Home Report Oatlands

The Oatlands area in the city of Glasgow, situated south of the River Clyde, forms part of the historic area of the Gorbals. It has ‘popped-up’ or rather ‘out’ as it were in the last couple of decades from the wider Gorbals following the demolishing of old slum buildings and remodelling of the area to make way for newer homes and flats. This is being done as part of the Gorbals investment and regeneration plan which is scheduled to run in its current form until 2026.

The Oatlands area today is home to roughly 1900 residents. These range from young professionals, families, students, and older generations who have lived and raised families in the nearby area. Like the Gorbals, Oatlands is seen as an up-and-coming place because of the redevelopment, with many new modern, attractive homes and flats, on top of its proximity to Glasgow City Centre for jobs and amenities.

Indeed, most of the working people in the area now work or study in Glasgow City Centre given how close it is by car, bus, or cycling in, with Crown Street being the main route in over the River Clyde. However, a significant number also work in the Southside area, which is just a short journey away. For instance, Shawlands and Cathcart are just over 2 miles away, and nearby Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire is only just over 1 mile away. This gives residents many options even when limited to public transport options which are mainly by bus, though Bridge Street subway station is only about a mile away.

As for amenities and things to do, Oatlands doesn’t have much on the doorstep of residents the way other urban areas of Glasgow do. It shares much with the Gorbals and has the usual array of newsagents, local supermarkets, takeaways, post office, chemist, etc. Though this should change as more retail spaces are built alongside the residential developments. The area will likely always remain a residential and commuter hub however, with residents benefitting more from their proximity to Glasgow City Centre or travelling to the likes of the West End and Southside and using the amenities therein.

Oatlands is however on the doorstep of the Southern Necropolis. Not as large as the main Necropolis next to the Royal Infirmary but is still a draw for sightseers who wish to see the site and listed architecture of the 19th century cemetery. The cemetery contains the graves of many well-known merchants, traders, shipbuilders, and architects, mainly from the 19th century. These include Sir Thomas Lipton, and Alexander “Greek” Thomson to name a couple. Glasgow Green – the oldest of the city’s parks – is a short walk away for most residents over St Andrew’s Suspension Bridge or King’s Bridge and offers a fantastic space to get out of the urban environment, taking in the green space, historic monuments, or to enjoy the People’s Palace.

In terms of local schooling, being an urban area there are several nearby schools. These are the Blackfriars Primary and St. Francis Primary. The nearby high schools are Holyrood Secondary School, and Bellahouston Academy. The private Hutchesons Grammer school is also nearby as is the City of Glasgow College Riverside Campus.