjoining NorthCardonald to the east, primarily consisting ofcottage flats) is wholly within Glasgow, the greater part of the industrial estate on the other side of theInverclyde Line railway tracks falls under the jurisdiction of neighbouringRenfrew, although uses a Glasgowpostcode.
With the developing political situation in Europe in the mid-1930s, theBritish government set up a plan to treble the output of the British aircraft industry. Under a plan managed by theAir Ministry, theShadow factory plan was managed by industrialistHerbert Austin, with the aim to create nine new factories, and invest in enabling existing motor vehicle manufacturing plants to expand capacity and make the switch to aircraft production more easy.
Rolls-Royce were key to the plan, and specifically production of theirMerlin engine. Having developed a new facility themselves inCrewe, production directorErnest Hives was looking for a northern-based greenfield site with easy transport access, an available skilled workforce, and a local authority willing to build the required associated housing: Rolls had been let down in Crewe, and didn't want to repeat the experience. With its ready-built housing areas, easy access to theGlasgow to Paisley railway line, and in need of commercial activity, Hillington proved an opportunity not to be missed.
The Air Ministry funded the factory construction, with the facility opening in 1937. The industrial estate was opened in 1938 byQueen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), and was the first of its kind in Scotland. The first Merlin engines were produced two weeks before the start ofWorld War II. By 1943, output had reached 400 engines each week, with production peaking at 100 engines in one day, and 1,650 a month. By the end of the war, the plant had manufactured 23,500 new engines during the war, 14% of the total Merlin production worldwide.[2]
Taken over by Rolls-Royce themselves directly on 1 April 1947, the factory initially repaired and overhauled both Merlin andGriffon engines as well as producing spare parts. Increased requirement for theAvonturbojet for theKorean War meant that it switched totally to fanjet production, and in 1965 became a specialist compressor component manufacturing facility.
The factory closed in December 2005,[3] with all production moved to either the new facility atInchinnan next toGlasgow Airport, or the redevelopedEast Kilbride plant[4] (which itself closed little over a decade later).
In 2015,Glasgow distillery commenced production in Hillington.[5][6]
The area is served by two railway stations,Hillington East andHillington West (at Penilee). Junction 26 of theM8 motorway is located to the north of the industrial estate.
Media related toHillington, Glasgow at Wikimedia Commons