Giffnock is a suburban town in East Renfrewshire set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies 3.7 miles east of Barrhead, 5.6 miles east-southeast of Paisley and 5.3 miles northwest of East Kilbride, at the southwest of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Giffnock is mentioned in documents as early as the seventeenth century as a scattered agricultural settlement. In the late eighteenth century, Archibald Montomerie, the Earl of Eglinton, was forced to partition the land into a number of smaller properties. The urbanisation and development of Giffnock began in the mid to late nineteenth century with the construction of several quarries. Large-scale quarrying took place in Giffnock for over a century and prompted the development of the first rail links with nearby Glasgow. Its relative closeness to Glasgow coupled with the local industry helped Giffnock develop into a suburban town, as many wealthy merchant chose to construct villas in smog-free Giffnock and commute to the city. Although heavy industry died out in the area during the early twentieth century, as part of Scotland's densely populated Central Belt, Giffnock has continued to grow as a dormitory town, supported by its position within the Greater Glasgow area, from roughly 1,425 residents in the early twentieth century to 16,178 in 2001. Expansion continues due to several new housing developments; however, much of the land is now urbanized, leaving little room for further expansion.
Distance to edinburgh (µ)
82076.544000
Distance to london (µ)
553614.336000
Lieutenancy area
Renfrewshire (historic)
Population total
16178
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