Yorkhill

Yorkhill is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde in the West End of the city. It is known for its famous hospitals; the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and the Queen Mother's Maternity Hospital.

The ancient name of the lands was Over Newton. It is thought that a small Roman station existed on Yorkhill. In 1868, while workmen were trenching ground on the summit of the hill, where faint indications of earthworks had long existed, they found Roman remains. These included several brass Roman coins (one of which was of Trajan), bronze finger-rings and fragments of Samian pottery. This discovery was interesting because previously almost no traces of Roman footsteps had been found in what is now Glasgow.

In the early 19th century, the lands of Over Newton belonged to George Bogle and Robert Barclay. The westmost section of Over Newton became the property of Robert Fulton Alexander, a merchant who, in 1805, erected a mansion on the hill.

In 1813 the mansion and grounds were sold to Andrew Gilbert, another merchant, who purchased other adjoining lands and included these and the mansion under the general title of Yorkhill. The whole Yorkhill estate was left by him to his niece, Jane Gilbert, when he died in 1838. She had married the painter John Graham in 1834 and when Mrs Graham inherited her uncle’s estate, her husband assumed the surname Graham-Gilbert. In later years he worked from a studio in Yorkhill House and on his death his collection was left to the City of Glasgow.

In 1914, the estate was acquired by Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Sick Children, and Yorkhill House was demolished to make way for their new hospital. The new hospital was opened in 1916 by King George V. In 1940, all the patients at the RHSC were evacuated after the cruiser HMS Sussex, berthed at Yorkhill basin, was hit by German bombers.

In 1966, the Queen Mother's Maternity Hospital opened on the Yorkhill site adjacent to the RHSC. In 1966, the RHSC was relocated to Oakbank Hospital and the original hospital was demolished to make way for a new hospital. It was reopened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1972.

In 1868, Yorkhill Quay was built on the river and the Yorkhill Basin added in 1907. The eastern section of the district is residential, comprising traditional Glasgow sandstone tenements and includes the Kelvin Hall to the north.

The family home of writer A. J. Cronin was located at 29 Esmond Street.