Finnieston
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Finnieston shown within Glasgow | |
OS grid reference | NS569656 |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area |
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Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | GLASGOW |
Postcode district | G3 |
Dialling code | 0141 |
Police | Scottish |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
EU Parliament | Scotland |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Finnieston is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, situated on the North bank of the River Clyde and between the city's West End and the city centre. It is home to the SECC, where many musical concerts and important conferences are held. It is also the location of Glasgow City Heliport, home base of both the Strathclyde Police air support unit and the Scottish Ambulance Service "Helimed 5".
The village of Finnieston was established in 1768 on the lands of Stobcross by Matthew Orr, the owner of Stobcross House. Orr named the new village "Finnieston" in honour of the Reverend John Finnie, who had been his tutor.
Exhibition Centre railway station, on the Argyle Line, was previously known as Stobcross station. Built by the Glasgow Central Railway and opened in 1894, it was closed in 1955. When it was reopened in 1979 it was called 'Finnieston' until it was given its current name in 1986. A separate Finnieston railway station of the Glasgow City and District Railway was opened in 1886 but is now disused. However, the line is still in use as part of the North Clyde Line.
The area has had a significant change in land-use since deindustrialisation. Previously, Finnieston was an area of warehouses and docks — the film Deathwatch (a.k.a. "La Mort en Direct"), used this aspect extensively in location shots. Today there are modern housing, office, retail, leisure and arts & culture developments. Finnieston Street is a major junction on the Clydeside Expressway, and on 18 September 2006, was augmented with the addition of the Clyde Arc (known locally as "The Squinty Bridge") over the River Clyde.