Month: September 2015

Silvertonhill is a sought after residential area of Hamilton, Scotland based around Silvertonhill Avenue. Situated approximately 5 minutes south of the town centre, Silvertonhill contains a mix of both detached and semi-detached, privately owned housing. Silvertonhill contains two well-regarded primary schools – Woodside Primary School and Chatelherault Primary School

Much of the Silvertonhill estate was built by breaking through the boundary wall of the “High Parks”: the Duke of Hamilton’s hunting estate. The old Duke had wisely insisted that this original estate have a high ratio of green space to housing, resulting in the huge green park space between Chatelherault Crescent and Silvertonhill Avenue; a factor that contributes to the enduring appeal of the area. This green land notably contains some of the Old Oaks for which the High Parks are famous. The woodland of the High Parks to the east of the area is the Duke’s private land but is an extended playground for local children, along with the nearby banks and cliff faces of the Covan.

When originally built the estate was also famous for having only three patterns of key amongst the hundreds of front doors. If locked out, one simply borrowed one’s neighbour’s key. There were no mortice locks fitted as standard and children returning home were able to put their arms through the side mounted letter boxes and release the latches.

Originally, Bannatyne & Jackson’s rose nursery occupied a wide strip of land some five hundred metres long on the north side of the wall, outside the High Parks. This ran from Hutchison Street in the south almost to the Covan Burn in the north east and the land was sold off in three stages from 1962-1977. The newest housing in Silvertonhill dates from this last stage.

Old maps of the area show only one house on the old road. It is the detached house immediately to the south of Johnstone Road. There is also a farm house or Building situated where the now Larch Grove has been built.

The local nickname for this area is “Spam Valley”, as a joke they say the people spend so much money on their houses that the only food they can afford to buy is Spam.

One of the streets that was built is called Laburnum Lea! In the picture is Laburnum Lea under construction in 1963, at which time it was the only private estate in that area. When this street was under construction there were a few houses at the bottom end of Silvertonhill Avenue but from the land which is now occupied by Chatelherault primary school were open fields which stretched all the way up to Strathaven Road and which were occupied by grazing cattle.

Alan Lawrie, was a hard working farmer who lived in Quarter. He grew up on his dads farm and enjoyed a happy childhood. His dads farm was called Killinhill Farm and it was one of the largest farms in the village.

Alan’s story is a very sad one and was told to Historic Hamilton by a family friend who now lives in Australia. Helen Williams told us: “I don’t have all of his story but from what I know he was penniless living on the streets when my brother took him in and got him a job driving a tractor” I can only imagine that this would have gave Alan some of his pride back and hopefully a bit of happiness as he would have been once again doing something that he loved.

Helen continued: “Alan went from riches to rags with lawyers taking much of what he owned and then eventually other people or so-called friends taking advantage of him. He eventually lost his family farm and not only was this farm his livelihood, it was also his family home. Alan had no option but to find an alternative home and at one stage he lived in a small caravan with no heating or running water, but things got worse for poor Alan, he eventually ended up out on the street”. Alan told Helen that when he was homeless he used to have wash at Hamilton Baths!

Helen went on to tell us “I had said to Alan that too many photos end up in the bin when people leave this world and I feel we should log them. We didn’t even know that Alan had the photos, he has no direct living family. I’d say they are the only things he has left of the days on his farm”.

There are still kind people in this world and Historic Hamilton would like to say well done to Helen’s brother who took Alan in from the streets and gave him work and a new home. Alan still lives in Helen’s brothers house in East Kilbride and is now 71 years old.

THE HIGGINS FAMILY OF HAMILTON

This is a heart felt postcard sent from a mother to her son during the first world war. The lady in the photo is Mary (Murphy) Higgins and this is a poignant post card to her son Terrence Higgins who was away fighting at the front line.

Mary wrote to her son, not knowing if he was still alive or dead and she wrote:

“My Dear Son Terrence Higgins. Only a post card off your mother in Hamilton to let you know we are all well. Hoping you are the same and hope to God, seeing by the papers, the Gordon’s have led the way in this big charge. I only hope to God, my son, you are one of the lively lads and God has spared you to pull your hard Battle through . My son Terrence may God guide and protect you and send you a safe return to you mother. Good night son and good luck and god bless you and I will have for you. Every night and day so cheer up son and have a good heart and will write soon again. Hoping to hear from you soon. Kiss From Mother.”

Terrence was one of the lucky ones who did return home safe to his mother, he did however, lose an eye when on the front line.

Terrence eventually did what every other man did after the war, he got on with life and went back to work down in the coal mines.
Later in life, Terrence lived in Fairhill where he lived into his late eighties or early nineties. He was a great character, an old tough miner with a great spirit.

Historic Hamilton would like to thank Tom Odgen Keenan for sending us this fantastic snapshot in time of his Great Grandmother Mary Murphy Higgins.

THE HARDY FAMILY

This is the Hardy family and in the photo is William & Maisie Hardy, and their 6 children left to right: Thomas, Robert, Anne, Jane, Mary (The Baby) & Betty.

The picture was taken c1949 at their Tuphall Road house in Hamilton. They later moved to Westwood Crescent in 1950 and some years later moved to Burnblea Street.

Maisie Hardy nee McKechnie lived in Wishaw and was educated in Wishaw Public School. She worked as a head cook in service in a castle in Ecclefecan and was reknowned in the community for her kind charitable nature and fabulous home baking and cooking.

The local Drs frequently visited for home baking and tea, William originated from Blantyre and then moved to the Old Town in Hamilton and was educated at St Mary’s. He worked as a miner in Blantyre, then India Tyres in Inchinnan till his retirement. When he wasn’t working, he enjoyed tending to his garden.

Historic Hamilton would like to thank the Granddaughter of William & Maisie Hardy for sending us this fantastic family picture.

If you would like to share your Grandparents picture then please feel free to send it on a PM or by email to HistoricHamilton@icloud.com
http://www.historichamilton.wordpress.com

How many times have you driven down Muir Street and looked over to the back of the Hamilton town house and noticed the large car park.  Perhaps you work at the library and park at the staff car park behind the building or do you even live at Back Row?

The Hamilton town house car park looks spacious and has a rectangle shape to it, however this area wasn’t built or designed this way to make space for cars. The land beneath the car park is actually an old graveyard.  The tarmac was laid over the graves as the last coffin was laid over 100 years ago.

Before Smellie’s Auction House was built there was a United Presbyterian Church of Scotland that was large enough to hold 1050 seats. The church occupied the same area of land as Smellie’s at the corner between Muir Street & Lower Auchingramont Road and the graveyard was situated directly across the road from the church.

(The outline of the graveyard)

It was rumoured that the graves were all moved to the Bent cemetery after they removed the headstones from the graveyard, however there was over 300 graves at the car park and at the Bent there is only one marker stone that could possibly only hold four graves at a maximum.

The only evidence to this day that the graveyard even existed is a marker stone that shows where the burial place is of John J Thomson & Ann Watson who could have possibly been Husband & Wife.

Today I paid my respects to all the people of Hamilton who are currently buried at the old Hamilton graveyard under the car park of the Hamilton Library! The next time you drive past take a minute and spare a thought because this could be your ancestors that are laid to rest here.

It was reported in the Motherwell times on Friday the 6th February 1945 that George Kilmartin a spirit merchant, 7 Whitehill Road, Burnbank, Hamilton admitted(1) having in his premises in Townhead Street, Hamilton, between August 17 and September 13 January 1945 prepared methylated spirits for use as a beverage by mixing the same with Irish whiskey, and (2) on September 13 having in his possession 23 gallons and 21 and a quarter gills capable of being used wholly or partly as a beverage in the preparation of which methylated spirits, or a derivative thereof, had been used. It was explained on behalf of the accused that he believed he was dealing in genuine whisky. It would be noticed that there was no charge whatever of selling to the public. A fine of £75 was imposed, with the alternative of three months imprisonment, and forfeiture was ordered.

In April 1926 Mr Kilmartin was Public House Manager at Woodside House in Hamilton and he applied to open his own Public House at 75 Windmill Street in Motherwell, where he was refused and later refused again at an appeal.

It seems that Mr George Kilmartin had a run of bad luck as 14 years earlier it was also reported in the Motherwell times that George Kilmartin’s house was struck by lightning!

It was reported on Friday the 21st of August 1931 that the sharp thunderstorm on Sunday night was responsible for a considerable amount of damage here. Three shops were flooded in Burnbank and it was with difficulty that the goods were salvaged. The loss was fairly substantial.

The large villa occupied by Mr George Kilmartin in Woodside Avenue, Hamilton was struck by lightning with the result the chimney and slates and also part of the masonry was displaced.

The lightning passed through the interior of the house and burned a gas bracket, from which gas escaped in large quantities. Police officers who were early on the scene extinguished the fire which had been created.

BOBBY SHEARER
Born: 29 December, 1931. Died: 5 November, 2006, aged 74.

BOBBY Shearer was straight out of the mould of Rangers full-backs. He seemed to stand 5ft 7in square, he had legs like tree trunks and his red hair was a beacon wherever the battle was fiercest.

A Hamilton man, he signed for the Accies from local side Burnbank Athletic in 1950 and quickly established himself in the first team, playing in every position except goalkeeper.

Shearer, a right-back, played 407 times in all competitions for Rangers between 1955 and 1965, including a run of 165 consecutive games. He previously played for Hamilton Academical, his hometown club, and also for Highland League Club Inverness Thistle while on National Service in the Army in the early 1950s, at Fort George Barracks just outside Inverness. His combative playing style led to him being nicknamed Captain Cutlass.

(Robert shearers memorial match at the old Douglas park, with Maggie Shearer with Jimmy Johnstone.)

He made his full Scotland debut on 15 April 1961, in the infamous 9-3 defeat against England at Wembley. It was frequently joked afterwards that as an orange football had been used, Shearer and Rangers team-mate Eric Caldow had refused to kick it, while Celtic players Frank Haffey and Billy McNeill had refused to touch it.

Despite this inauspicious start, Shearer won further caps against the Republic of Ireland (twice) and Czechoslovakia in World Cup qualifiers the following month, his final game being a 4-0 defeat in Bratislava.

Shearer captained Rangers to their second domestic treble in 1963-64. In all, he won five league championships, three Scottish Cups and four Scottish League Cups during his time at Ibrox.

(Bobby Shearer at 17yrs old at accies. & also the manager in the suit Jackie cox.)

After leaving Ibrox, Shearer moved to Dumfries club Queen of the South as player-coach in the era of players such as Allan Ball, Iain McChesney and Billy Collings. In January 1967, Shearer was appointed manager of ill-fated Third Lanark, who folded later that year. Shearer moved back to his home town club Hamilton Academical and served as their manager, amongst other tasks.

(Bobby Shearer launching around the world in 80 days at the Gaumont in Keith street in 1956.)

Bobby died following a short illness on 5 November 2006, aged 74.
Hamilton man Chris Thom is the Nephew of Bobby Shearer and he was kind enough to send us some of his family photos of his Uncle & Family.

A lot of the young people in Hamilton today never had the pleasure of Meeting John Reynolds AKA “Juke Box Johnny” He was a Karaoke singer who once appeared in Michael Barrymore’s my kind of people. I can remember if you said to him were you on the telly? he always stopped to speak to you about his semi famous lifestyle and then asked if you wanted his Autograph.
He was another one of Hamilton’s true characters that everyone knew and spoke about. Thank you to Derek Murray for sharing this picture with Historic Hamilton

Eddie was born in Dundonald in Ayrshire and later moved to Hamilton and spent the rest of his life here. He was an Auld Toon man who lived at Castle Street, he then later lived at Burnblea Street with his wife Annie and her Family (The McNamee’s) Eddie & Annie Later moved to Farm Terrace in Burnbank where they spent the rest of their lives. They had Three children Ann, Janette & Joe McCallum. Picture Courtesy of Garry Lee McCallum.