Shawlands is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, located around south of the River Clyde. The area has an approximate population of 7000, with over 82% dwelling in flats, 74% owner occupied and 79% living alone or with one other person. Neighbouring districts include the areas of Auldhouse, Crossmyloof, Strathbungo, Langside, Newlands, and Pollokshaws, with Shawlands itself overlapping two Council wards and two Scottish Parliament constituencies. The area consists mainly of tenement flats but also includes two-storey terraced cottages and a small number of detached and semi-detached houses. Tenements remain the most common form of dwelling in the city today.
Cultural amenities
Within walking distance of Shawlands is Queens Park, acquired in 1857 and designed by the world-renowned Sir Joseph Paxton, also responsible for noted public parks in London, Liverpool, Birkenhead and the grounds of the Spa Buildings at Scarborough. The park was dedicated to the memory of Mary, Queen of Scots and not Queen Victoria, a common misconception given the proximity to Victoria Road. The park is steeped in history and was the site of the 16th century Battle of Langside. The park also has allotments, a botanical glass house, public tennis courts, a public golf course, children's play areas, a boating pond and views of Glasgow. The refurbished amphitheatre holds open-air performances of Shakespeare and children's plays during summer. The park holds the annual Southside Festival, and the Wee Chill Music Festival.
Education
Shawlands Primary School has an approximate capacity of over 600 pupils and is part of the 'Shawlands New Learning Community' feeding to the non denominational secondary school in the area, Shawlands Academy, which has an approximate capacity of over 1,200 pupils. The school has just undergone an extensive renovation which has seen it transformed into Glasgow’s specialist languages centre; the Glasgow International School, the first of its kind in Scotland, also houses the bilingual Support Unit. It is estimated that over 50 languages are currently spoken by the school's pupils, representing the diverse multicultural pupil population. Also in Shawlands is St. Conval's Primary, a Roman Catholic School situated on Shawhill Road; St. Conval's is part of the Learning Community for Holyrood R.C. Secondary School situated in the Crosshill area.
Religion
Religious establishments within the district include: Shawlands Kirk, Saint Helen's, Destiny Church and South Shawlands Church.
Shawlands has close links to the M77 and M8 motorways. Shawlands has two main roads which converge at Shawlands Cross: Kilmarnock Road and Pollokshaws Road. At the cross, the designation of the A77 road changes to Kilmarnock Road running south, with Pollokshaws Road continuing south-west as a more minor route. Bus services in the area are frequent, running from Glasgow city centre24 hours a day.
