History of Neilston
Neilston is a village of some 5,000 residents, sitting high on a hill 10 miles from Glasgow. An ancient settlement, it has seen many transformations. It was an early centre for the cotton industry in Scotland, an industry that remained in the village for 200 years. Every place is unique. Neilston is no exception, and we wish to strengthen and grow that identity in a way that fits it for a new century and a changing world.
As you explore the site, you will find that Neilston has played a significant part in the history of lowland Scotland and the Scottish economy. Today, it seems that the village, in common with so many such places, has become a dormitory for the bigger urban centres. Yet 30% of Scotland’s population live in settlements of less than 10,000 people. So it’s worth watching how Neilston develops in the coming years. For this reason the history of the Neilston is embedded in our story of what is happening now and in our hopes for the future. In the early years of the 20th century, the Scotsman Patrick Geddes coined the concept of ‘place-work-folk’ as the 3 interdependent ingredients of good planning. He also invented the phrase ‘think global, act local’. In a new century, facing new global and local challenges, NDT embraces that vision.