Burnside grew as an affluent
commuter suburb in the early 20th century following the establishment of the railway station, and although within the boundaries of Rutherglen it became established separately from the older burgh and has thus retained a distinct identity. The post-World War II housing estates which subsequently surrounded Burnside to the south and west were built to alleviate housing problems in central Rutherglen and in Cambuslang, so although physically adjacent were never seen as parts of Burnside as such; in the same vein, the nearby
Castlemilk housing scheme is situated close to Rutherglen and Burnside and shared the same administration in times past when it was a rural estate, was landscaped from a disused quarry a converted 18th-century
coal mine winding engine house which fell into disrepair – after subsidence in the vicinity caused by the mining – and was demolished in the 1960s to be replaced by apartments and a petrol station (also since demolished), with only a boundary wall remaining. The farm also gave its name to Burnside Loch, used for boating and
curling but drained in the 1920s and now the playing fields for two primary schools located in the
Springhall housing estate (including Loch Primary, which today has no visual indication as to why it was so named). Other local farms included
High Crosshill at the entrance of Glenlui Avenue at Burnside Primary School, no trace remaining;
Stonelaw, adjacent to the tower, no trace remaining; with a development of quartered villas and bungalows at Southhill Avenue towards the yet unbuilt Eastfield, thereafter mainly semi-detached homes in the triangular plot of land at Dukes Road / Brownside Road, and another set of quartered villas and bungalows on the inclines around Bradda Avenue / Blairbeth Road; these latter areas (including Burnside Church and bowling club) were historically within the
civil parish of Cambuslang but were always more closely associated with the amenities of central Burnside, located within the boundaries of Rutherglen along with Springhall and Blairbeth (but unlike Spittal, Cathkin and Fernhill which were in
Carmunnock parish). The last major residential project at Upper Bourtree Drive / Larchfield Drive in the 1970s 'joined' the existing parts of High Burnside and meant the vast majority of the territory was now built upon, with all subsequent modern developments being on a far smaller scale. Previously, Burnside had its own cinema on Stonelaw Road, the Rhul Cinema. Built in 1932 by the Burnside Picture House Company, the cinema was sold to ABC in 1936 and later demolished in 1960. but is presently a
Tesco, who purchased the store in 2010 and completed a comprehensive redevelopment. On the western side of Burnside, overlooking Rutherglen Cemetery and immediately north of the railway tracks, is Blairtum House, built in 1878 for the owner of a rope works at
Farme Cross and adorned with rope-related features in its stonework. It was owned in the 1900s by George Gray, Town Clerk of Rutherglen, and later was a care home for the elderly and
YMCA-run accommodation for homeless teenagers before being converted as the centrepiece of an upmarket residential development, surviving a major fire during the process in 2016. The high ground immediately north of Blairtum is presumed by W. R. Shearer in
Rutherglen Lore (1922) to have been the location of a large mediaeval stone cross placed in a prominent position and from which the Crosshill name is derived, although other sources suggest the cross may have been further west at
Bankhead, where there is a Crosshill Farm.
Burnside Blairbeth Church The Burnside church was established in 1928 and initially operated out of temporary buildings. Plans for a permanent structure were postponed by World War II, but by the time the conflict ended, a merger had taken place between two congregations based within a few blocks of one another in the
Pollokshields area of Glasgow, who chose to use the
Sherbrooke Church going forward, leaving the St Gilbert's Church buildings (completed in 1911) unoccupied. They were dismantled brick-by-brick and transported to a new home at Burnside, away, the process completed in 1954. and feature stained glass windows designed by the noted craftsman
Oscar Paterson. The sanctuary was completely refurbished in 2002, around the same time as a merger took place between the congregations of Burnside and the Blairbeth Parish Church, with the 1950s building of the latter on Drumliaw Road still used as a secondary site for services and clubs. In 2005, the Rev. David Easton retired after serving as minister there for 28 years. In September 2006, William Wilson was inducted to the vacant charge. Aside from two Sunday Services, there are Sunday Clubs for children and
The Way, a club for secondary school students. The Blairbeth building, Roger Memorial, has
Storykeepers club for P1s to P3s and
Megaquest for P4s to P7s. ==Amenities==