Easterhouse

Coordinates: 55°52′07″N 4°07′26″W / 55.8686°N 4.1240°W / 55.8686; -4.1240

Easterhouse is a suburb of Glasgow about 6 miles (10 km) east of the city centre. It was partially built on land gained from the county of Lanarkshire as part of a boundary expansion of Glasgow before the Second World War. Building began in the mid-1950s by the then local authority, Glasgow Corporation. The goal was to provide better housing for the people of the east end living in sub-standard conditions. The area is on high ground north of the River Clyde and south of the River Kelvin and Campsie Fells. It was built to house over 50,000 people but as of the 2001 census its population was 26,495, of which 96.85% were born in Scotland. 172 people or 0.63% of this population were born outside Scotland, the lowest percentage in the country. In 2011, the population of Easterhouse decreased to 8,923, and only 3.3% of its population were from an ethnic minorty.

History of the area

The remains of crannogs from the Iron Age were found in Bishop Loch, dating from around 700 BC by an archaeological dig in 1898. The Bishops of Glasgow were granted the land on which much of modern Easterhouse was built when the church of Glasgow was elevated into a bishopric in the 12th century. The remains of the Bishop of Glasgow's country palace have been revealed by the West of Scotland Archaeology Service next to Bishops Loch (a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)) at Lochwood. Local oral history talks of the Bishops of Glasgow sailing in a Venetian gondola from Glasgow Cathedral to his palace at Bishops Loch. Hogganfield Loch is the source of the Molindinar Burn next to the Cathedral, so some truth may lie in this claim.

Easterhouse (band)

Easterhouse was a British indie rock group from the mid to late 1980s, known for jangly guitars and leftist political leaning.

History

Named after the Easterhouse area of Glasgow, the band was formed in Stretford, near Manchester by brothers Andy and Ivor Perry, Peter Vanden, Gary Rostock and Michael Murray in the early 1980s. Andy Perry, intrigued by communism and inspired by Bob Marley's direct delivery of political content, was invited to join the band in order to improve its lyrical content. Perry's political stance reflected the perspectives of the then active Revolutionary Communist Party, with particular regard to Irish politics. Easterhouse played their first gig on 30 August 1983 at Dingwalls in London as the support band for The Smiths after Ivor Perry convinced Morrissey to let them have the opening spot. Their Rough Trade singles "Whistling In The Dark" and "Inspiration" were both Top 5 independent chart hits. Their energetic first album, Contenders, featuring their signature song, "1969", has been compared to The Chameleons, New Model Army, and The Smiths. In July 1986, Easterhouse participated in the Festival of the Tenth Summer.