For the Heid O' the Hill Heritage Walking Trail, RIG Arts dug deep into Bromhilll's heritage, working with the Broomhill community to explore the area's rich cultural and industrial past. We gathered oral histories from residents new and old, worked with Whinhill Primary school to gather creative responses to the history of the area, and conducted inter-generational walkabout sessions with members of the community.

Broomhill was the site of the Merino Mill, Tate & Lyle factory, the Caledonian Foundry and the Shaws Water Works. The area also has a number of now unused and largely forgotten railway lines with impressive tunnels carving their path beneath the streets. The freight trains carried passengers and cargo to Greenock’s Princes Pier to be shipped across the world; many older Broomhill residents remember playing in and taking shortcuts through the unused ‘haunted’ double tunnels after they went out of use.

Along with the walking trail, film-maker Chris Fallen worked on a documentary film, while Jim Strachan produced the mural displayed on Ann Street. 

James Grant (of Love and Money) was our Musician in Residence in 2017, leading songwriting classes at the Broomhill Art Flat.  Listen to the songs based on the heritage of Broomhill and written by James and local residents, here.  

As well as the Musician's Residency we also had a Moving Image Residency, which was completed by the artist Aideen Doran.  To watch her film, This Restless Place, click here.

You may have found this website through the QR codes or html. links provided on one of the four walking trail boards up around Broomhill. If you haven't, make sure to check them out! The boards can be found on Ann Street, Drumfrochar Road, Broomhill Street, and Dempster Street and are designed to guide your gaze over relevant parts of the landscape, encouraging you to imagine what would have been there many years ago.