My Early Years In Ferniegair By Edwin Allsopp Living With Grandma Margaret Simon

A Memory of Ferniegair.

I lived with my grandparents in the late 1940s at 201 Carlisle road Ferniegair, known as the huts which was opposite the gatehouse to the duke of Hamilton estate.My grandma ran a smallholding at the back keeping hens,turkeys,ducks and geese.The land went down nearly to the railway line.I remember the little shop near the railway bridge which was just a wooden hut where I used to get highland toffee and Iron Bru pop (strong as girders).I went to the school in the villiage,Miss Smith was one of the teachers and the Headmaster had a bad limp,I remember him giving me the cat for some misdemeanour.The roof of the school became unsafe so the school transferred to the welfare hall which is still there I believe.We were able to play on the swings and slide in the small park at the side as our school playground.I went to Sunday school at the church nearby,which is now a large house.
A friend Janet Dowe, lived at the estate gatehouse and with other friends played on the estate near the old castle and round about the sawmill.Other friends I remember were Cyril Nesbit and Mima Smith who had the same birthday as me so we both used to get ragged at school on that day.
On a visit about 9years ago I noticed so much change,the "hut" where I was born had gone but the site was still vacant,possibly built on now.Our next door neighbours were a family called Mathison. I looked round the Chaterault visitor centre hoping to find someone with recollections of the period from the late 40s until 1951 when I left to live in England to no avail, trying to connect up ends of my family tree.I lived with my Grandma, Grandad George Simon,Auntie Gina and Uncle John Frame.