Erskine

This article is about the town in Scotland, For the place in Minnesota, see Erskine

Erskine is a small commuter town in Renfrewshire, Scotland, located on the southern bank of the River Clyde. The name Erskine comes from 'Eriskyne', a contraction of the Gaelic 'air an sgian', meaning 'upon the knife'. This was said to have been uttered by a scotsman who had killed one of the Danish leaders at the battle of Murthill. The modern Gaelic name for the town is still Arasgain.

Erskine Bridge

Erskine is perhaps best known for its suspension bridge which crosses the River Clyde, connecting the M8 motorway on the south side to the A82 road on the northern side. The bridge was designed by William Brown and opened on 2nd July 1971 by Princess Anne. By 1997, was used by an average of 20,000 vehicles per day. It is one of three toll bridges in Scotland and currently (April 2005) the tolling issue is under debate, after the scrapping of the tolls on the Skye Bridge.

Famous residents include Douglas Alexander (MP), Wendy Alexander (MP), James Sheridan (MP), Ross Renton (Educationalist and former national student leader), Eileen Paterson (Model and former Miss Scotland), Kristy Mitchell (actress), Ian Ferguson (Football player), Dougie Vipond (Drummer Deacon Blue) and Jimmy Reid (former trade leader)