Pollok, Househill and Hurlet

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Postby job78989 » Mon May 08, 2006 10:47 pm

Hi Kiwi2,

welcome to hidden glasgow. I remember the area much the same as yourself. I used to get taken for walks through househillwood park up to the hurlet, we used to play on the redhills, I also remember the smiddy at the hurlet. There was another set of red hills just behind where the Niaroo Pub is now. just next to the Darnley hospital. As you may know Nitshill and Hurlet were extensively mined for minerals including coal, ironstone, limestone. You will nodoubt remember the limeworks up the dams and the brickworkson househillmuir road.

there is also another thread on here about darnley Waulkmill Glen

John
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pollok, househill and hurlet

Postby kiwi2 » Tue May 09, 2006 9:03 pm

Hi John,

Thanks for the reply and good to hear from someone who remembers the Red Hills.
I do recall the hills before the Niaroo was built, was'nt there a large pit full of water around there, a quarry or something.
I lived just a stones throw from the garage on Peat Road which is I believe now Arnold Clark.

Is Nitshill Brick Works still going.

Do you know the history of a large house on Glenlora Drive close to the Priest's house, it must have been there well before the housing scheme was built.
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Postby job78989 » Tue May 09, 2006 11:37 pm

Hi Kiwi2, Cool to hear from some one in Newzealand who knows the auld harea. The Nitshill Brickwork is long gone,early 70's I think. All of the old houses on Glenlora dr belonged to the old village of Househill, have never really looked into the history of them but its a good idea for an investigation.

the priests house had been derelict from about the 60's but at some point in the 80's it was renovated and is now a convent. two of the other houses were knocked into one and were used as some kind of community facility in the early 90's.

Most of Craigbank has been knocked down and is now being rebuilt, will try and get some pitures to share with you.

I remember the Quarry well, sailed my first door in it and used to catch Newts and frogs in it.

When did you leave Nitshill. My nephew is currently living in Newzeland.

John
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pollok househill and hurlet

Postby kiwi2 » Fri May 12, 2006 9:57 am

G'day John,

Thanks for the reply, you never know we probably passed each over as kids.
I lived at 249 Glenlora Drive , a few yards from the church on Peat Rd.

Went to Levern and then was the first intake of pupils at Craigbank Sec in 1960.

Spent 30 years in NZ and AUSTRALIA before returning to UK and now living in England.

Sad to hear Craigbank is being demolished, why are they knocking perfectly good solid houses and are they replacing them.

Regards
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Postby Alex Glass » Fri May 12, 2006 10:09 am

Hi kiwi2

As one of the local Councillors for the area I am pleased to say there are plans to replace the houses in Craigbank.

Rosehill Co-operative Housing Association has started building new houses I believe on the very site where your old house was. I live near hear and will try and post some photos of the area. I have a photo of houses in this area of Glenlora being demolished lat year and will go an take some photos of the houses currently being built.
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Postby job78989 » Fri May 12, 2006 11:05 am

Hi Kiwi2,

I think you may be a few years older than me, I lived at 144 Househillmuir Road untill 1980 and then at 129 Peat Road untill 2005, I went to St. Roberts in Priesthill and then Bellarmine Sec. I started at St. Roberts in 1960 at 5 years old, just when you where starting at Craigbank Sec. So you would have been wan a they big boys, that we were feart tae talk tae.

As you will no doubt remember Craigbank was seen as one of the better housing areas then, however with over thirty years of council neglect and mismanagement, despite major refurbishment in the 1990's, the place had deteriorated to a point that most of the housing had become hard to let and the council used it as a dumping ground for all sorts of socially challanged tenants. Most of Craigbank has gone and it is being replaced with modern semi detached houses. I will try and get some photies fur you when I an in southnitshill later to day.

I take it that you attended the old Levern primary school, here are a couple of pic of the school courtesy of the Mitchells Collection and a link to the Virtual Mitchells site.

Image


Image


Virtual Mitchell

Hope you enjoy these!

That building was pulled down in the late 70's I think, it had been replaced by a new school in the late 60's early 70's and the old school was used as a community centre for a while. I my be wrong here as I think the old parish church was also next to the school and it may have been the church that was used. The old tin annex was used into the 90's as a day centre for children with learning difficulties needless to say its all gone now. The old school, the new school, the tin annex and the church and the Househill Tavern, which I think went about the time they built the new school. Being a right we scally at that time I bought my first pint in there at the age of 15.

John
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Postby kiwi2 » Sat May 13, 2006 9:13 am

Hi John and Alex,

Thanks for the information and outstanding photos of Levern Primary.


What memories they bring back. I can just see all the kids running around the playground and the Janny blewing his whistle.
I am 58 yrs old and we were the first tenants in 1951 and my Mum left in 1986, she used to work at the Househillwood shops in the Co-op after she retired from the cotton mill in Neilston.

We played all our football and the odd game of cricket in the spare ground behind Househillwood rd before they built more houses there.

I remember vividly the building of St. Roberts church as they had a large fence around the site and this caused many accidents and at least one fatal one as traffic could not see each other at the junction of Glenlora and Housillwood .

You are correct about the standard of housing being above average in Craigbank. In our close we had a teacher, chemist, two managers of large deptartment stores in town and and with the constant hot water and central heating it was a far cry from Shettleston where I was born.

Regards

Kiwi2(Ronnie Little)
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Postby job78989 » Sat May 13, 2006 10:40 pm

Hi Ronnie, I am 51 and also remember St. Roberts Church being built, not very well though I think would only have been 4 or 5. I havn't managed to get any pics as yet but will post asap.

John
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Postby Alex Glass » Sun May 14, 2006 1:15 pm

Here is a photo of the area to the rear of the St Robert's Church being demolished.

Image

Sorry now that I didn't take more pics. They have strted building at the top end of the site near Gowanbank Primary School.

Unlike you and John I did not grow up in the area so don't have the memories that you both share. It is great to hear these personal recollections of what the area looked like prior to the area being built and now as we see a new regeneration these stories put everything in context.

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pollok househill and hurlet

Postby kiwi2 » Sun May 14, 2006 2:42 pm

Hi John and Alex,

Thanks for the picture of the demolition of Craigbank.

Very sad to see fine houses being destroyed and seeing my childhood memories disappear but thats life and another generation can enjoy the area that I loved so well.

My wife and I are travelling to Mallaig next month and hopefully we can find the time to drop in and see for ourselves the progress being made and maybe meet you both.

Meanwhile I will be an avid reader of this great site and especially of our liitle patch.

Regards

Ronnie Little
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Postby Alex Glass » Sun May 14, 2006 2:47 pm

Would be great to see you and your wife. There is a lot happening in the area and I am sure you will be surprised at the amount of changes that have taken place.
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pollok houshill and hurlet

Postby kiwi2 » Mon May 15, 2006 8:01 pm

Hi John,

Thanks for the great pictures. I am very grateful to you and Alex for the time and effort you have both gone to in showing me the changes to Craigbank.

I just can't believe how the area has changed so dramatically in a relatively short time. I mean modern day housing should last longer than 50 years or is it nothing to do with the houses but a social or political decision.

That was a great shot of the garage and yes it was exactly where our close was sited. My Dad had a part time job pumping petrol at the garage for a few years.

The picture of the convent looks just like the house which was between the priest house and the doctors surgery, I can't remember it being a convent at any time.
Another good picture was of Bankbrae, in the winter that was where we rode our sleds down all the way to Newfield Sq.

Once again thanks for the pics and I would love to meet you and Alex some time.
My email is [email protected]

Regards

Ronnie
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Glenlora Street development

Postby Alex Glass » Sat May 20, 2006 9:45 am

A view of some new houses being built behind St Robert's Church.

Image

Bankhead Street.
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aerial view of water tower

Postby apaterson » Thu May 25, 2006 8:43 am

Dating at between 1950 and 1954 can't be far out. Top right on the picture is Roughmussel and slightly lower the completed Craigbank with Gowanbank and the small RC primary school annexe (Muirshiel??) clearly visible. The spare ground behind the annexe almost reaching Peat Road was the site of a later RC primary school.
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Glenlora Drive

Postby apaterson » Fri Jun 02, 2006 1:14 pm

The priests' house was beside another private residence of about the same date which backed on to the then coal-fired power house that provided Craigbank's hot water. Our house in Glentyan gave us a view into the garden of this villa and we watched bemused for a while as the owner built a sizeable boat (maybe 35 feet) in his grounds. Memory may be imperfect but I think he got it to water via the aforementioned power station.
I'm surprised that McQuatter's Lane doesn't seem to have had a mention so far. It was a regular haunt for bird nesting and generally getting up to no good.
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