Westerton, East Dunbartonshire
Bearsden
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 The Coat of Arms of Bearsden Burgh, 1959–75. |
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 Bearsden
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| Bearsden shown within East Dunbartonshire | |
| Population | 27,967 |
| OS grid reference | NS542720 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GLASGOW |
| Postcode district | G61 |
| Dialling code | 0141 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Bearsden (/ˌbɛərzˈdɛn/) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northwestern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately 6 miles (10 km) from the City Centre, and is effectively a suburb, with housing development coinciding with the introduction of a railway line in 1863, and from where the town gets its name (Bearsden station was named after a nearby cottage).
Bearsden was ranked the 7th-wealthiest area in Britain in a 2005 survey, and has the least social housing of any town in Scotland.
The Roman Antonine Wall runs through the town and the remains of a military Bath House can be seen near the town centre. In 1649, the first New Kilpatrick parish church was built, and became the centre of administration for the area. The town's official Gaelic name Cille Phàdraig Ùr (meaning "new church of Patrick") reflects the name of the parish. By the early 20th century, a town had grown up with large town houses, primarily occupied by wealthy commuter businesspeople.
Further development of more affordable housing has increased the population of the town to approximately 28,000 and the town remains affluent. Formerly a Burgh, local government of the town is now the responsibility of East Dunbartonshire Council which, until 2011, had some departmental offices at Boclair House in the town.
The first known settlement on the site of present-day Bearsden was a 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) Roman fort in the second century AD. Between 142 and 144 AD, under Emperor Antoninus Pius, the Romans built a stone and turf fortification, called the Antonine Wall, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. They also built the Military Way, a road that ran parallel, to the south of the wall. The fort was positioned at the intersection of the Military Way, and the north-south road between Glasgow and Loch Lomond. In 164 AD, after only 20 years, the Romans withdrew to Hadrian's Wall.
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