Deaconsbank is a neighbourhood in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde. The main feature of the area, which falls into the Greater Pollok ward of Glasgow City Council and directly borders the East Renfrewshire council region, is an estate of around 639 private houses built in the late 1970s by Barratt Developments, prior to which the area was open farmland. Deaconsbank is bordered by the M77 motorway to the west and by Rouken Glen Park and golf course to the east. The northern parts of the suburban town of Newton Mearns are a short distance to the south, as is Patterton railway station.
Residential areas
Deaconsbank is split into three phases of houses that were built one after the other, with no direct road access between them, only pedestrian footpaths. The streets in each phase all share the phase's name as the first part of the name. The first phase to be built was Inverewe off Nitshill Road A727. Phase two was Loganswell, again off Nitshill Road, built adjoining from the Jenny Lind area constructed decades earlier. The last and largest phase built was Invergarry, this time off Stewarton Road B769 Deaconsbank has for many years had an active residents association, as required by the Title Deeds. The primary purpose of the association is to maintain the "common or amenity ground", which totals about 27 acres in both large and small pieces of largely grassland. That work is undertaken by a gardening contractor, paid for by funds gathered from each owner, annually. It took some years, and a test-case in court, for the legality of that situation to be established beyond doubt. In the early years of the association, there was some campaigning on local issues for residents as well as organized events such as a Christmas Cavalcade, a football tournament for children and a garden competition. All those extra activities have gradually faded away, but could be revived if there were sufficient interest by people willing to take on the responsibility.
New adjoining housing developments
In recent years more housing has been built to the south of Invergarry heading towards Newton Mearns; in a nod to the existing housing estate it adjoined, the streets in Thistlebank are named after Deaconsbank.
History
The name Deaconsbank is taken from the former nearby Deacons Bank Farm beside the Auldhouse Burn which flows through what is now the modern dayRouken Glen park. Before housing was constructed in the area that was to bear the name of the farm, the land there was also primarily used for agriculture and both areas were part of the Maxwell family's Pollok Estate. The area was described in the sale documents as "Darnley Park" and an area of land which is located between present day Deaconsbank and Jenny Lind, titled 'The Clogholes' both hang in Pollok House, the ancestral home of the Maxwell family. Both works are watercolours painted in 1830 by an unknown artist working for the Maxwell family and are part of a larger series depicting parts of their vast estate. During World War II, the land beside Deaconsbank and Patterton was used as a prisoner-of-war camp. Specifically, the area of housing called Thistlebank, immediately to the south of Invergarry Drive, and with its main street called Deaconsbank Avenue, shows on maps as having been exactly the site of what may have been an army camp which was then used as a prisoner of war camp. In recent years before the construction of more housing, archaeological evaluation and recording work in connection with the prisoner of war camp took place; it appears to have been the first piece of archaeological work on a PoW camp in Scotland, and camp remains are now in the care ofGlasgow City Council who have made provision for the enhancement and maintenance of the objects.
Sports
Deaconsbank also is the name of the golf course to the east of Stewarton Road adjacent to Invergarry and Thistlebank adjoining Rouken Glen Park, at the southern extremity of which is a 16th century circular dovecote. Before relocating to Newton Mearns, Deaconsbank was also home to Whitecraigs Rugby Club with their ground adjoining Invergarry. The land has since been used for Whitecraigs Care Home and more housing.
