Whitlawburn is a high rise housing estate in Cambuslang. It was constructed in 1968-1970 by Lanarkshire County Council as an overspill estate from Glasgow. The estate sits on a site just below the summit of Cathkin Brae, and is therefore one of the highest estates in Greater Glasgow with panoramic views over the entire city.
The estate came under the control of Glasgow District Council in 1975 when the city boundaries were extended to include Cambuslang. It consists of six high rise tower blocks and several blocks on low rise maisonettes. An Asda supermarket was constructed in the middle of the estate in 1977 and remained such until the 1990s, when it closed. The structure was later badly damaged by fire and was partially demolished.
In response to a lack of investment, and maintenance in the estate, and a rise in crime and antisocial behaviour, a co-operative was formed in 1989 to take ownership of the western side of the estate, which included the six tower blocks and some of the maisonette blocks. West Whitlawburn Co-Operative has since become one of the most successful of its type in the UK and has since refurbished the six towers in the mid 2000s, and constructed new build properties on the site.
The eastern part of the estate - East Whitlawburn, remained under local authority control, and passed into the auspices of South Lanarkshire Council in 1996 when the Glasgow City boundaries were changed again following the abolition of Strathclyde Regional Council. Much of the estate was demolished and rebuilt between 2015-2023, with all of the 1960s era maisonette blocks replaced with a mixture of low rise houses and new maisonettes.
The six tower blocks (all named after various islands and mountains in Scotland) were part of a batch of eleven that were constructed across Cambuslang. They were all built to a standard design by REEMA Scotland between 1969-70.