Bridgeton, Glasgow

Bridgeton (often pronounced Brigton) is a district to the east side of Glasgow city centre. It is bounded by Glasgow Green to the west, Dalmarnock to the east and south and Calton to the north-west at Abercromby Street/ London Road. It used to be bounded by a village named Mile-End to the north, however this district seems to have vanished over the years, resulting in Bridgeton's boundary moving north to Crownpoint Road. It started as a small weaving village in 1705, when the third John Walkinshaw marked out a portion of his Goosefauld estate for rent. However not much interest was shown until 1775 when Rutherglen Bridge was constructed across the River Clyde and the area became known as Bridge Town. A major employer was carpet manufacturer James Templeton & Co.

Bridgeton's most notable feature is the "Brigton Umbrella", a Victorian cast iron structure covering the centre of Bridgeton Cross. Bridgeton also has one of Glasgow's original Carnegie libraries, deftly designed by the Invernessian architect, James Robert Rhind.

For many years Bridgeton has been the centre of the Orange Order in Scotland. Their marches are a common sight in Glasgow during the summer months but reach a peak around the 12th of July when the celebrations commemorating the Battle of the Boyne are in full flow.