Although James Anderson proposed the original village he appears to have carried out little building work. When Stobcross Estate was sold to a wealthy Glasgow merchant, John Orr of Barrowfield, in 1735, Anderstoun village comprised of a short row of one and two-storey cottages lining either side of the main highway (Argyle Street) close to where ‘The Buttery’ now stands. Many of the early feuars were weavers who earned a living by carrying out contract work from their own homes. The population as a rule were respectable and financially secure; most were persons of religious principle and character. Surrounded by cultivated  fields and a green bank sloping south to the river, the village and its surroundings formed a pleasant place of residence. John Orr  erected more cottages and began feuing off land for industry, resulting in the growth of the village.

During the early 1700’s Scottish cloth was considered to be of poor quality, the homespun yarn was coarse and uneven, which reflected in the quality and texture of the finished product. In 1738 a group of weavers formed themselves into an incorporation, which became the Anderston Weavers’ Society. As well as introducing quality control measures for local produce the ‘Society’ devised a welfare support scheme for their members. Being the only organised group within the village the Weavers’ Society adopted a proactive role in promoting the interests of the local community and its environs.

Thoroughfares
There were two principal roads into Anderston from the north; ‘The Lang Road’ (North Street) a country track that stretched northwards to Woodside, and another track which later became Bishop Street. It is thought that Bishop Street was so named because it ran through lands that once belonged to the church, hence also the area that was referred to as Parson’s Haugh. As the name suggests, Bishop Street was part of a route that the Bishops of Glasgow followed when journeying from Glasgow Cathedral to their summer retreat at Partick Castle, which stood on the east bank of the River Kelvin, near the Clyde.

The main road into, and through, Anderstoun was the highway connecting Glasgow and Dumbarton, which ran in an east-west direction. At the Gushet Farm a farm-track branched-off from the main highway and led directly to the mansion-house of Stobcross; in time this junction would form Anderston Cross. The name Stobcross almost certainly derives from a wooden cross (Stob Cross), possibly a wayside shrine, erected in pre-Reformation times near the spot where a bye-road to the Clyde (now Finnieston Street) branched off from the main highway.

At the beginning of the 1700’s the branch-road leading to the mansion of Stobcross was very much a country road bounded on either side by hedges and trees beyond which lay vast acres of fields. A few small farms were dotted at intervals along the road, and on reaching the end of a long tree-adorned avenue the lodge gates of the Estate would come into view. A short walk along a path shaded by trees eventually brought the traveller to Stobcross House. In later years this route would be transformed into Stobcross Street, which now forms part of the Clydeside Expressway.
 

FINNIESTON
John Orr purchased the Estate of Stobcross from James Anderson in 1735, and some years later, ownership of the Estate passed to John Orr's nephew, Matthew Orr, who, in 1751, set aside twenty acres of land to the west of Anderston on which he  established a new village. He named the new settlement 'Finnie’s Toun' as a tribute to the Reverend John Finnie, who was tutor and chaplain to the Orr family.

Land for building in the new village, situated on either side of what became Finnieston Street, was feued-off on the condition "that no idle or person's of bad fame shall be allowed to possess any of the houses so to be built". With such strict conditions being imposed, Finnie’s Toun, or Finnieston, soon became a much sought after location by the wealthier classes desirous to escape from the pressures of city life. Here they could relax, and just a short walk away, enjoy a spot of fishing in the crystal clear waters of the Clyde. Among the first people to feu land at Finnieston was John Smith who started the first circulating library in  the Glasgow area, and who was founder of the firm of John Smith & Co., the oldest established commercial booksellers in Scotland, founded in 1751.

BROOMIELAW
Late nineteenth century photographs capture the Broomielaw as a busy berth for Clyde Paddle Steamers, however this was not always the case. Often referred to as ‘Broomielaw Croft’ the description suggests that the area was an open field or farmland. Evidence of early settlers, or hunters, having been in the locality is confirmed when Bronze Age axe heads were found in York Street during the eighteenth century.

There are numerous references dating from the 16th century regarding the sale and disposal of parcels of land at Broomielaw. In 1609 mention is made of the Broomielaw as a pier and port suitable for flat bottom boats. Fifty-three years later, in 1662, the Broomielaw is described as ‘a little quay for moir commodious laidening and landing of boats’.

John Goldborne surveyed the Clyde in 1768 and submitted proposals to make the river more navigable for large vessels. The following year James Watt and James Barrie produced an action plan based on Goldborne’s suggestions and, in 1770, an Act of Parliament was passed endorsing Goldborne’s plans for enlarging the Broomielaw. The tobacco trade coupled to the growth of later industries led to further efforts to deepen and widen the river and create a proper harbour.

JACOBITES
The Jacobite Rising of 1745 found little support in the staunchly Presbyterian lowlands and this was further demonstrated when the city raised two battalions of volunteers in support of the Hanoverian Government.Unfortunately, at the time they were most needed the Glasgow Volunteers had been sent to protect Edinburgh. And so, on Christmas Day, 1745, the advance party of the bedraggled Jacobite army entered Glasgow unobstructed, to be joined by the main force the following day. The Jacobites remained encamped in the city until 3rd January 1746.

Finding little sympathy or support in Glasgow, resentment was running high among a section of the Jacobites who were intent on burning the city to the ground and putting the citizens to the sword. The city and citizens were spared this terrible fate thanks to the intercession of the Chieftain of Clan Cameron, Cameron of Lochiel. He threatened to withdraw his men from the Jacobite cause if the city was torched, and so, Glasgow was spared. In recognition of Lochiel's intervention, and as a token of their gratitude, the City Fathers decreed that the bells of the city should be rung in honour of 'Gentle Lochiel' and that the same tribute should be paid to his successors, a tradition that is still honoured today. However, the city did not get off scot-free. The Council was required to pay a ransom of money, food, weapons, clothing and shoes to the Jacobites.
There is no conclusive evidence of any Jacobite soldiers having entered Anderston or Stobcross; however, it seems unlikely that any settlements in such close proximity to Glasgow would have escaped the interests of scavenging Jacobite soldiers.

Church records indicate that during the early autumn of 1748 a plague of locusts caused a great deal of concern in Anderston. It was feared that if the locusts were to increase in number, they would devour the crops. Fortunately the locusts died out before they could inflict serious damage.

THE ANDERSTON CLUB
The Anderston Club, established in 1750, convened in John Sharpe's Hostelry, which stood in Sharpe's Lane. Dr.Robert Simson, professor of mathematics at the University who had family associations with Anderston, founded the Club. Included in the Club’s membership were a number of eminent people of the era; Dr. Moore, professor of Greek, Dr.Cullen and Mr. Hamilton of Medical Science, Professor Ross of Roman Literature, Robert and Andrew Foulis, the printers and, perhaps the most celebrated of all, Adam Smith, the world-renowned economist.

The Anderston Club convened each Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock and for each meeting a bowl of 'Glasgow Punch' was especially prepared. The concoction consisted of citrus fruits mixed with rum. No doubt the Club meetings included many interesting topics of discussion. Whatever the subject, or level of debate, Dr. Simson never hesitated in interrupting the meeting and bringing proceedings to a close, thus ensuring that everyone would reach their homes in time for supper and evening worship, a practise that was common in most homes of that time. It was perhaps also necessary to conclude business early in  those days for practical reasons, particularly when street lighting and proper pavements did not exist. The Anderston Club ceased to meet soon after Dr. Simson’s demise in 1768.

The Ship Bank
No commercial banks existed in Glasgow until 1750 when a number of merchants established the 'Ship Bank'. The bank produced its own distinctive notes, each of which bore an engraving of a ship in full sail. One of the founders of the Ship Bank was Robert Carrick who, along with Brown and McAlpine, owned cotton-bleaching fields situated on the south side of Anderston Walk, near the banks of the Clyde. Brown became a Lord Provost of Glasgow, while McAlpine, who was cashier of the firm, formed a society for the encouragement of trade under the title of 'Chamber of Commerce and Manufacture of the City of Glasgow'. The society became known as the 'Chamber of Commerce' and gained a Charter of Royal Approval in 1783. The area where the bleachfields once stood bears the names of the firm's partners, Brown Street, Carrick Street and McAlpine Street. About ten acres of Broomielaw Croft, a site that now lies between Robertson Street and Brown Street, was purchased in 1766 by Brown, Carrick and Co. and turned into a bleachfield. In time this property formed part of the hamlet of Brownfield.

Delftfield Pottery
Four Glasgow merchants entered into a business partnership in 1748 and established the Delftfield Pottery, a company specialising in the manufacture of fine-glazed earthenware. The partners of the firm were Robert Finlay, Patrick Nesbit, and two brothers, Laurence and Robert Dinwiddie. Laurence, who was Provost of Glasgow, negotiated terms with the Jacobites when they invaded the city in 1746. His brother, Robert, was governor of Virginia from 1751-1757. The memory of a one-time partner in  the firm, James Watt, of ‘steam-condenser’ fame, is perpetuated in the name of the present street where the Delftfield Pottery once stood.

The Incorporation of Tailors who had already been gifted the eastern portion of Parson’s Haugh in 1673, purchased the western portion of the Haugh from John Leckie of Mye in 1728 and, thirty years later, in 1758, they began dividing and selling plots of Western Parson’s Haugh (Bishop Street) for building purposes. The first plots on what was sometimes referred to as ‘Taylor’s Land’ were purchased by John Logan, a weaver, and by David Marshal, a gardener. The following year James Monteith, a weaver, who was to become an influential figure in the community, purchased a plot of land in Bishop Street.

The commercial advantage of locating in Anderston was becoming obvious, and before long, great interest was shown in acquiring property in the area. Parcels of land on the southern edge of Stobcross Street, stretching towards the Clyde, were divided into long strips and feud-off. George McIlwham, a bleacher, bought one of the plots on which he erected Hydepark Mansion. In due course other sites bearing distinctly 'London' designations began appearing featuring such titles as, Whitehall, Piccadilly and Cheapside. Within a few decades this particular area became the focus for heavy industry.

THE ANDERSTON BREWERY
In 1762 the brewing of beer and ale was added to the already well-established and flourishing cotton industry. An enterprise operated by the dual partnership of Murdoch and Warroch, known as the Anderston Brewery, was established near the Clyde. It was generally agreed that porter brewed in the Glasgow area at this time was of inferior quality. The brew was coarse to taste, containing a strong infusion of brown liquorice, or 'sugarallie', rendering the product saccharine in flavour and muddy in appearance. The consequence being that Glasgow ale and beer, being of first-rate quality, was a much-preferred drink to that of porter.

Both partners were keenly aware that a market existed for quality porter. So, the proprietors of the Anderston Brewery engaged a Mr Chivers, from London, to share his knowledge and expertise of brewing porter. A contract was drawn up between the partners and Chivers, legally binding the Londoner not to reveal the secrets of brewing quality porter to any of the Anderston firms Glasgow rivals. Unfortunately, due to an oversight in the contract, the owners of the Anderston Brewery omitted to bind Chivers from setting up in competition on his own account. Thus, Chivers considering himself at liberty to produce and market his own porter, entered into partnership with a rival brewery located in Bridgeton. In an effort to halt the Londoner’s alleged breach of contract, a lawsuit was raised against Chivers. Although the Anderston Brewers petition was successful, the competitors by this time had acquired both the knowledge and skill in producing fine porter. Despite this setback, the success of the Anderston Brewery was assured. By the 1790's the Brewery was responsible for nearly 10% of the total excise duty paid in Scotland. Poor harvests in 1799 and 1801 saw a sharp increase in the price of grain, and in an effort to preserve grain for food a ban was imposed on its use for brewing purposes. This action had a negative impact on the Anderston Brewery and by 1803 they had been forced out of business.

Warroch Street, sometimes erroneously referred to as ‘Warwick Street’, perpetuates the name of one of the partners of the Anderston Brewery. In 1971 the Daily Record opened a newspaper plant on the site of the Brewery, which they occupied until production was moved to Cardonald during the 1990’s. New offices and commercial development now occupy the location.