Hamilton has seen some dramatic changes over the last 30 years and none more so that Almada Street. Almada Street used to have tenements that led from Peackock Cross and all the way down to the Barracks at bothwell road.
Today there are only two surviving blocks of houses that remain in Almada Street, they are situated at the peackock cross side of the street, with the recent corner block of tenements that were called Almada Hill being knocked down to make a garage car park!
The picture below was sent to Historic Hamilton by Andy Alexander & Steven Matthews. There is some debate that the picture was taken around the mind 1970s, however i believe that the picture was probably taken around the mid 1980s, the reason for this is that the Mk3 Escort was introduced in 1980 (white car) and the blue Mk2 Astra behind it was first introduced in 1984.
Back in the 1970s & 1980s this part of Almada Street was thriving. There was also a well known chip shop at the side of the Crown bar called KFC, this was situated at Saffronhall Lane and if you look just behind the blue fiesta then this is where Safftonhall Lane is situated.
The Crown pub later became Chambers Bar during the 1990s and other pubs like Ewings & the County were also busy pubs at Almada Street. Chambers bar closed down around 2010/11 and was bought by the current owner Manio Loia, who had the building extended and refurbished in 2012, he then built the current restaurant and called it Cafe Eataliano which now occupies the former site of the Pub. Prehaps in years to come, this establishment will bring back as many happy memories like The Crown & Chambers did for many people!
The tenements at the bottom of Almada Street were demolished at the end of the 1980s and this is now the site of the Job Center and Hamilton Water Palace. If you look at the no entry signs in the picture, then this is the current entrance to the Hamilton Water Palace and further on down at the bottom of the road is where the Furlongs are situated.
Below is a picture taken last week on Sunday the 3rd January 2015. This was taken approximately at the same spot as the one taken in the mid eighties.
What was your memories of Almada Street in the 1970s & 1980s?
Historic Hamilton 
I have fond memories of Almada St. I was brought up in Eddlewood, in the area they called Quarter Road End. My friends and cousins used to walk down to Hamilton baths. I’ve no idea which route we took but as a child it seemed very far from home. Occasionally we were given our bus fare home but we usually spent it on sweets or loose grapes from a fruit shop. This was a real treat, something we didn’t get at home. Despite going to the baths frequently I never learned to swim as a child.
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Does anyone know the name of the song they used to play in Ewings Bar at the end of the night.
We lay to rest a very good freind of mine called Jackie Fernon and he loved the song.
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They played a lot of Supertramp when I went there, around 78, ( 2 years before I should have ) and there was an Elton John B side that used to feature, it was a jukebox so the customers chose, but they always chose the same songs as I remember it.
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peter this post has just come up on my screen. I know its a few years old but is the Jackie Fernon you mentioned the same Jackie from Hillhouse ? Came to Holy Cross around 1973 from Ogilvie ? very good centre half in his day.
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Saffronhall lane referred to in the script was in fact Saffronhall Crescent. The entrance to K.F.C. was on Almada Street.
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My mum and dad’s first flat was in building across from old baths Saffronhall crescent
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I was student at Bell College in late ’70’s. We all went to Ewings pub – great wee place. They used to serve pints of cold milk. Tam the barman /bouncer was a character to say the least. Pool table in room only slightly larger than the table. Brilliant jukebox. Happy days.
Building is gone now.
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I worked for the Council up in the ” Coonty Buildings” and spent many an extended lunchtime in this pub. Jenny Simpson and BarbarA Ewing kept us in check. Bumped into a girl I knew in Spain many years later. Had a laugh about the clientele and the juke bad. Happy, happy times. Great pub.
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Well-there it is! No.49 Almada Street I lived in the top corner flat from 1945 to 1958.
That’s Lachie MacMillan’s pub-Lachie was an ex Accies player I believe.
Almada Street was well serviced–down the stairs and out of the close and you would find -a butchers, a fishmonger, a baker ,newsagents ,two barbers, three cafes(hats off to Peter Equi and family)greengrocers, milliners ,two chip shops, polis station, High Court, lawyers galore, the Co-op, cobblers-the joys of tackety boots-and eight , eight! pubs-which explains the polis , court , lawyers etc. Sanny Paul the dairyman driving his cattle up the street from his grazing in the Palace Grounds. The ice wagon sliding its blocks down into Mr.Bryson’s cellar all the kids waiting for a wee lump of ice to sook.
The Baths just round the corner-“Shower before entering pool!”–Our flat had no running hot water so the hot baths were very handy.
A school in Beckford Street and you could cut across Saffronhall Crescent through the Old NBR station to get to The Academy or St,John’s.
There were barely understood-we were only kids after all-rumours about the ladies in one house in Barrack Street and another in Muir Street–connected to aw’ thon sodgers, ye ken.
The public transport was fantastic-the 60’s buses out through Cambuslang to Glasgow, the 50’s out through Uddingston, local buses, Chieftain buses-a class of their own-Hamilton West Station.
All that transport and I still ended a night at the dancin’ hoofing it back home.
Thanks for evoking these memories.
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Thank you for sharing your memories with us. That was a great insight to Almada street. Do you have any old pictures that you could share with us?
One more thing! Are you a member of our Facebook page?
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No. Info please.
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Hi,
All you have to do is log in to Facebook and search for Historic Hamilton.
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I remember a lot of the things that were commented on. My grand parents stayed at No. 29 Almada St. in the building between Capaldi ‘s and Barnsley St. and I spent a lot of time there.( all my school holidays and every weekend ). I remember Sanny Paul’s cattle walking down Almada St. to the Palace Grounds through the big gates at the bottom of Almada St. Sanny Paul’s park at the top of Barnsley St. is where Montrose Crescent is now. My family moved there in 1954 and lived there for many years. I also rembember Ernie Capaldi used to push his big ice cream cart along Bothwell Road to the Lido at Bothwell bridge on the weekends during the summer months. It was quite a feat as he was quite a short man.
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I lived at 49 Barrack Street from 1940 to 1951.
The other people who lived there, Douglas’s Rooney’s, Mitchells upstairs,
downstairs were the Hepburn’s and the Gilmour’s. next door were the Hamilton’s,
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Ah yes the memories. Standing in the queue at the baths waiting on the session finishing so we could get in. Paying my 15p at the wee window and darting up the stairs to try and be the first into the pool and aim for the diamond. Happy times and who remembers the ball jammed up in the roof 😎
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I used to go into the newsagents with my nana to get a matchbox car when we got off the double decker either at the bus garage or bus stop just before. Then we used to walk along to her house on Bothwell Rs good times
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Used tae drink in Ewings, great pub
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I used to live in Montrose Cresent at the top end of Almada St , after going to the baths, I remember being in a school gala and winning a propeller pencil, I actually come in last but they gave me my prize for effort lol we used to go to the fruit shop for a bit of Tablet that the women made, may 2p? a slice was great and the old Barracks was deserted and we used to play in the ruins before the college was built. I also remember waiting in the cold and rain with the school mates for the Queen Mother to pass to open the County Buildings in the early 60’s, the coop shop and the cafe opposite the county buildings. Thanks for the memories. great site!
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Remember the county pool room c/w hole in wall where players using a standard cue had simply knocked a hole when couldn’t use the small cue .
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Was Wee Jimmy the barman at that time?
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Hi yeh my father wee jimmy creechan sadly he passed away 1988,I spent many an afternoon in the county bar watching the bus drivers counting their tips / skin lol.
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Dad was in The Black Watch and we lived in the barracks 1954-1956. I went to Beckford St school which used to share a wall with the barracks. Went to Hamilton Academy for one term then we were posted to Cowglen.
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