The village fell within the county of
Renfrewshire until 1926, when it was incorporated into the
City of Glasgow. The change in local government was mainly related to
education and community services such as roads, water,
sewerage and housing. Consisting of just a few streets prior to its incorporation into Glasgow, Nitshill grew on a small scale with
cottage flats prior to
World War II, after which it was substantially expanded to accommodate people relocated during the
Glasgow slum clearances in the 1950s and 1960s. on Nitshill Road The wider area, sited on the main
Glasgow-
Kilmarnock road and rail networks and including the post-WWII housing schemes of
South Nitshill and Craigbank (as well as
Priesthill in some reckonings), became increasingly marked by multiple socio-economic issues. However, there has been a move towards improving the district with the regeneration/demolition of much of the housing and schools, and the building of The
Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, a purpose-built museum storage facility and visitor centre (technically located within South Nitshill) which houses the
Nitshill Open Museum. There is one small
tower block in the area, adjacent to the shopping precinct, the only such structure in that part of Glasgow (over 200 were constructed across the city). Part of the city's
Greater Pollok ward, Nitshill is classed as a low socio-economic area. Studies have confirmed a strong association between deprivation and crime. It is no surprise, therefore, to find that the highest rates of crime in residential areas in Glasgow are to be found in the most deprived areas of the city. This link was highlighted in a report relating to a knife murder committed by a bar manager in a Nitshill pub in 2010.
Nitshill railway station is on the
Glasgow South Western Line and has a memorial to the former station clerk
John Meikle, killed in action in France in 1918, aged 19, and awarded a posthumous
Victoria Cross. The railway line is the southern boundary of Nitshill proper (South Nitshill has a close association with the older part, and residents of the modern developments at
Parkhouse further south also make use of the local amenities on Nitshill Road). The northern limit is the
Levern Water, where the early 2000s housing estate of Levernbank is situated. The poet and folk singer
Jock Purdon was born and grew up in Nitshill. == Victoria coal pit disaster ==