24-598: Maryhill Barracks was built on 12 hectares (30 acres) of the Ruchill estate, in the Maryhill area of northern Glasgow , Scotland. The barracks were opened as Garrioch Barracks in 1872. Built to accommodate an infantry regiment, a squadron of cavalry and a battery of field artillery, it dominated the area which is now the Wyndford housing estate. The barracks replaced the previous Infantry Barracks at Duke Street in
48-672: A bomb exploded in the barracks, which was alleged to have been set off by the same person as bombed the Army Recruiting Offices, 139 Bath Street, a fortnight previously. It was also home to the Scots Greys and famously held Adolf Hitler 's second-in-command Rudolf Hess during the Second World War after his supposed "Peace" flight to the UK in 1941, at a time when it was used as a prisoner of war camp. In 1942,
72-571: Is a canal junction which lies between Maryhill and Ruchill in Glasgow , Scotland . It opened in 1777, and closed in 1963, followed by restoration and a re-opening in 2022. At first a terminus it formed the junction for the Port Dundas branch off the Forth and Clyde Canal main line from 1777. The canal from Edinburgh built by John Smeaton first reached Stockingfield in 1775 and due to
96-873: Is known as the Stockingfield Narrows. The purpose of these two hand cranked steel gates was to hold back the waters of the Forth and Clyde Canal to prevent serious flooding in Glasgow in the event of bombing destroying the Stockingfield Aqueduct. A second set of safety or stop locks were also installed in World War II at Firhill and form the Firhill Road Narrows on the Glasgow Branch. and a third set were built at
120-543: The 52nd Lowland , 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland , continues to be based at the adjacent Walcheren Barracks . Ruchill Ruchill ( / ˈ r ʌ x ˌ h ɪ l / ) is a district in the city of Glasgow , Scotland. It lies within the Canal Ward of north Glasgow in the Ruchill Community Council area between the Maryhill and Possilpark and North Kelvinside areas of
144-638: The Free French leader, General Charles de Gaulle , visited French troops there. The barracks were decommissioned in 1959 after the amalgamation of the Highland Light Infantry into the Royal Highland Fusiliers and were largely demolished in 1961, then transferred to Glasgow Corporation for the development of the Wyndford housing estate, although the guardroom and boundary walls remain. A Territorial Army unit,
168-580: The Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway , linking Maryhill Central railway station to Possil railway station . There was also a tunnel linking Ruchill to the Lambhill area. The tunnel ran under the Forth & Clyde Canal , which ran through the golf course. This tunnel is known locally as the Halloween Pen. It was not a railway tunnel but a tunnel used to herd sheep through in the past when
192-604: The Craighall Road Narrows near Spiers Wharf. The nearest lock on the Edinburgh main line that could control the water loss after a breach is 17 miles (27 kilometres) away at Wyndford, Lock 20, whilst the Maryhill Locks 21 to 25 are close by. Designed in the 1780s by Robert Whitworth and built between 1784 and 1790 the original Stockingfield Aqueduct (NS57126899) and road tunnel arch survive, carrying
216-475: The East End of the city. Glasgow City Corporation had been petitioning the government since the early 19th century for more military protection from their fear of "riot and tumult" in the growing industrial city. Despite the fact that Maryhill at the time was an independent burgh , it agreed to the erection of Glasgow's new barracks, with the greatly enlarged complex opening in 1876. Higher quality than normal,
240-654: The area was still relatively rural. On 17 September 2009 Ruchill Golf Course was reopened by Colin Montgomerie . However, use of the club house and regular play did not commence until after the open evening on 1 April 2010. The course – now officially termed the "Ruchill Community Golf Facility" is now run by Culture and Sport Glasgow, part of Glasgow City Council , and is a nine-hole course, designed with Colin Montgomery's input, apparently suited for developing and established players. Ruchill Church Hall , designed by
264-399: The area was transformed. The park's best known feature is the panoramic view of Glasgow and its surroundings which can be obtained from the top of the hill. This is topped by an artificial mound (with a flagpole) constructed from 24,000 cartloads of soil from the construction of the adjacent Ruchill Hospital. It is known locally as "Ben Whitton". During WW2 an anti-aircraft gun was positioned in
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#1732781044958288-525: The barracks engendered a sense of community. The Glasgow Soldiers' Home , where those on leave could entertain relatives, and public houses with names such as the Highland Light Infantry (HLI) and the Elephant and Bugle (the HLI emblem) gave Maryhill the feel of a garrison town. Vandalism was also reduced. Married quarters were added to the barracks in 1911. During the 1919 40-hours general strike in Glasgow,
312-408: The bridge's panoramic viewing point. The area was formerly the site of Ruchill Hospital , an infectious diseases facility which closed in 1998. Ruchill Park opened in 1892, is prominent in the area, and is one of many public parks in the city. The poor quality of the soil and its high, exposed situation was not ideal for a public park, but under the direction of Parks Superintendent James Whitton
336-775: The canal path network. The small estate of Stockingfield gave its name to the canal junction. The Stockingfield Junction lies four locks, 20 miles 4 furlongs (33.0 kilometres) east of the Union Canal Junction near the Falkirk Wheel . 9 miles 4 furlongs (15.3 kilometres) and twenty locks west is the Clyde Canal Junction, where the Forth and Clyde Canal reaches the Clyde Estuary at Bowling . Two locks and 2 miles 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 furlongs (4.5 kilometres) south
360-451: The celebrated architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh is located to the west of the area, close to Maryhill Road and the Forth and Clyde Canal ; Ruchill Parish Church , designed by Neil Campbell Duff, is located beside it. A new footbridge over the canal connecting the area with Gilshochill and providing a better link to Maryhill, was installed at Stockingfield Junction in 2022. Stockingfield Junction Stockingfield Junction
384-405: The city. It had previously been characterised by a high degree of deprivation and social problems. However, from the late 1990s much of the poorer-quality housing stock has been cleared to be replaced by newly built housing association and owner-occupied homes, improving much of the area's character. One part of the area that is largely unchanged is High Ruchill, which unlike the rest of the area
408-403: The lack of funds work halted for two years and Stockingfield Basin and wharf became the terminus of the canal. The canal was filled with water, opening for the transport of goods traffic on 10 November 1775. The branch was completed to Hamiltonhill Basin by November 1777 and to Port Dundas by 1779 upon which date the main line to Bowling was also opened and Stockingfield's status as a junction
432-413: The main line of the canal over Lochburn Road. At the end of the nineteenth century a ferry operated here for the convenience of pedestrians wishing to cross over to the other towpath to Bowling or to Port Dundas . A floating bridge had also existed here to allow easy access of horses and pedestrians to the towpath on the other side of the canal junction. A permanent, three-way footbridge suspended from
456-435: The outstretched arms of a 'Big Man' designed by sculptor Andy Scott was proposed for installation at Stockingfield Junction in the 2000s before being shelved then revived in mid-2010s, but did not proceed due to economic circumstances. A cheaper, less ambitious crossing on the site, named simply Stockingfield Bridge, was completed in 2022 to connect the communities of Ruchill , Gilshochill and central Maryhill and improve
480-470: The park and was used to defend the area during the Clydebank Blitz . Ruchill Golf Course was popular for many years with golfers in the city, but in 2000 the city council closed the facility and money was issued by council to establish redevelopment plans. The golf course has a former railway tunnel running under it, named the "miley" by locals as it was around a mile long. It was formerly part of
504-502: The requirements of passing canal traffic. It was demolished by the British Waterways Board in 1958. A floating bridge at Stockingfield aqueduct once made it possible for the horses pulling the barges to easily and quickly cross over from the 'main line' towpath to the 'branch line' and Bowling towpaths. In 1942 two massive steel safety gates were constructed on the Edinburgh side of Stockingfield Junction at what
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#1732781044958528-530: The soldiers at Maryhill Barracks were deemed to be unreliable and were confined to barracks while troops from elsewhere were brought in to re-impose order. It was in 1919 that Maryhill Barracks was used as a marshalling place for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders before embarking for India . Maryhill Barracks became the depot of the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow) regiment in March 1921. In May 1934
552-481: Was completed. The construction of the aqueduct seems to have obliterated the site of the original canal basin and wharf. Later survey maps of the 19th century show a new building called the Lochburn Road House standing above Stockingfield House on the canal towpath close to the floating bridge that seems to have been used by canal staff involved in the 'opening and closing' of the bridge in relation to
576-632: Was never made up of tenemental properties, but semi-detached housing instead. This part of Ruchill also never suffered the same concentration of social problems as the rest of the area. The Ruchill area is now connected to the communities in Maryhill and Gishochill via the Stockingfield bridge, over the forth and Clyde canal at the Stockingfield Junction . The bridge pays tribute to Ruchill's history through mosaics which decorate
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