Barrhead (Scots: Baurheid,[2] Scottish Gaelic: Ceann a' Bharra)[3] is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, thirteen kilometres (8 mi) southwest of Glasgow city centre on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes.

[6] In 1851 there was an explosion at the Victoria Pit colliery in nearby Nitshill, killing 63 men and boys who worked in the mine, many of whom lived in Barrhead.

[7] In 1890, with a rapidly expanding population approaching 10,000, various local residents formed a Barrhead Burgh Formation Committee.

The status of police burgh was granted in 1894 and William Shanks, proprietor of a local company, was elected as the first provost of Barrhead.

In recent years, Barrhead has found new life as a popular residential commuter town for nearby Paisley and Glasgow.

During World War II, several bombs fell on Barrhead from German planes headed towards Clydebank and Yoker.

Subsequent reorganisation to a single tier local authority in 1996 placed Barrhead under the auspices of East Renfrewshire Council.

In the Scottish Parliament, Barrhead forms part of the Renfrewshire South constituency, represented by Tom Arthur of the SNP.

The town is about 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) from the edge of the Glasgow urban area (Hurlet and Parkhouse neighbourhoods), separated by farmland and countryside, much of which is now part of the Dams to Darnley Country Park, encompassing the Balgray and Waulkmill Glen Reservoirs and the course of the Brock Burn.

[11] Major businesses within the town include Barrhead Travel, Kelburn Brewing Company, and JM Murdoch & Son, among others.

In 2002, part of the administration of East Renfrewshire Council relocated from Eastwood Park to Barrhead Main Street.

East Renfrewshire Council committed nearly £100 million to a masterplan to redevelop and modernise Barrhead's economy between 2007 and 2017.

Evidence of these lines can still be seen within the town, including two standalone sections of railway viaduct, one near the Tesco store and the other now carrying a footpath between Springhill Road and the Woodside Park in Upper Auchenback (known locally as the Jerries).

The new Carlibar Primary School, opened in the autumn of 2006 to replace an outdated building, hosts a family centre, a pre-school assessment unit, community and adult learning services, and a state-of-the-art language and communication unit which serves nearly 50 children with autism from across East Renfrewshire.

Founded in 1904, the Fereneze Golf Club is the town's mature moorland 18-hole course boasting spectacular panoramic views over the Clyde Valley.