Portal to the Past

East Renfrewshire has been the home of many notable and influential people throughout the years. These include local famous people such as: Cameron Corbett, later Lord Rowallan, who gifted Rouken Glen Park to the people of Glasgow; James Maxton M.P., the outspoken socialist politician later known as a Red Clydeside revolutionary; and the world renowned Shanks family, whose business was responsible for the production of porcelain bathroom ware and ships’ brass sanitary appliances.

Other important figures to the area include local authors and artists such as: William Gemmell, a sculptor living and working in Eaglesham; Marianne Grant, an artist who lived in Newton Mearns, and who survived the Holocaust and painted some powerful images of the period; and Robert Pollok, known internationally as a poet and author.

More information about notable people in East Renfrewshire can be found from the menu on the left.