A single track railway was built in 1863 to go via Bearsden to Milngavie. At the time Bearsden was known as New Kilpatrick so to avoid confusion with Old Kilpatrick (a town on the Dumbarton line) the railway chose a different name for the station.
It is suggested that as Barley crops, known as ‘Bear’ grew in the surrounding fields and that a dene (valley) existed where the railway went from Westerton to Hillfoot, that the name of Bearsden originated from this. Over the years the name for the station became the name adopted by the community to replace New Kilpatrick.
The arrival of the station also helped form the Bearsden we know today as they not only helped serve the industries in the area but travel concessions were also offered by the railway company to encourage well to do Glasgow people to build in the area, resulting in the construction of many old stone-built properties.

References
Bearsden 1984 – Milngavie and Bearsden Historical Society
Bearsden in Old Picture Postcards – Sheena V Peters

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