Drumclog

The Village of my Birthplace

I was born at no 24 Miller Street, Glassford in the year 1938 and lived there till 1948. I have very happy memories of my childhood there. Dad was a miner and was transferred to the east coast when I was 10 years old. I am the youngest in the family. I emigrated to New Zealand in 1958, got married and settled in Dunedin. I loved the freedom we had living in the countryside. I have been home on holiday four times and I always have a visit to 'the glessert' on my 'must do' list. Last time I was there we had a meal at Steayban eating place. That was in 2003.

The Norfolk Family Settle in East Kilbride

Work brought me to Scotland in 1975 and I needed to live within commuting distance of the Bank of England branch in Glasgow. Elizabeth and I looked around the south side of the City and fell in love with a beautifully restored eighteenth century style weavers cottage in Calderwood, East Kilbride. A new town is a lovely place to live when you are young and we loved it. Our son was born in 1977 and altogether we had three happy years living in Scotland before work made us move home yet again! We were very sorry to leave our lovely cottage home behind, and the garden which Elizabeth designed and built. Happily our dear neighbours also liked our wee house and bought it from us to make it their home. We have stayed in touch with them all these years as they became our son David's godparents. Just recently they invited us to visit and it was so nice to go into our old home and see it so... Read more

Titled."Summers in Kirkmuirhill".....My Granny Brown lived there and as a wee boy I was sent from my home in Glasgow to stay with my Granny for the summer. I loved the time there and enjoyed the fequent walks with my Uncle Dan down by the river Nethan, where he would guddle for trout. There was a pub on the main road and a little shop was nest to it. On a Friday my uncle always said he was going to see a "man about a dog". Naturally he was going to the pub. I would walk along with him and waited on the wall beside the pub with a "jotter" and pencil in my hand which he gave me to copy down the registration of any cars and buses passing. Of course in those days hardly anyone had a car and the bus passed every hour. Needless to say I never logged too many numbers. I still have fond memories of those days and think of it often in Canada... Read more

Cafe

There was a wee shop on the High Street of Lesmahagow that my mother always took me to as a boy. Down the left side were tables where you could sit and have juice and stuff, (not sure what I had, but I bet it was gooey and good!
They sold other stuff too like toys and some other household things if my memory serves me right. I doo remember getting a little car bought for me on occasion. The thing that sticks in my mind is the transparent yellow blinds they used to stop everything in the windows being bleached by the sun. I never have seen these in use anywhere I have been since.

Stuart Beasley-Forrest
Clan Douglas

Mrs Smith's Farm at Coalburn

I remember a stunning girlfriend, Rosemary Smith,  whose family farmed at Coalburn. We met while both working and studying in Manchester and I remember our visit to her mother's farm at Coalburn in 1968.  THere were fields of sheep, rain, sheep, trees, rain, lovely farmstead, rain, coal fire, rain, her old A40 Countryman estate car, rain etc!  A lovely place and a lovely girl. When we met I had no idea at all of either her farming or her Scottish background and I fell in love with it all. Around seven years later I moved to East Kilbride and worked in Glasgow and I recall that each time I drove up and down the old A74 between Glasgow and London I could see Mrs Smith's farm from my car. Happy memories!

Harold Brook, Hairdresser

Can anyone emember my grandad, Harold Brook of Coalburn, he was a hairdresser?

I Was Born in Ashgill

I was born above the old post office in Ashgill and my family moved to Cornsilloch when I was around 6 months old.
My whole family from my grannie and grandad Nellie Waddell and John Smith and their parents Hugh Smith all lived in Ashgill Prospect Drive and Douglas drive.
My uncle Sandy had tomato houses out at Ayr road, I spent many a school holiday working in them.
Many a great time I spent in my formative years visiting the area.
Now here I am living in the great state of Wisconsin USA.
Happy happy memories,

John Smith.
tshanter@hotmail.com