Woodhall, Port Glasgow facts for kids

Woodhall is a neighborhood in the eastern part of Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, in Scotland. It's built on land where a large house called Woodhall mansion and its estate used to be. The mansion was located where St Martin's church stands today on Mansion Avenue.

Woodhall is on a hill that faces north, giving it great views of the River Clyde. The River Clyde is to the north, Parkhill Avenue is to the south, Port Glasgow cemetery is to the west, and the Castlebank housing estate is to the east. The Castlebank estate is on the site of the old Broadfield Hospital.

A Look Back: Woodhall's History

Woodhall was built in the 1930s as Port Glasgow grew eastward. It was a busy community, especially around Woodhall Square and Woodhall Terrace at the bottom of the hill.

Streets and Shops

Mansion Avenue and Heggies Avenue go up the steep hill to Parkhill Avenue. Other streets like Brightside, Pleasantside, and Sunnyside Avenues follow the shape of the hill, so they are quite flat.

Woodhall Terrace had nice red sandstone buildings along the main A8 Glasgow Road. Woodhall Square was a big bus stop. Buses ran every ten minutes to Gourock during busy times. There were also buses to Glasgow and Largs every hour.

Dino's Italian Cafe and shop was in the square. It was a popular spot for people going to Gourock by bus or walking to Parklea for a picnic by the Clyde. There was also a busy Co-op grocery shop on Brightside Avenue. Later, Parkhill Square also became a bus stop until the late 1960s.

Work and Businesses

For a long time, there wasn't much industry in Woodhall. Then, in the 1980s, a small business park called Kelburn Business Park opened. It's next to the main A8 road.

Local Companies

Two of the three buildings in the park are used by Vango and White House Products Ltd. Vango is known for making outdoor gear like tents. The third building was used by a Chinese company called Amphenol until 2001.

Woodhall Park, which was once the home ground for the local football team Port Glasgow F.C., was cleared in 2000. The land was planned for industrial use. It stayed empty for twelve years until the business park was made bigger in 2013 and 2014.

Changes in Woodhall

Many changes happened in Woodhall around 2002. Most of the buildings on Woodhall Terrace were taken down. Many houses on "the avenues" and all the houses near Parkhill Square were also removed.

What Remains Today

Dino's Cafe is no longer there, but the building still stands. It's now a Post Office and a shop. The old Co-op building on Brightside Avenue is now the Riverview Resource Centre. St Martin's Church and its hall are still in the area. Tree Tops Nursery is also still there on Mansion Avenue, even though many houses around it were demolished.

Woodhall's Future

River Clyde Homes has plans to build new houses on Parkhill Avenue. The local newspaper, The Greenock Telegraph, reported these plans on January 29, 2009.

Getting Around: Public Transport

Woodhall has its own train station, Woodhall railway station, on the Inverclyde Line. Trains run regularly to and from Glasgow Central and Gourock. You can also catch trains to Wemyss Bay in the early mornings and evenings. Local buses also run from Greenock town centre to Oronsay Avenue, passing through Heggies Avenue, every twenty minutes during busy times.

Images for kids

• 

  Class 318 at Woodhall railway station in 2007

• 

  Woodhall railway station in 2007

• Woodhall Photo Gallery
• 

  St Martin's Parish Church

• 

  Former Dino's Cafe

• 

  Woodhall from Kelburn Park

• 

  Pleasantside from Sunnyside

• 

  Former Brightside Co-op

• 

  The last remaining tenement on Woodhall Terrace

• 

  Former home of Port Glasgow Juniors FC

• 

  Former cafe, newsagents and chippy near Woodhall railway station