Govanhill () is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, situated south of the River Clyde between Pollokshields, the Gorbals, Strathbungo, Crosshill, Polmadie and Queen's Park. Historically part of Renfrewshire, Govanhill had the status of a police burgh between 1877 and 1891 before becoming part of the City of Glasgow. Since 2007, it has fallen under the Southside Central ward of Glasgow City Council. A previous (1999 to 2007) smaller ward named Govanhill had boundaries of Dixon Avenue and Dixon Road to the south, Victoria Road to the west, Butterbiggins Road to the north and Aikenhead Road to the east.Electoral Arrangements for Local Government Areas in Scotland: Glasgow City Council Area , 3rd Reviews of Electoral Arrangements Maps, Wards 1999 - 2007 : Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland In 2026 Govanhill was named as the fifth coolest neighborhood in the world. History The history of the area is linked to the Dixon family.1839: A Workers' Suburb, Govanhill People's History, 2015 A prominent ironmaster, William Dixon, opened blast furnaces to the north of Govanhill which became known as Dixon's Blazes.Industrial Revolution: 1770s to 1830s: Neighbourhoods: Little Govan, The Glasgow Story A company village called Fireworks Village was situated on the site of the later Burgh of Govanhill. The village was built by Dixon for his workers, who worked in his Little Govan Colliery. The area itself was formed in 1877 and the main avenue that runs the length of it is called Dixon Avenue. Some of the local streets were named after the daughters of William Dixon Jnr: Daisy Street, and Annette Street.Villages of Glasgow, Aileen Smart, p. 105 Allison StreetGlasgow’s Crosses, Glasgow History, 28 May 2016 is thought to be named after Sir Archibald Allison, Sheriff Principal of Lanarkshire.
Govanhill gained the status of an independent police burgh in 1877; on achieving this status a police office was set up off Belleisle Street. Cells for prisoners, tenements for constables, and stables were added. Govanhill shared a burgh hall with its neighbour, Crosshill; this building is now known as Dixon Halls. Both burghs were absorbed by the expanding city of Glasgow in 1891.City of Glasgow Act 1891, (54 & 55 Vict.) c. cxxx, section 4. As the construction expanded to the west of Victoria Road during that period, Govanhill became joined with its older neighbour Strathbungo. A secondary school,Strathbungo Secondary School (Glasgow City Archives, Department of Education, 1970s), The Glasgow Story fire stationV04 Polmadie, The History of Scottish Fire BrigadesGlasgow, 52, 54, 56, 58 Allison Street, Fire Station, Canmore and police stationPolice Offices The Glasgow Police MuseumGlasgow, 82-84 Craigie Street, Craigie Street Police Station, Canmore were constructed in that sector to serve the growing population, integrated into the same sandstone tenement style as surrounding dwellings. The buildings have been converted and still stand today - the school is now for younger age groups as St Brides Primary, the others are apartments;Primary school forced to install washing machines to end bedbug infestation nightmare, Evening Times, 15 June 2019 The nearest fire station is still fairly close at Polmadie, a short distance to the north of the modern police office at Aikenhead Road.Police probe break-ins at own station and suspect fellow cop is , Daily Record, 8 January 2012Two police officers injured in Glasgow road accident, BBC News, 26 March 2017
Architecture Escaping the wrecking ball Govanhill was one of the few areas to avoid Glasgow Corporation's program of 'Comprehensive Development Areas' in the 1960s. This program saw older tenement housing in 29 inner-city neighbourhoods (including nearby Pollokshaws and the Gorbals) demolished and replaced with new non-traditional buildings, typically high rise or deck-access apartments of a lower density, with large proportions of the existing communities dispersed to new estates at the edge of Glasgow such as Pollok and Castlemilk, or to Scotland's new towns – e.g. East Kilbride and Cumbernauld.
Govanhill resisted this redevelopment programme and, based on early experience in Govan, a community based Housing Association was established in 1974, run by the residents living in the area. Instead of mass demolition, a steady process of improving the quality of the flats and installing modern amenities was undertaken. This was complemented by sensitive new building in gap sites.Govanhill Street (Mitchell Library, Glasgow Collection, Bulletin Photographs, 1984), The Glasgow Story The community action at that time allowed Govanhill to retain their period housing stock and public buildings, the majority of which was built between 1890 and 1912, including examples from famous Scottish architects such as Alexander "Greek" Thomson and James Robert Rhind.
21st century
The refurbishment of Govanhill's tenement housing was not completed due to changes in policy and funding in the early 2000s. By that time, 13 housing blocks in the south-west of the district remained 'unimproved'. It is in this area that the most significant housing problems in Govanhill appeared – poor-quality housing stock, over 2,000 private landlords, low levels of owner occupation, low levels of factoring/property management and overcrowding.£32m bid to end slum hell in Glasgow's Govanhill, Vivienne Nicoll, Evening Times, 4 December 2013 In combination with housing issues, the district has been known at times as a place where levels of recorded crime and violence are higher than the national average, owing to its history as a destination for migrants of low means and high population density.Govanhill declared Scotland's murder capital, Daily Record, 24 August 2008
Under Section 28 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 and in order to tackle problems in the private rented sector, four tenement blocks within South West Govanhill were designated an Enhanced Enforcement Area (EEA) in September 2015. In 2017, this was expanded to include a further 14 blocks.Significant investment in Govanhill, Govanhill Housing Association, 17 February 2017 As a result, some of the housing in the area has been improved, with Glasgow City Council seizing property that failed to achieve the required standard and removing rogue landlords (many of whom had allowed their properties to be occupied by dangerously high numbers of poor, newly arrived immigrants with few other housing options, the flats often lacking basic utilities such as running water) from the Scottish Landlord Register.'Rogue landlords' exploit vulnerable families in Govanhill, Lucy Adams, BBC News, 23 August 2016Child sex offender four barred landlords in Govanhill, Kathleen Speirs, Glasgow Live, 21 March 2017Slum landlords letting squalid flats to desperate migrants face having properties seized in new crackdown, Norman Silvester, Daily Record, 17 September 2017Five slum landlords out of business after crackdown in Govanhill, Christina O'Neill, Glasgow Live, 8 May 2018 This ongoing program is scheduled to be continue for several years until the properties in the sector are brought up to required modern standards and occupied in a responsible manner.90% of Glasgow's banned landlords have Govanhill link, Catriona Stewart, Glasgow Times, 12 December 2019Look inside: Incredible transformation of these shocking Govanhill flats, Catriona Stewart, Glasgow Times, 9 March 2020Landlord blocks vital repairs in Govanhill, Catriona Stewart, Glasgow Times, 23 March 2020
Buildings of note
Govanhill is home to one of Glasgow's original Carnegie libraries, designed in the Edwardian Baroque style by James Robert Rhind.Govanhill Library (Glasgow City Archives, Libraries Department, 1907), The Glasgow Story
The area has a number of residential buildings by architect Alexander "Greek" Thomson (known for notable Glasgow buildings including The Egyptian Halls and Holmwood House), such as 19-23 Garturk Street, 265-289 Allison Street and 34 Daisy Street all of which remain private residences.
Govanhill Picture House is an Egyptian-themed cinema built in 1926, designed by architect Eric A. Sutherland. The building is currently considered 'at risk', and as of 2019, local community group Glasgow Artists' Moving Image Studios (GAMIS) has been working to bring the cinema into use for the local vibrant art scene.
Govanhill Baths, which currently provide a home for communities groups, and health and wellbeing programmes - from swimming classes to art and ceramics groups - was designed by A. B. McDonald and opened in 1917 after the architect's death.Govanhill Public Baths and Wash-house (Glasgow City Archives, Department of Baths and Wash Houses, 1917), The Glasgow Story It closed as a swimming venue in 2001, but moves to demolish the building were resisted by community groups.
Community
Immigration and diversity From the first days of the neighbourhood's formation, Govanhill has always been a popular settlement area for people coming to Glasgow and Scotland. The population has regularly changed and diversified as migrants have chosen to live in the area. Migration started with people from the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland; from England (workers from Shropshire to carry new techniques at the iron works);Villages of Glasgow, Aileen Smart, p. 102 from Ireland (particularly County Donegal);1880: Irish Migration to Glasgow, Govanhill People's History, 2015 Italians;1890: Italian Migration to Scotland: Extracts from 'The Scots- Italians, Recollections of an Immigrant' (Joe Pieri), Govanhill People's History, 2015 Jews fleeing persecution in Eastern Europe;Pupils at Queen's Park Secondary 1936 (Scottish Jewish Archives Centre), The Glasgow Story1900: Jewish Migration, Govanhill People's History, 2015 people from the Punjab and other parts of the Indian sub-continent;1950: Asian Immigration: Hard Times, Govanhill People's History, 2015 Glasgow's new communities of former asylum seekers and refugees and – most recently – migrants benefiting from Enlargement of the European Union originating from Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic (2004) and Romania and Bulgaria (2007). The area has long been Scotland's most culturally diverse neighbourhood. Of the 15,000 people living in the neighbourhood, approximately 33% are from ethnic minority communities (2012),Govanhill, Understanding Glasgow, 2012 with Roma people from Eastern Europe making up 3,000–3,500 of the local population.2004: East European Connections, Govanhill People's History, 2015 This diversity is reflected in the local shops, the languages spoken in the street and in the people found locally. A social survey carried out by Govanhill Housing Association identified 52 nationalities and 32 languages spoken within just 13 tenement blocks within the area.
Racism