Population 4,550 (2012 est.) Country Scotland Post town GLASGOW Local time Friday 6:40 PM Council area East Renfrewshire UK parliament constituency East Renfrewshire | OS grid reference NS575585 Sovereign state United Kingdom Postcode district G44 Dialling code 0141 Scottish parliament Eastwood | |
Weather 8°C, Wind SW at 6 km/h, 61% Humidity Lieutenancy areas East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire | ||
Netherlee is a suburban residential area in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. Part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation, it is situated on the west bank of the White Cart Water about 4 miles (6.5 km) south of Glasgow city centre, and just outside the city boundary.
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Originally a small rural hamlet dependent upon the mills along the river, Netherlee became extensively urbanised in the 20th century, developing into an affluent commuter suburb. In a 2014 Royal Mail survey, the G44 postcode – which includes Netherlee – was rated as the most desirable area of Scotland to live in. As of 2012, the area has a population of 4,550.
Netherlee is served by a parish church, primary school and library, as well as a number of local shops. Cathcart Cemetery also falls within the boundaries of the area.
History
In the medieval era, the area of modern Netherlee and Clarkston was known as the Lands of Lee, centred on Lee Castle. The small hill on which the castle stood is now the park behind Netherlee Post Office. In the 15th century, the Lands of Lee were split up into Netherlee, Midlee (now Stamperland) and Overlee (now part of Clarkston). From the 1660s onwards, the Maxwell family of Bogton (modern Muirend) developed the original Williamwood House and the surrounding Williamwood Estate. The house was built adjacent to the site of Lee Castle, the latter being demolished around this time.
Until the late 19th century, Netherlee was a small rural village along the main road from Glasgow to Clarkston (the present day Netherlee Road). Many local residents were employed in the printworks on the bank of the River Cart. The early years of the 20th century saw the first phase of urbanisation, with the development of the present line of Clarkston Road and the shifting of the settlement's focus westwards along this new route from Cathcart and Muirend to Clarkston. From this time onwards, new housing developments, typically red sandstone terraces, began to eat up former agricultural land. Due to building restrictions as a result of the First World War, however, it was not until the 1920s that the majority of residential streets off the main artery were fully developed as they appear today.
Governance
Netherlee is in East Renfrewshire, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland for local government purposes. East Renfrewshire Council, the unitary local council, is based in nearby Giffnock and is responsible for local government. For local electoral purposes, Netherlee was formerly a ward electing a single councillor to East Renfrewshire Council, but is now grouped with Stamperland and Williamwood as a larger multi-member ward electing three councillors. Netherlee and Stamperland together form one of East Renfrewshire's designated community council areas, but following the dissolution of the previous community council in 2015 there were insufficient nominations for it to be re-established at that time.
The Netherlee area has been part of the historic county of Renfrewshire since medieval times. From 1890 onwards, Renfrewshire was an area of local government administered by a county council. Although Renfrewshire ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975, it continues to exist as both a Lieutenancy area and registration county. Netherlee is also within the ancient parish of Cathcart, which formed the lowest tier of local government between 1845 and 1930, and which continues to exist for some statistical purposes. Between 1930 and 1975, Netherlee was within the First Landward District of Renfrewshire.
Following the abolition of administrative counties in 1975, Netherlee became a part of the new Eastwood District within Strathclyde Region under the two tier system of local government which lasted until the creation of the present unitary authorities in 1996.
In the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Netherlee is represented in the House of Commons as part of the county constituency of East Renfrewshire. Kirsten Oswald of the Scottish National Party was elected as MP for East Renfrewshire in the 2015 General Election. For the Scottish Parliament, Netherlee forms part of the Eastwood constituency within the West of Scotland electoral region. As such it is currently represented by Jackson Carlaw of the Scottish Conservative Party as the constituency Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) in addition to the seven regional list MSPs.
Geography
At 55°48′7″N 4°16′12″W, Netherlee is in Scotland's Central Lowlands. The community is 175 feet (53 m) above sea level, 4.2 miles (6.8 km) northwest of East Kilbride, 4.4 miles (7.1 km) south of Glasgow and 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Barrhead. The area is contiguous with the city of Glasgow and forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. It lies on the west bank of the White Cart Water, a tributary of the River Clyde.
Demography
For census purposes, Netherlee is classed as a locality within the settlement of Greater Glasgow. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, Netherlee had a total resident population of 4,562. The population is 88% White Scottish, with white people as a whole making up 97.1% of the total. 2.4% are Asian with 0.5% from other ethnic backgrounds. 62.2% of the population identified as Christian (38.8% Church of Scotland, 19.7% Roman Catholic and 3.7% other Christian denominations), with 28.9% stating they had no religion.
The most recent estimate, from mid-2012, suggests the population of Netherlee has decreased very slightly to 4,550.
Education
There is one non-denominational primary school in the area, Netherlee Primary School, opened in 1933 to serve the growing population. It was extensively modernised and expanded in the 1990s. In December 2005 it became the first school in Scotland to achieve a top-level “excellent” rating following inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education. It acts as a feeder for Williamwood High School in Clarkston which is consistently in the 'top two' highest performing State Schools in Scotland.
Notable people
Olympic athlete Lee McConnell moved to Netherlee in 2013.