Mary Barbour

Govan Community Council has submitted paperwork to Glasgow City Council to request the Wellbeing, Equalities, Community, Culture and Engagement City Policy Committee consider the request for a name change of the Govan-Partick Bridge to The Mary Barbour Bridge.

Mary Barbour brought together the tenants’ movements of Govan and Partick to campaign for a rent freeze during the First World War.

The 1915 rent strike campaign was successful and rents across the UK were fixed at their pre-war level for the rest of the war.

Now a petition has been submitted to Glasgow City Council to rename the Govan-Partick Bridge in her memory.

Danny O’Neill, chair of Govan Community Council, said: “The community in Govan has long believed that the legacy of socialist powerhouse Mary Barbour should be known by all for her incredible contribution to Govan and Glasgow.

“Our community fought for her statue at Govan Cross and now the community council is leading the charge to name our new bridge in her memory.”

The petition has the backing of Councillor Dan Hutchison of the Greens.

Mr Hutchison said: “The calls by Govan Community Council to rename the bridge in honour of one of Glasgow’s greatest champions have my full support and certainly reflect the feeling that’s been shared with me across Govan.

“I think it’s particularly apt that the bridge connecting Govan and Partick is named after the woman who led one of the largest rent strikes across the two communities and played a central role in the radical history of the Red Clydeside.”

The Govan-Partick bridge is one of the longest, opening, pedestrian-cycle bridges in Europe, with a width of six metres and two spans: the moving span, which weighs 650 tonnes, is 99 metres long and uses the South Pier as its access; and the fixed span, which weighs 45 tonnes and is 15.7m long.

The £29.5 million bridge re-establishes the historical connection between Govan and Partick, with the bridge crossing between Water Row on the south side and Pointhouse Quay on the north.

It is a key part of the active travel route between the University of Glasgow’s campus at Gilmorehill in the west end and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Govan.

In February 2022, a petition was launched calling for the bridge to be named in honour of Sir Billy Connolly.

The comedian spent his formative years in Stewartville Street and at St Peter’s Boys School north of the river in Partick before attending St Gerard’s RC Secondary School in Govan and becoming an apprentice welder at Alexander Stephens shipbuilding yard south of the river.

However, council leader Susan Aitken has said there are no plans to name the new crossing after a person, preferring local people to give the bridge a name similar to the Squinty and Squiggly bridges.

Ms Aitken added: “There is a tradition of unofficial names emerging organically and that should continue. I’m more than happy for that to be the case.”