Category: Hamilton

Tommy Kinsella, Hamilton’s local photographer

Tommy Kinsella, Hamilton’s local photographer snapped weddings, Birthdays and special occasions. His daughter Margaret Caddens sent us some photos of an unknown model in Hamilton along with some wedding pictures, Margaret told us:

“My Dad was a photographer in Hamilton for many years,i have lots of his proofs that are black and white, and some that my Mum coloured by hand. They are mainly portrait shots,a few weddings and babies and some glamour shots.its interesting to look at them and wonder ‘where are they now’.

Sadly Dads gone now Only know he was like the area photographer,he developed them at home It used to be wherever I went in Hamilton,someone would stop me and say, you’re Tommy Kinsellas lassie,he took took my wedding photo you know. I’ve got tons of his proofs or weddings,babies and sweethearts.”

We would like to track down who the people are in the pictures! Do you know the model or who’s wedding it was? If you do then please let us know.

You never know, maybe Margaret has pictures of your family in her dads collection.

STV Disco at the Town hall

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Jackie Bendoris Hillis sent us a picture of a disco at the Hamilton town hall. The disco was filmed for ITV in the mid 1980s.

Jackie told us:

“I found this old picture from the early 80’s. It’s from a STV disco at the Hamilton Town Hall – I’m right at the front in the STV t-shirt so that’s probably why they gave me the picture.

It can’t have been through school as I can see some people I know who went to different schools (although we are all secondary school age so that might be a clue). I’d love to know who else was in the picture with me x”

Were you at the STV disco or do you know anyone in the picture?
Let us know!

Whenever I think of Hame

Whenever I think of Hame”” Hamilton”comes into my mind,
The people and the places, they are of a very special kind,

The place has changed so much, over all these many years,
Sometimes, just one wee memory, brings back happy tears,

I spent my youth in this great place, with “happy, happy days,
That’s where my life was shaped, in oh so many many ways,

Not so much the place, but all the people who made this town,,
For passion pride n’ friendship,” Hamiltonians” hold the Crown””

(A Very special toon’)
The above poem was written for Historic Hamilton by Hugh Hainey.

MID STONEHALL FARM HOUSE

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Mid Stonehall Farm 

Mid-Stonehall was a farm house that was situated on the Neilsland Estate,  in the parish of Hamilton and two miles from the Town Centre. It was a two storey building and was classed as a mansion house, it also had Estate Offices.

On the 15th March 1871 the Estate was put up for sale with a price of £35,000 (£3,780,000.00 in today’s money) in 1871 the estate houses & mansion were listed as “Old” but the land offered several beautiful sites for a first class residence.

The land offered a spacious park with studded old and luxuriant trees and the estate commands from a sheltered position and a panoramic view of the lower vale of the Clyde and the scenery beyond. It also boasted of having another view that looked over the Glen.

Mid-Stone had approximately 277 acres with beautiful gardens that lead down to a burn and there were two other neighbouring farms that were called Torhead & High Stonehall.

When Mid-Stonehall was put up for sale the Meikle Earnock station was also mentioned as being a seven-minute walk from the farm, so just like today the local rail network was considered when buying a house.

Today I visited the site of Mid-Stonehall and apart from old stairs and sandstone walls sadly nothing has been left to show what a grand building used to occupy the land.

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Morgan Street Now & Then!!!

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Morgan Street Hamilton, 12th May 1937. 

A snapshot in time, Wilma Bolton sent us a picture of how Morgan Street looked back in the 12th May 1937. Wilma told Historic Hamilton,

My parents Jimmy and Peggy Russell lived in a single end in this close from 1940 until 1947. I remember being in the washhouse with my cousin Eleanor Lang while my mother and her sister Ella Lang were doing the washing.

My aunt Ella lived in Morgan Street. Both of us girls were aged about three at the time. My uncle Guy Lang had a newsagent and barber shop across from the close. We moved from Selkirk Street to the prefabs in Mill Road in 1947.

There are garages where the houses stood but the shop’s across from them are still standing.

Have you got a picture of a close in Hamilton that no longer stands? If you have then we would like to see it. Send it to us on the page or by email historichamilton@icloud.com

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Google Street view of Morgan Street.

Mcarthur’s Woollen Mill on Woodside Walk.

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Mcarthur’s Woollen Mill. 

McArthurs Woolen Mill was located at 24 Woodside Walk and it was a rough rectangular 3-storeye’d factory building dating from 1921, it was a large imposing building that looked out of place in the street.

It had a comprising reinforced-concrete frame with a flat roof and the facade, which had multi-pane metal-framed windows, it was faced with ashlar and bull-faced snecked rubble, as was the SE-facing side wall, which also had a 1921 date-plaque.

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Mcarthur’s Accounts Office. 

The side and rear walls were made of red brick and the building started life an extension to the former Woodlands Bakery for Messrs Samuel Gilchrist Ltd.

The Tartan Factory was closed by 2001 and was shortly demolished after. There are now new flats that occupy the land where the building stood.

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The retirement flats at the former site of the McAurthurs factory.

The Prefabs of Whitehill.

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This picture probably dates form the 1950s and it shows the small prefabs that were erected after the second world war.

The factory in the background looks like it could be from the old Brick works, however I am not 100% sure of this. If I am correct then the area where the prefabs were located could now be Abbotsford Road. What’s your thoughts on this?

HAMILTON’S VANISHING HERITAGE.

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HAMILTON’S VANISHING HERITAGE.

Hamilton’s no’ the same as it was
There’s nae weans playin’ at rounders or ba’s
Neilsland bings missing and Cadzow’s noo gaun,
For rows o’ fine hooses wi’ monoblock lawns.

Low Waters School, where is it noo?
I passed it just yesterday it canna be true!
Nae infant voices chantin’ a table,
Nae Mr Thomson for the weans he was able.

St. Anne’s is still there, my heart it is singing,
A familiar old building, children’s voices still ringing.
Blair’s shop has gone, a sign of the times,
Where’s Cadzow Bridge, the train and the lines?

Cadzow Rows has vanished and Eddlewood too,
Where’s Maggie’s Dairy? It’s just a road noo.
Guy Kerr’s is still staunin’ how long will it last?
And then like the rest, it’ll be a thing o’ the past.

Hamilton’s no’ Hamilton, my heart it is sad,
They’ve bulldozed our heritage, the good and the bad,
Time marches on I know this is true,
Just leave something please, for the future to view.

200 Goodbye St. Anne’s
St. Anne’s alas has joined the rest, now she’s gone
forever, Of all the children who passed through her
door, Will they forget her?…….NEVER!

The above poem was written by Wilma Bolton in 2003 and was donated to Historic Hamilton to share with our readers. I’m sure that most of you can relate to these words.