Merrylee is a district in the Scottish city ofGlasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde. It is surrounded by Newlands, Cathcart and Muirend. Merrylee is a housing schemeconsisting of mostly council or ex-council houses. Recent developments in the scheme have seen the council football pitches being developed into a primary school. Another development has seen luxury flats being erected on the site of the former Newlands Lawn Tennis Club car park. The northernmost neighbourhood of the neighbouring town of Giffnock is also referred to as Merrylee, with many of its street names beginning 'Merry-'. However, this is a distinct area from the Merrylee in Glasgow and within East Renfrewshire, a different local authority area. The area was the subject of controversy when, in 1952, the Glasgow Corporation housing department attempted to sell some of its council houses on the Merrylee estate. This triggered protests and in response, the left wing amateur 'Dawn Cine Group' made a film about the Glasgow housing crisis entitled 'Let Glasgow Flourish'. The film illustrated the continued problems of overcrowding and poverty in the inner city and recorded the protests calling for more new houses. The film shows scenes of rundown housing, children playing on the streets, shipyard workers on the Clyde, as well as a dramatised road accident, and protest marches. ‘Let Glasgow Flourish’ was made to offer a contrasting view of the housing situation to that provided by the Glasgow Corporation Housing Department. Scenes from the 1996 film 'Small Faces ' were also shot in Merrylee.
History
Merrylee and the surrounding lands of Newlands were dedicated to agricultural use until the late 19th century. A notice from the Glasgow Herald of 28th July 1820 describes the "Farm of Newlands and Merrylee" with 124 acres available to let. Merrylee House was a mansion built in 1855 for Glasgow businessman Thomas Hill, Registrar of Sasines for the Regality of Glasgow, who was responsible for recording ownership of properties within the city.
