Strathclyde

Strathclyde is a historic region of Scotland, named for the strath (valley) of the River Clyde. The name is also used in several modern institutions and places in the Glasgow area and the Clyde valley.

Administratively, Strathclyde existed as a regional level of government from 1975 to 1996 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. It encompassed a western portion of Scotland including Glasgow and surrounding districts. In 1996 the region was abolished and its powers were transferred to newly created unitary authorities.

Historically, Strathclyde also refers to the medieval Kingdom of Strathclyde, a Brythonic-speaking polity centered on Alt Clut (Dumbarton Rock) and the upper Clyde valley, which later extended into parts of what are now western Scotland and northern England. The kingdom declined during the 10th and 11th centuries.

In contemporary use, the name appears in several institutions: the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, established in 1796 as the Andersonian Institution and renamed in 1964; the former Strathclyde Police force (1975–2013); and Strathclyde Park near Motherwell, a major recreational area.