Reminiscences of Springburn - Recently Updated Pages

Reminiscences of Springburn - Recently Updated Pageshttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/pageSearch/updatedRecently Updated Pages on http://oldspringburn.wetpaint.comen-usinfo@wetpaint.comThu, 03 Jul 2008 15:07:08 CDTThu, 03 Jul 2008 15:07:08 CDTwetpaint.com60Reminiscences of Springburnhttp://www.wetpaint.com/img/logo.gifhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.comThe old history of a districtLinkshttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Linksbuntygalhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Linksnew siteThu, 03 Jul 2008 15:07:08 CDThttp://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com

Official government source of genealogical information for Scotland
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/

Photographs and information on Scottish Cinemas
www.scottishcinemas.org.uk

Excellent information , great photographs and discussion board on Glasgow
http://links.glasgowguide.co.uk/cgi-bin/in.cgi?id=2317

Informative site about Springburn Park Past & Present
http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/Parks_gardens/springburnpark.htm

Friends of Springburn Park
http://friendsofspringburnpark.co.uk

Photographs of Springburn community life and industry
http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/springburn/

Photographs of Glasgow including Springburn
http://www.mitchelllibrary.org/virtualmitchell/

Images of Springburn
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/6891/images.htm

The Scottish Banner
http://www.scottishbanner.com/default.aspx

Springburn Virtual Museum (Index of all images)
http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/springburn/springindexcommunity.html

Springburn and its Churches
http://www.asno38.dsl.pipex.com/history1.htm

]]>Springburn Parkhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Springburn+Parkbmac26http://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Springburn+ParkOld Postcard Springburn ParkThu, 03 Jul 2008 10:45:13 CDT

Boating Pond Queue c1950's

Summer in Springburn Park in the 1950's

The magic of Springburn Park over the last century in pictures.
If you wish to talk about your memories at the park please start a thread
on the topic at the bottom of this page.

The clock tower

The small duck pond

The magic of Springburn Park over the last century in pictures.
If you wish to talk about your memories at the park please start a thread
on the topic at the bottom of this page.

Sequence of pictures in The Rockery which has been,at least in part,
beautifully maintained.Can you spot the wee rabbits in the first photo?
(1 to 6 Taken by Harry Mc Cormack Sept 2007)
1

2

3

4

5

6

Taken by Wullie Carrigan in the mid-60's

Taken by Wullie Carrigan in the mid-60's

In its heyday. Crowds surround the famous bandstand made by Macfarlanes of Possil.

Springburn Park 1946-7

In the 50s. The Rockery.

Boating Pond 1950's

The Hothouse in it's original state.

Springburn Park Cricket Pavillion 1973

Bagging Minnows.

Tennis courts

Cricket Pitch

Boating Pond

The Duckpond

Remains of the Hothouse

View From the Gates

]]>Crichton Streethttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Crichton+StreetLillainhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Crichton+StreetThu, 03 Jul 2008 10:44:52 CDT

The Dancing Girls rehearsing for the Jeanette Bassett's farewell Party & Concert in 1948.
They are part of a troupe of about 12 girls and the are:
Viola Jarvis, Jean Milne, Norma Taylor, Nancy Davidson, Martha Dickson, Jean Bookless,
Moira Watson. All Crichton/Gourlay St.

More nostalgia from the back court of 42/44 Crichton Street and the two closes in Gourlay Street,this tenement abutted the infants school on one side and the school yard on the other.
Who are they.
Back Row from the left. Lillian Jarvis (me) with arms round my wee sister Irene, Alistair Haynes, Jack Taylor, Neil Mathieson, John Gregg, Alfie Moffatt, Angus Hutchison.
Next row from the left Margaret Hutchison, Helen Lockie, Moira Watson,Viola (my other sister),
Norma Taylor, Raymond Corner and Ian Hutchison.
not all from this back court but the majority are.

This photograph was taken before I was born the wee lad on the right nearly in the back row is my brother Kenneth Jarvis, the girl in the back row 2nd right is Betty Patterson.

]]>Photos Of Peoplehttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+Of+Peoplebmac26http://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+Of+PeopleMcDonalds 1st Colour photo, early 60,sThu, 03 Jul 2008 07:56:20 CDT

This was a backstage Halloween party in The Princes Pictures.Does anyone recognise themselves? I am the wee one in the front row. I won a cake!!Doesn't the manager look swish? Posted by JMLYNCH1.

A great pic and thanks for giving us a tantalising glimpse into the old long lost cinema. Steve

Irenexw8 and wee sister Alison

Bmac26 and Mum 1958/59

Coronation Party 1953- Lenzie Street

Alison (caravan ali) and mum watching the buses comping up Hawthorn Street 1968

Willdee at 6 months old with his Auntie Joyce

Outside Hillkirk Church,Hillkirk Street c1946/47
Celia Colquhoun, Irene McDonald, Eleanor Ingram and ?

Nan Keeling's Dance School

bmac26, Billy, (he's in the pram) , his Granny Mailley and 3 sisters c1960

bmac26's dad

Two of bmac26's sisters playing in the fountain in Balgray swingpark

Gardengate aged 5

Kids of Wellfield Street

Margaret dingwall aged 8 and James Dingwall aged 3
taken at 103 Wellfield Street

Margaret Dingwall aged 14 on a trip to Girvan

FionaM & sister

Billy Davidson and his 2 cousins,Sheena and Isabel Stewart who stayed in no 22 Hillkirk St. c1947

Steve (site creator) 1967.

Outside my Gran's house at the start of Burnbrae Street.

The Morven is behind my head.

The Following series featuring myself my brother and sister (stillgame)

all show in the background the old railway workshops which spread

right across to Possil. They were taken round the back of 182 Gourlay Street

(there is a picture of the block in 'Photos of Modern Springburn' taken by Mr Strang

before they were demolished in August 2006.) The entire surrounding landscape in all

of these photographs has been obiterated. These rare pictures date from around 1964.

Dad was in the HLI and saved the life of a Dutch family during WW2 this photo was found in his 'shoebox' Dad is in the middle at the back, so who are the other 2 soldiers? Photo from Lewcott

"The Scotsmen" San Francisco,late 60s,

Wellfield & Tennscot,are the ones pointing.

Scotsman Columnist Beryl Beattie at 18 years old

Wellfields mum and dad in Bishopbriggs

Some Tuck's. This is for Wellfield and Tennscott. You only have to name 6.

Caley Coach Builders 1907 far right is my Great Grand Father Robert Kelly
Original photo belonging to NelHal

Hillkirk Street boys

'I can name some in the picture. My big brother Alex Davidson (back row 2nd left)
A guy called Bunker Morrison, Duncan Abernethy, Raymond Carroll, Hughie Bell, Hughie Ullan,
Robert Provan, Robert Brown. Me Billy Davidson front row 3rd right.
I cannot name any more but if you want to know more I can ask my brother'

Billy Davidson supported by his 'tearaway' brother Alex

The Harry King Family 1957

Henry King outside the Ardlui Hotel 1956

Palermo Street In 1930

Boys Brigade c1946

c1953
Bunty and big sister Joyce at our auntie Jessie's wedding...

Check the 'tong' curls and the skirt hems for growth.

c1951/52
Bunty and big sister Joyce in our 'knitted'swimsuits

Thanks to Dougal..only just spotted this classic shot..sorry it took so long to post.
Steve

Volunteer Firemen N.B.R. Cowlairs May 1905

Tattie Hawkers (Perthshire)

sid johnstone (sidrj) & wee sis Cathi (catjacks)
in the back of 58 Galloway st-1954

The Strang Family who lived at 25 Gourlay Street about 1907.

From the left :- My Granma, Marion Strang (nee Fyfe),

Elizabeth Strang, Archie Strang ( my father), Granpa Hugh Strang
Front ;- Marion Strang, Andrew Strang, Hugh Strang

Above : Archie Hughie and Andrew Strang early 1920's
This was my Dad, Archie Strang, and his younger brothers Hugh and
Andrew in the early 20's.
They lived in Gourlay Street above Hoey's.

Above : Mary, Marion, Archie Strang &cousins Jean and Hugh around 1944
This was me (Archie) aged about six and my big sister Marion (the Brownie) aged
10, my bigger sister Mary (the Girl Guide) aged 14,and we all lived at
182 Gourlay Street.
My Cousins Hugh and Jean Strang lived at that time in John Carrick
Street and were aged about 11 and 8.

Picture Above is of The Glasgow Cleansing Department cleaning your area, J.R

Photo Above is of a Springburn Ice Cream man in the 1940's anyone recognize the street?

It is the corner of Gourlay Street and Carlisle Street taken from Cowlairs Park.

This block of tenements are the only surviving part of the original Gourlay Street. What a great pic.

Below: The same location today.

Hoey's female staff at Kay Street Baths around 1920

Jeannie Thomas 1920's

Crichton Street 1944/1945? Left to right

Viloa Jarvis,Jean Milne, Norma Taylor, Nancy Davidson ,not sure of the other

girls names, anyone recognise them

Left to right:-Helen Reid,Sylvia White,Margaret Haviland,Isabel Mc Naughten and

Margaret Mc Farlane enjoying a night out in Aberfoyle.All ex Albert schoolfriends.

Above: Workers from the paint shop in the Caley Works on the
retirement of S. Sargen or Sargent August 1951

My Dad Robert (Bob) Caird is in the front left. Moiramary

My Dad Archie Strang is in the middle row 2nd from left. Archie'nRettie

Springburn Co-op 1917
Jean's ( duettist's) mother Margaret Kyle 2nd from the right was the cashier

Photo below taken at 259 High Springburn Road. Mr Jarvie on the right lived in the top flat. The other men were unemployed who helped gather the produce and sell for their sustenance in times of trouble. (Info supplied by Daniel Fernie)

A boveQueenshill Street Coronation party 1953

ABOVE: This Is the Chums from Wellfield St #103 and the next two closes back, 1938 A.D.

Bottom Row Lft., to Rt., Sonny Thomson,George Tuck, Jim Ellis Jim Taggart,Richard Hawthorn, Jim Bryceland . Second Row Left to Rt., Betty Malloy,Holding wee sis.,Mary, Mary.Calton, ? ?,

James Tuck, Alex Hawthorn holding Bro., Robert.

Back Row Nancy Thomson ? ? .Nan Collins Micheal Finnegan,Wullie Cowan,

John Yule Magt., Yule Cathie Brackenbridge.

Maybe somebody knows the rest.

Awrabest Tennscot (James Tuck)

My Aunt Agnes McNally King is in this 1936 photo of wains gathered in the
backcourts of 42 Cowlairs Rd. She's the 2nd wee lassie below the 'C' my aunt Betty is on her left
I was born in a wee single-end up that close in 1941.
Also in the photo is Peter Lannigan and Lottie Horne and who...........Jimmuck

(Above) Adamswell Street 'Round the back' 1955-6

(Above) The Ladies of Adamswell Street 1955-6

(thanks to Carole for these)

For gretanow....another view of that hole....note the joker with an orange
cone on his head..another source has confirmed that this band was from the Orange hall
which is still standing where the old Millerbank Street once was.

Orange walk circa 1976. Apologies for any offence these pics may cause,
but what is of vital interest is the background shops.
You can already see the beginning of the end of Springburn Road as we knew it.

Note the begining of the destruction of shops with Curley's just half in view.

Eddie with mates outside the Blocks Early 1960s

Below Steve (far right) outside 182 Gourlay Street. Still there until recently.

Thank you Dorothy for these.

Outside our window at 735 Hawthorn street next to the new police station.
My Mum two sisters me and my neice

Outside the clinic in Fernbank street My sister me and Nephew and two neices

ewcott

]]>Albert Secondaryhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Albert+SecondaryHarrymchttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Albert+SecondaryThu, 03 Jul 2008 03:20:53 CDT

Class 1G(1) ? c1952/53

Above Photo provided by Ann Merrilees.

Row No. 1- (front) Far right Margaret Guthrie.

Row No. 2 - Third from the left is Moira Craig, Moira live at 27 Hillhouse Street.

Row No. 2 - Fourth from the left is Elspeth Bradley.

Row No. 2 - Sixth from the left is Florence Henderson.

Row No. 2 - Seventh from the left is Moira McCann.

Row No. 2 - Ninth from the left (last girl in this row) is Sheila Fergus - now in Canada.

Row No. 3 - Second in M. Wilson, Fifth from the left is Sheila Thain,. She lived at 2 Young Terrace - now in Canada.

Row No. 4 - First girl in the row - from the left - is Joyce McNeilly - now in Canada.

Row No. 4 - Second from the left is Isobel Pierce - now in Australia.

Row No. 4 - Sixth from the left is Margaret McFarlane.

Row No. 4 - Seventh from the left is Ann Merrilees.

2GF 1953

2BF 1954

c1955

Teacher is Mr Wallace.
Back Row : - John Kennedy, Thomas Duthie, Robert Kennedy, Gordon Lickresh,
Norrie Sutherland, Robertson Elder, ?
2nd Back Row :- Archie Shaw,?, Jim Finlay, Eric Greenwood, Sandy Forsyth,? Thomson, Clive Hogan,Alec Falconer,Kenny Fairgreive.
2nd Front row :- Robert Wearing, Robert Burnside, Irvine Macfarlane, Iain Beaton, Chick Dalrymple,
Cambell Christie, Bobby Corner,?,Edwin Hoey
Front :- Charlie Gilles, Alec Beveridge, Archie Strang (me)

Albert Senior Sec. C1956 Another bunch of repbrobates including my wee bro'
second front row second in from the right

c1956 2GC?

Photo courtesy of Barbara Dick
Teacher : Miss Smith
Back row: Betty Thompson, Sandra ?,Margaret McColl,Margaret Wilson,Mae Blair,Doris Coulter, ?, May Wright
3rd Row: Janet Johnson,Margaret Gerrard, Diane ?,Irene Lawson,Agnes Kane,Yvonne Metcalfe,Sheena McCourt,?, ?
2nd row: Isobel Hayhoe,Sheena Watt,Barbara Dick,Catherine ?,Janet Brown, ? ,Jean McAffer,Elizabeth Kellock
Front row:Sandra ?,Jan Stewart, Irene Patterson, Lottie Cairney, Gillian McPherson,Anna Watson, ? , ?, ?.

c1956 My late brother Robert's class - he is on the extreme left of the second back row.

Alan Ross from Lenzie Street is here - second back row 3rd from left.
He became a professional footballer in goal for Luton Town and Carlisle Utd
also got on the fringes of the Scotland team.

Class 1GA c1956/57

Teacher Miss McEwan

Back row: Jean McCulloch,Georgins Stein,Margaret McLean,Lilian Mann,Maureen Alexander,Phyllis Wheatley,

Sandra Woodrow,Janet White

3rd row:Kathleen Warnock, Doreen Paul,June Alexander,Doreen Ventors,Janette Cuthbertson,Elizabeth Wood,

Dolina Beaton, Betty Rooney.

2nd row: Isobel Hosey,Lorna Murray,Mary Burgess,Betty Donaldson, Rita McKim,Helen Taylor,Betty Softly

1st row:Joyce Graham,Carole Garvie,Marjorie Black,Jean Connor,Anna Boyd, Hilda Griffin,Helen Templeton,

Mary McKenzie, Bunty Culbard

Front row: Rena McPhail, Brenda Harris

Back row from left ;-Peter Gray ? ,Harry Mc Cormack,John Phillips,Duncan Mc Condochie,Sam Mc Michael,

?,Alan Loughlin,

2nd Back row:-?,Christine Lang,Margaret Haviland, ?, Isobel Mc Naughton, ?, Alex Smith

2nd Front row:- Cathy Kiloh, Ally Robertson? , Robert Mc Cord, ?, Billy Mc Innes, Charlie Scott?, William Sutherland,Cecilia Colquhoun,Miss Mc Lean (English &History)

Front row:-Fay Stewart?, Lillian Moodie,Helen Reid,Myrna Trotter, ? ,Sylvia Whyte,Sandra Mc Intosh,

Lillian Baird?, Margaret Glass, ?.

1958

Back row from left:- Bill Barclay ,Sam Mc Michael,Ron Garrick,Harry Mc Cormack,William Jolley,??,Billy Mc Innes Jim Russell

2nd row: Maurice Caplan,John Phillips,Ken Power,Duncan Mc Condochie,John Stewart,Eddie Kelly,??,Tom Reid;??

3rd row;-Mr Neilston,Seth Sykes,Hamilton Smillie,John Chalmers,George Whitehall,
David Sanderson,
Lex Gaston,Gus Maclean,Joe Mc Farlane

4th row;- Rena Mc Intyre,??,Helen Reid,Christine Lang,??,??,Millicent Loughlin,Margaret Haviland,?? (Names not matched to people are ;Margaret Wallace and Dorothy Lamont)

Front:-Cecilia Colquhoun and Margaret Mc Farlane

1963

Back Row L-R Irene Davidson, Janet ?, Sadie MacKay, Carol Stewart, Mary Maceira, Marion Clarke, Lexi Colqhoun, Avril Lochhead
Middle Row L-R Margaret Nelson, Elizabeth ?,?, Sandra Johnstone, Irene Buist, ?, ?, ?
Front Row L-R Elizabeth ?, ?, Katherine Longridge, Marilyn Stronach, Mrs MacLeod,?,Olive Blair, Carol Torrance, Margaret Hay

Prefect Photos

1952

1953

c1960/61

Back row: William Low, James Reid, James Adens, Alex Kirkwood, Ewan McMaster, Duncan Fortune, Alex Thom, Harry Jamieson,

Middle row:Avril Clarke, Joyce Robertson, Doreen Otley,Joan Gay,Nan Hutchison, Doris Inglis, Mairie MacKinnon,

Front row:Gladys Kilpatrick, John McWhirter, Margaret Martin, John Newman, Helen Walker

From 1952 School Magazine

Mr. Bell left Albert in 1952 to become a Headmaster

Sports and other achievements

The photo below records what I believe to be a pretty unusual event in that the two girls Cecilia Colquhoun and Margaret Haviland Shared the DUX prize.

The male winner was my good friend Thomas Reid

1958

From 1952 School Magazine

From 1953 School Magazine

Football Team 1952

picture taken from the Albert Sec. School Magazine Coronation Number
year 1953

Football Team 1955

Teacher Mr Jamieson,
Back Row from left :- Norrie Sutherland, Chick Dalrymple

Middle Row :- Robertson Elder, Robert Wearing, Cambell Christie, Georg Tosh, ? Kennedy
Front Row ;- Archie Strang, Charles Gilles, Robert Kennedy, Clive Hogan , Gordon Lickresh.

Albert Football Team c 1957

Capt Ron Garrick with the ball
Teachers "Dan" Mc Millan on the right can't remember the other one .

c 1958

One year on and a few team changes but "Dan"is still there.

]]>Balornock Primaryhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Balornock+PrimaryHarrymchttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Balornock+PrimaryThu, 03 Jul 2008 02:55:12 CDT

1945/46

Archiedal Back row 2nd from the right

BACK ROW. ?, D. Ferguson, R. Wilson, ?,?, G. Doull, ?,?,?, J.Hind, K. Powell, A. Dalrymple, M. Wylie
MIDDLE ROW. ?,?,?,?,?,?,?, M. Sinclair, ?,?,?,
FRONT ROW. ?,?,?, J. Allen, ?, J. Mitchell, N. MacDonald(?), ?,?,?.

1946 Primary 1 Miss Patterson's class

Photo kindly provided by "Ann Merrilees" 1st row sitting, 5th from left.

Some of these photos were provided by "Ann Merrilees" 2nd row sitting, third from the left.

Also: " Isobell Pierce" 1st row standing, 5th from left.

Below: Balornock P7 1952-53? Qualifying Class(?)

Balornock Primary 1955 posted by Harrymc
Elizabeth Edgar second back row 3rd from left supplied this picture.

19??

I believe that Elizabeth (Elspeth?) Bradley is in here

]]>Short Storieshttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Short+StoriesTheBigYinhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Short+StoriesWed, 02 Jul 2008 12:22:18 CDT TRIO - by James McGowan
From a poem by Edwin Morgan

"You canny bring that dog in here, Moira."

Neilly had never been best friends with
the little Chihuahua she had the cheek to
call Fluffy. They had joked that there
wasn’t a fluff on its entire body; Neilly
had joked that it looked like a cat after
a fight with a pair of sheep shears. But
Moira knew he liked Fluffy well enough,
despite his huffing and puffing, and the
little dog looked quite festive, in its
little Royal Stewart tartan coat. But
Moira knew that hospitals were not really
the place for animals, even though Tommy
missed it, and liked seeing it.

She offered him the dog on clasped
hands. "Just for a wee minute, come on
Neilly." She always knew just the right
tone of voice and supine pose to get
around her big brother. Neilly took the
dog and stuffed it mercilessly down the
front of his jacket. Moira smiled the
smile she wore when things went the right
way: her way. She patted the little
dog’s outline through his jacket. "Be
good for your uncle Neilly, son. No
pissing in there."

The two of them walked casually into
the impressive foyer of the Sick
Children’s Hospital. For such a
depressing place, the foyer was light,
clean, and friendly. Visitors were
buying presents from the wee shop decked
with winter flowers. The seats, which
lined both sides of the large
entranceway, were packed with kids in
pyjamas and their relatives, some of them
dragging infusers behind them like thin
shy friends. Despite obvious illness,
most of them were smiling and laughing
with relations. Moira wondered if it was
just adults who moped and grumbled and
felt so sorry for themselves. But she
soon shook the image off: these kids were
the ones on the mend, about to go home in
the next few days. For every cherub here
there were a dozen in the beds and
intensive care units upstairs in a much
worse state.

Moira and Neilly, twenty-six and
twenty-eight, felt much older as they
slipped through the foyer and into the
lift. The lift went up – to the cancer
ward, and to Tommy. Moira felt her face
drop as the lift doors opened. The
bright, colourful décor and the smiling
Disney characters did more to depress her
than anything else. The cancer ward.

Tommy had been here for four months
already, and during that time, Moira had
watched her little brother lose his hair
and grow pale as the doctor’s battled
against the leukaemia which took him a
step further away from them every day.

She glanced into the rooms as they
walked down the passage. So many kids
facing death, some of them only toddlers
who caught your eye as you passed with
eyes as old as time. Old, old eyes.
Eyes tired from staring out the Reaper
every day of their young lives. Tommy
was twelve, and he needed a bone marrow
transplant, and he deserved one. But
there was a problem.

If anyone deserved to be spared this
fate, then Tommy did, since Tommy did not
have any relatives to donate the precious
matched bone marrow material which could
turn his illness around. Tommy was not
their real brother, he didn’t have any
living relatives that anyone could
contact. He had been the child of the
young couple down the stairs when they
had lived in Atlas Street. The mother
had been knocked down by a bus, and the
father had taken to drink, and nothing
more had to be said. The times being
what they were, they had taken the baby
in. Nothing had been signed or agreed
with the authorities, Tommy had just
become Neilly and Moira’s little brother.
And then ten years later, the leukaemia.
It wasn’t fair.

Neilly glanced at her pensive face as
they got to Tommy’s door. "Cheer up your
face, Moira he’s only a kid." She
clutched his elbow with both hands, and
pasted a ridiculous smile on her face.
They went in.

Tommy sat cross-legged on the bed with
his Bay City Rollers LPs scattered in
front of him. The wall behind was
covered in posters proclaiming the
Summerlove Sensation in garish colours.
Others chanted the manta of Shang-a-Lang.
Signed photos of Les McKeown and Eric
Faulkner made up the central altar on a
shrine to the tartan troupe.

"Still listening to the Way Shitty
Rollers, wee man?" Neilly was pulling a
couple of chairs out for himself and her.

"No kidding, bro. They’re pure
cracking, and I know you sing Bye Bye
Baby while you’re in the bath."

"No chance", he said as they sat down.
A scrabbling inside Neilly’s jacket
reminded them about the stowaway. Neilly
grinned. "We brought a wee pal to see
you." He unzipped his jerkin and Fluffy
jumped out onto the bed.

Tommy was ecstatic. "Hey Fluffy boy,
you’re wearing Rollers tartan as
well...ah Moira, you should have called
him Woody like I wanted."

Moira shook her head, laughing.
"That’s no name for a dog. Here, you
better watch the nurse doesn’t see him,
or we’ll be out on our ears." Tommy
played with the little Chihuahua.

"I wanted to speak to you both, anyway,
but mostly Neilly."

Neilly looked concerned. "What have
those doctors been telling you?" Tommy
looked at him sharply. Moira felt
chilled by the look.

"We all know what’s going to happen."
Tommy glanced at them both, but Neilly
looked away. "Anyway, it’s about the
leukaemia. And about my Christmas
present. And about a dream I had last
night..."

Moira nodded sympathetically. "Were
you dreaming about your mother again?"

Tommy nodded. "I know I hardly knew
her, and Maw’s been all the mother I
could have wanted." He clutched at his
bedclothes. "It’s hard not to feel as
if... I’m betraying her or something.
But the dreams are real."

Neilly patted his legs. "You’ve got an
old man’s head on there, wee man. Kids
your age shouldn’t know about betrayal."
But you could see that Neilly didn’t feel
old. At that moment it felt like Tommy
was the oldest in the room.

"She spoke to me in the dream. She
told me she would be seeing me soon. I’m
going to die Neilly, but I’m not scared."

"Don’t be stupid, Tommy." Neilly
couldn’t handle that sort of talk, the
resigned and accepting way that Tommy
did.

Moira tried to lighten things.
"There’s every chance..."

"I know, I know... I might get better.
She said that too."

Neilly threw his hands up. "Well,
there you go then, so let’s have no more
talk..."

"She said I would be coming to her
unless you fulfilled a... sort of
promise. She told me that there is a
present you have to get me for Christmas,
a special present. If you get me the
present then I will be allowed to stay
here with you. If you can’t find it,
then I am to go on with my mother. I
think that means I will die."

"What are you talking about?" Neilly
had recovered slightly.

Moira had been in shock, but had
recovered a bit. Tommy had been fooling
them. He looked old and wise sometimes,
and it was difficult to take what he said
as the words of a child. But this silly
outrage was nothing more than the trick
of a childish mind, just a ruse to get a
special gift for Christmas.

"No more talk of dying. What’s this
thing you want me to get you? Just name
it, kid. No need to play on your
illness."

Tommy shook his head, and drew a couple
of ragged breaths. He lay back on the
bed. "I can’t tell you Neilly." He
flailed briefly at the plastic cord,
which held the alarm button, caught it
and pressed it. "My mother told me I
couldn’t tell you. That’s not part of
it. You have to find it yourself.
You’ll know it when you see it. Then I
can stay with you and Moira..." He
coughed weakly, tears streaming from his
eyes.

Neilly stood up and called through the
door for the nurse to hurry up. She was
already almost at the door, and herded
Moira and Neilly away from the bed. She
placed an atomiser mask on Tommy, and he
dropped off into a fitful sleep. She
cleared the bed, and placed the pile of
albums on the bedside table.
Moira huddled the little dog out of
view. "What’s up with him, nurse?"

The nurse ushered them out, and
switched off the light. "I would have
thought that was obvious. He’s a very
sick boy, just remember he tires easily."
Neilly nodded and it seemed to Moira that
he was tired, as he wiped his face with
his hands. "The doctor would like to see
you before you go." Tommy was sleeping
more soundly, so they began walking down
the corridor.

The doctor’s room was messy, boxes of
hypodermics and dressings and various
mysterious tubes and sealed paper packets
lay on every available surface. The
plate on the door read Dr. Sam Johnson,
by Moira knew that the Sam was Samantha,
and the painfully young blonde consultant
was engrossed in paperwork. Moira
chapped the door apologetically. "You
wanted to see us before we left?"

"Ah yes, about young Tommy." She
closed her ledger, and then paused, as if
composing what to say. "I don’t want to
alarm you. Please sit down, if you can
find any seats."

"We’ll stand. You’re alarming us
already. What is it?" Neilly was on the
defensive, his nerves already shot by
what Tommy had said to him.

She put on a pair of little round
spectacles and opened Tommy’s file, which
she must have been reading recently.
"Let me put it this way. Tommy hasn’t
been responding to the chemo as we would
have hoped. He hasn’t got any worse, but
we are not making as much progress as we
had hoped."

Neilly fiddled, looking for the pocket
of his jeans and missing it nervously.
"So what are you saying?"

"You must appreciate that having a
serious illness drains the body’s ability
to sustain itself against the everyday
rigours of life. For any other kid we
would recommend a bone marrow transplant,
but you said before that he has no blood
relatives, is that right?"

Moira answered. "That’s right, he’s
adopted." She looked nervously at
Neilly. "He had a father, but we have no
idea what ever happened to him. His
mother died. We don’t know anything else
about any other family. I’m sorry."

Dr. Johnson made a small exasperated
expression with her hands. "We can fight
the cancer, I’m sure of that. But there
comes a time in the therapy where it can
go either way quite rapidly, despite our
best efforts. A lot of it has to do with
the psychological state of the patient as
much as any physical pathology."

Neilly hammered his hip with his fist.
"Are you saying that things could get
worse again?"

"It’s possible." She saw the looks on
their faces. "Look, he is exhibiting some
signs of depression at the moment,
asthmatic bouts and fatigue. These
symptoms are not uncommon in cancer
patients, but in my opinion they should
be abating at this stage in the
treatment."

Moira held Neilly’s hand tightly. "So
what can we do, doctor?"

Dr. Johnson looked uncomfortable. "He
told me about this dream of his."

Neilly shook his head. "Oh that silly
thing, I wouldn’t take any notice of
that..."

"On the contrary. If Tommy believes
it, then it can have serious implications
on his state of mind, and ultimately his
overall health."

Neilly was close to anger, and Moira
clutched his hand tightly. At last he
said "You mean that if I can’t get his
this mystery present, then he could get
worse... even..."

"Die?" The doctor smoothed down her
hair nervously. "It’s far too difficult
to say, and I wouldn’t want to put you
under such pressure. All I can say is
keeping Tommy happy has to be our number
one concern at the moment. If he’s happy
then our treatment has every chance of
succeeding. If that means going along
with this fantasy, then I would ask you
to do so."

"But I don’t know what it is I’m
supposed to get for him!"

"I do sympathise. I really do, all I
can ask is that you try your best." She
looked at her watch. "I really must get
on, and I think you should too, there’s
only a couple of hours until the shops
close."

Moira and Neilly nodded, and looked at
each other. Dr Johnson guided them out
of the room. "I’m sure you’ll find
something."

The bus from Yorkhill into the town was
empty, considering it was so close to the
time on Christmas Eve when the shops
would close their shutters and begin
putting up their January Sales posters.
Another bus took them from High Street to
home. There was not a sign of snow,
though their breaths rasped the air as
they hopped off the bus in Springburn
Road.

Moira had been quiet on the bus, but
she felt some of the frustration and
helplessness she imagined Neilly must be
experiencing. Neilly had always tried to
be the world’s best big brother, and she
could barely imagine the mixed feelings
of confusion and desperation, and even
anger that he was feeling. Moira shared
some of his anger. Anger that the little
brother who he loved could put such a
burden on his shoulders. It felt like
ingratitude, and then when she remembered
Tommy’s predicament, she hated herself
more, and the guilt mixed with
frustration didn’t make for a good
Christmas shopping mood.

As they buttoned themselves up at the
bus stop at the Co-op, Moira broke the
silence. "Have you no idea what he would
like?"

"Not a clue, doll." He blew into his
hands. "Something to do with the Rollers
maybe? Or something for when he gets
out? Maybe one of those new skateboard
things, or a Chopper. You know how he
always wanted a bike."

"Can we afford a bike?"

"If that’s what he wants then he can
have it, no matter what it takes. I got
a bung off Big McLatchie."

"Aw Neilly, you didn’t borrow money
from that big thug?"

"McLatchie’s alright. When he heard it
was for Tommy’s Christmas present, he
gave me it no bother, no interest either.
Tommy went to school with his wee brother
before he got no well. He’s alright."

Moira was not satisfied, and didn’t
trust McLatchie. But they had bigger
fish to fry. "So do you think it’s a
bike?"

"He said I’d know it when I saw it, and
a bike doesn’t ring any bells."

They began in the Co-op, then went
methodically into every shop on
Springburn Road that might sell anything
that could be a present. The High Walk
shoe shop lived up to its name, there
were a load of platform boots in the
window. Moira thought it would take a
real hard man to wear them up this part
of town. Sellyns had some cracking
clothes that Tommy would love, including
a white Rollers suit with tartan insets
and piping. Woolies had toys and games,
and even a few bikes, but nothing special
jumped out at them.

Neilly was getting agitated. "Maybe we
should try Hoey’s."

"That shut down years ago, Neilly.
Come to grips. I don’t think we’re going
to get anything here. We’ve been up the
length of Springburn Road." She glanced
at the clock on the Quin’s building. It
was wrong, as always. "It must be nearly
six, the shops are shutting."

Neilly was overwrought. "It’s going to
be my fault, I can’t find it."

Moira was tired, and she let Fluffy
down for a sniff in the gutter. The last
of the shoppers were making their way up
the Balgray hill, and all the buses were
full on the way out of town. The wind
had begun to blow the trees across the
road at the swings, and it seemed that
the whole place was battening down the
hatches for a stormy Christmas.

Moira glanced back up Springburn Road
again at the too few lighted shops.
"Look, maybe he’ll have forgotten all
about it by tomorrow..."

And then Neilly was gone. Up and away
and under the wheels of a bus. It was
still moving when Moira screamed.

And later, after a flicker of days,
Moira began to understand. Grief for
Neilly was tempered with a fiery pride at
what he had done. The papers had been at
his funeral in Sighthill cemetery, and
there were too many willing hands to
lower him into the earth. McLatchie was
there, and Moira had wept into his arms.
A child’s life had been saved in a
stupid, needless accident. A moment’s
lapse of attention and a bus going at
country speed while still in the town.
And Neilly, just him.

Moira hadn’t even seen the young boy,
but Neilly had. And in throwing him safe
to the far kerb, he had been caught under
the wheels himself. Only Neilly, stupid
brave Neilly would have done that, but he
had saved Tommy too.

Moira had never believed anything. But
Neilly had leapt across that wide
junction at Quin’s from a sense of
something, some inborn goodness he hadn’t
needed to think or preach about. That
was worth believing in; if it meant so
much to Neilly then it was something
worth holding on to. Maybe it was that
same fate or destiny that brought the
tear-stained father of the kid to the
hospital to offer anything he could.

It could only have happened in a
Hollywood story. Who could have imagined
that the man would turn out to be Tommy’s
uncle – his real uncle, the brother of
his dead mother. And a positive bone
marrow match.

March was blowing the remnants of
winter from the cold foyer of the Sick
Children’s Hospital as Moira and Tommy’s
Uncle Jim went up to collect Tommy from
the hospital. The taxi was waiting for
them, and as they passed under the wide
canopy, Moira thought of the times Neilly
had accompanied her through here. The
lift and cancer ward held no fears for
her now. Uncle Jim had a present for
Tommy, but he sneaked it into the room.

Tommy’s hair was growing back in
patches. "Moira... and Uncle Jim!" He
hugged them both in a way uncommon in
boys of his age, then grew serious. "I
dreamed about Neilly last night." A tear
was hanging on his cheek, and Moira
smiled, her own eyes misting up.

Uncle Jim sat on the bed. "He loved
you very much, Tom. I owe him so much."

"It’s OK", Tommy said. "I’m not sad.
At least... not like before. I dreamed
that Neilly was happy. You were in it
Moira, and Fluffy. But my mother was in
it, your sister, Uncle Jim."

Jim nodded, smiling encouragingly. "I
loved her, too."

"And I think I was in it too, but I was
just a baby. It was all mixed up in
time, you know the way dreams are." They
both nodded.

"We were all walking in the town.
Moira and Fluffy, my mother and me as a
baby. And Neilly was in the middle. It
was Buchanan Street, and it was
Christmas, and the lights were.. lovely.
I’ve never seen them so lovely."

"And Fluffy had his wee tartan coat on,
and you were all laughing. And Neilly
had a present for me. He had a guitar
for me."

Moira covered her mouth with her hand,
and choked back a sob. "Oh no, Tommy,
please." She picked up the brown paper
bundle which Jim had sneaked into the
room, and broke the paper. Inside, a
milky white plastic cover swelled out
containing a brand new acoustic guitar, a
sprig of mistletoe tied to the neck.

Tommy embraced it, tears spilling onto
the torn brown paper. "Oh Neilly, I knew
you would find the right present. I knew
you would."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COWBOY SIN - By James McGowan

"My advice to you, son, is to take that nicotine patch off, fill it with tobacco, and smoke it."

He looked at me for a moment, checking my haggard features for a sign of mirth, and finding none, smiled and shrugged. "Easy for you to say, old timer. You're already old. I might never get there if I can't kick this." He brought his fingers up to his mouth and sucked on an imaginary cigarette. "You don't smoke."

I hitched the front of my Stetson with a bent knuckle. "I used to." And left it at that while we surveyed the street. The main shopping drag was quiet, it being Sunday, the only sound a far off church bell ringing in the St. Aloysius mid-day mass. Pubs would open soon. "I used to do a lot of things."

He was nothing but a boy to me. Jobless, shiftless, hair a bit too long for a working man. But not a bad lad, not like some of them. And he didn't seem to care that I wore a hat and boots and looked as if I had just walked off a Robert Michum cowboy movie. That meant a lot to me : most people his age were intolerant of it, called me Tex and Pardner in the street. Maybe he was the son that Sherry and I never had.

"Why do you want to quit, son?"

He shrugged. "Because it costs too much, I suppose. And Jessie wants me to."

I nodded. "Now we get to it. Jessie wants you to. And you'll do it because you love her."

He frowned. "You talk funny for a guy. People from here don't love each other. We tolerate each other because that's the way it's always been. And nobody admits anything different. I'll give up the smokes because she'll stop nipping my head about it."

I laughed. Another street philosopher, a miniature version of myself in my younger day. There was one on every park bench and street corner in this city. But some things took age to know. I pulled myself up straight, and tucked my shirt in under my snakeskin belt.

"How heavy do you think I am?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Eh? What are you on about now?"

"How heavy would you say I was, looking at me?"

He stood back and examined me critically, weighing up the lean torso in the loose silk shirt, the chicken arms, and the lanky legs thankfully hidden from view behind imported Wrangler jeans from Wyoming. He took far too long about it, in fact, and I suppose that was my punishment for asking such a seemingly stupid question, so I stood it out, saying nothing.

"I'd say about eleven stone. "

"And you'd be nearly right. I've been 150 pounds since I was 28 years of age, not an ounce either side of it."

"Impressive. Too skinny for somebody your height though."

I nodded. "Would you believe I was once twenty five stones, and had a gut and arse on me like a beached whale?"

"Really? That's amazing." I saw him unconsciously appraise his own growing beer belly. "Did you go on a diet, then?"

I laughed again. "You could say that. It was the queerest thing I ever saw. But there's a lesson in it I never forgot, and I think you should hear it too, before you go too far with these patches and chewing gum."

"Well, old man, I've got nothing else on until Shevlanes opens its doors to the world, and we all go in for a drop of the electric soup. So tell me a story."

I smiled. I hadn't told this story to more than a dozen people over the years, people I trusted. The street was empty, nobody would stop to talk to me, the lonesome cowboy. It wouldn't take long, and he might get something out of it.

"You know my wife Sherry? You know what size of woman she is?"

He grinned. "You called her voluptuous one night when you were pissed. You also said that was another word for fat, and I was too far gone myself at the time to argue."

"Aye, she's fat. A big fat Glasgow woman, like you see in etchings and prints in trendy Glasgow shops. A big washer woman, a wifie. This place is full of them, every one of them complaining about their feet and their backs. She's a big fat woman."

I saw on his face that he was unsure how to respond, so I forged on. "When I met her, she was a size six in a dress, just a slip of a girl. I fancied her with a passion. But I was a fat bastard, and she wouldn't even give me the time of day."

I remembered how she looked that day on the Balgrayhill, floral dress wrapped into her impossibly thin waist with a white leather belt. He ankles were like china, I could have circled them with my thumb and finger. I had to have her. I knew what I looked like, but I had to try.

"I asked her to come for a walk in the park with me. You understand, she was in with the crowd, you know. She was liked by everybody, all the guys in the district were after her. But she knew it, as well. You know? We were little more than children ourselves, and with it she still had that childlike cruelty that could turn a man's heart to stone."

"She knocked you back?"

"Oh aye, son. She knocked me back. She gathered her friends around her like a big pair of dragon wings and let me have it for all she was worth. It was humiliating. I can still remember every word she said to me. I ran halfway up Springburn Road with the tears streaming down my face, gasping and choking in a close until I was nearly sick with it."

"So you decided to go on a diet."

"Not right away. First I had to have a blowout, cheer me up. I went up to my mother's house and took all the week's sausages and bacon, and they were rationed in those days son. If you ate them, that was it for the week. A big dod of lard in the frying pan, and I ate the lot. I drowned myself in the grease and the comfort of food. And after that I really was sick."

"Man, that was bad. She might have let you down easier."

"She wasn't capable of it, son. You see, it wasn't just me who had a few things to learn. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, imagined that maybe she had to do it to keep face in front of her pals. Maybe if I could get her alone, she would be sorry for it, and with no pals around, might be kinder to me. So I followed her."

"It wasn't hard. We lived in the same street, I just waited until I saw her going out to the shops with her wee net bag, and waited at her close for her returning. I had a newspaper, and tried to look as natural as I could. But inside my big fat frame, I was cowering like a leaf."

"Anyway, she comes back, and I make out as if I've just noticed her. 'Hello' I say to her as she passes me. 'Hello', she says back. No too bad, I think to myself. 'If you're standing there trying to impress me, then forget it. I don't go out with men with bigger hips than me, son' I was devastated, I just stood there gaping."

"But I was in love, I couldn't believe she could be so nasty, I didn't want to believe it. But if I'm honest with myself, I looked into those blue eyes of hers and saw not one bit of compassion. She really did despise me… then. I asked her if I managed to lose the fat, would she be interested. She just laughed and went on up the close."

"So I dieted. For three months solid I ate nothing but one meal of bread and potatoes a day. And I never lost a bean, son. Not an ounce. The doctor couldn't account for it. Told me to exercise."

"So I started walking. Just up and down the main road at first. Then when I got more confidence, I went up the Balgray and back down again. The girls in the shops along there used to wave at me as I went past like clockwork. But I wouldn't give it up. I was out there, rain or shine, son, pounding the streets, long before all these joggers and such became trendy."

"And it started to come off. One day outside the florists, ach it's a hardware store now son, at the lights, the wee lassie who works in there was cutting some stems and she slipped in the water on the pavement. As luck would have it, I was just passing, and I caught her just as she was about to go right over."

"Ah we had a good laugh about it, and she thanked me very nicely, and asked me what I was doing, she had seen me going up and down a lot. So I told her I was trying to lose weight, and she stood there and told me that I was looking a lot better already. She looked me up and down much the same way as you did a minute ago, son. And then she winked at me."

"Hah, that must have been a bit of a boost for your confidence?"

"Oh aye. And I always stopped to have a wee natter with her on the way past, and sometimes with the wee lassie that worked in the butchers next door. Some days I would have a bit of a crowd out there talking away with me. It got to be quite the thing to do. And all this time I had been losing weight, and was feeling no bad."

"This one time I was passing, and a this wee slip of a thing who worked part-time in the chemists stopped to talk to me. I hadn't really spoken to her alone before, but I'd seen her a few times standing when the other lassies came out to talk to me. Anyway, she said that she thought it was a terrible thing that Sherry had done to me that day on Balgrayhill, and she wishes she had said something to her at the time, but I knew how these things went, and everything."

"I just stood there agreeing with her for a bit until she said 'serves her right she's putting on the beef herself these days'"

"I didn't know what she meant. I hadn't even seen Sherry for weeks, I had wanted to surprise her one day with my new physique, so I had been avoiding her. The beef? What did she mean? Oh aye, it turns out that while I had been losing the pounds, she had been putting them on. Seems her mother had taken her down to the doctors to get her a pregnancy test they were all so worried."

"And was she?"

"Pregnant? No. I'm not sure what was happening, but sure enough, I catch her coming out the close the very next day, not quite so fine and mighty as she had been the time before. I saw her noticing my better shape, and then trying to dismiss me with that cruel frown of hers. But she knew that I could see it was true, she was putting it on around the waist, and no baggy coat was going to hide it."

"So what did you do?"

"I didn’t do anything. I just carried on walking up and down Springburn Road. I had got into a habit you see, and when I missed a day, folk came round to the house to see where I was. My mother was angry at first, but some of these lassies who came up to check on me were no half bad, you understand. I think even she began to see hat I might find myself a fine looking wife out of all this, so after a while she encouraged visitors in the parlour."

"It must have taken me six months solid walking to get to the weight I am now. But by that time I didn’t care about the weight any more, it had become less important to me. I enjoyed my trips round the shops, I was something of a local celebrity. For the first time people liked me, and I liked them."

"It was one day, getting into winter when the wind blows, and you can feel the chill in it, but it's just warning you about the cold that's coming later. Some of us had been up to the park, and were coming back down Balgrayhill Road, arms linked like the front of a knitting pattern. And who should come waddling up the hill, but Sherry. And I mean, she had laid it on by then. It must have been something genetic, but the first flush of rosy youth had certainly passed this doll. Her arse was the size of Pinkston power station, god help the lassie."

"Well I had all these friends around me, and she was by herself, a wee fat ball coming up the hill, and I thought back to myself six months before. Then it had been her all slim and popular, and me all fat and self-conscious coming up the hill, and her coming down it with all her friends."

"So did ye slag her? Rub her nose in it a bit?"

I shook my head. "No. No. I loved her still, you see. I waited until she was about to pass us and called to her to stop. Then, gathering everyone around, I took her hand and asked her if she would like a walk in the park. I winked at some of the girls as I said it, and they smiled back at me, encouraging me. Sherry was a bit bedraggled, but oh those eyes, son. They melt me to this day."

"Aw man, that's dead romantic. And she said yes?"

I smiled. "Did she hell. I've never heard such language this side of a shipyard gate. And it takes a lot to make me blush." I laughed out loud.

He looked confused. "But… " He started laughing. "You're married! She must have said yes?"

"Oh she did. But I didn't taste a whiff of that until nigh on a year later. I don't know if it was pride, or shame, or the last wee bits of her childish streak. But she told me to go to hell."

"Oh man, that's too funny. So how did you two ever get together?"

I stood back, waving a hand up and down my delicately pressed shirt. "Why do you think I wear this bloody stupid looking get-up? She loves cowboys. I had to get her some way. I was gutted. If I'd known that at the start, it would have saved me a lot of walking."

He laughed again. "I need a fag, pardner."

So we walked down the road, pausing at the paper shop while he bought twenty Woodbine. Some kids passed me as I waited for him, and they jeered and pointed at me, the old cowboy in Springburn Road. I knew they would learn. It didn't bother me.

]]>School Buildingshttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/School+Buildingssiccarhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/School+BuildingsTue, 01 Jul 2008 23:33:45 CDT

Mansfield Street Lock Ups and the "Big" Albert

Albert late 1960s

These five photos by Harry Mc Cormack were taken in September 2002
when the demolition of Albert school was in it's early stages

Springburn Academy ( Albert Senior Secondary)

Site where Albert once stood - Mansell Street on the right.

Main entrance to the new Albert Academy

Albert Academy - Dining and Social area.The wall of the balcony from which this photo was taken boasts one of the old DUX MEDALLISTS boards,featured below,which somone had the good sense to preserve.

Below 2 pictures of Wellfield School.
The first in 2002 and the second in Sept 2007

The wreckers have started work on Wellfield Primary

and Springburn loses yet another fine building.

Wellfield minus the roof.

Wellfield School as a shell during it's demolition

The site where Wellfield school used to be.
View from just above what was Croftbank Street. Morven pub and shops clearly visible

St Aloysius Primary Carlston Street
(May also have been St Kevins at an earlier or later date)

Albert Secondary Annexe Torrance Street 1860 - as shown on Virtual Mitchell site
Don't think this is correct - Anyone recognize the building?

Albert Primary before demolition

Early shot of Colston Secondary

Colston Interior

2 shots of Petershill Annexe of Albert Secondary 1971

Balornock Primary

Elmvale Primary

Elmvale School

Elmvale Interior

Wellfield Elementary School

Gourlay Street

Gourlay Street Primary

Above: very rare shot from the sheds at the 'wee side'

Hydepark Primary

Albert Primary

Colston Secondary

St Aloyisius Primary

Albert Secondary girls playground

Albert Secondary gym hall

Ariel view of Albert Secondary. Credited to C.Hawkeye

The Big Albert remains. Shot taken in 2002 by Bob Bruce

]]>Colston Secondaryhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Colston+SecondaryMoiramaryhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Colston+SecondaryTue, 01 Jul 2008 16:27:14 CDT

c1962/63

1964

Back row: left to right Elizabeth Hill, June Gowling, Ann Bryson, Margaret Whitelaw, Agnes Burniston, Barbara Campbell, June Bell, PhylisTurner, Margaret Russell.
Middle row :left to right Marlin Schoular, Edith Mcdonald, Violet Graham, Marie Mcdonald, Christine Woods, Desnee Keenan, Anne Cruickshank, Irene Mcadam, Rita Dewar(stillgame) Sheila Robertson, Susan Bowman, Headmaster Mr Allison.
Front row left to right Katrina Mccallum, Shirley Davis, June Campbell, Ella Ferguson, Irene Fleck,Irene Murphy, Doris Byrne,Valerie Mckay,Margaret Shankland,Marian Iggo, Irene Gunn.
Absent: Carol Davis,Barbara Lochead,Wilma lennox.

1966

Miss Main, Mr. Rammage and Miss Alan on school trip to Paris 1957

Teachers late 1970s/early 1980s

]]>Photos of old Springburnhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+of+old+Springburnbuntygalhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+of+old+Springburnspacing tidyTue, 01 Jul 2008 14:26:42 CDT

Springburn Road looking into Hawthorn Street

Hawthorn Street ; note train driver

Hawthorn Street looking towards Springburn Road note the buildings on the left hand side
in the picture above have been demolished

Springburn Road / Cairns Street (going towards Bishopbriggs)

Elmvale Street

The great Springburn Historian John Thomas (right).
Sadly died in 1982, but left many photographs as a legacy.

The source and date of this picture is not known.

Above An extraordinary rare shot of Gourlay Street late 70s.

Note that the church and the church hall (with the three boarded up windows) is still standing.

Springburn Road at Petershill Road c1950

Gourlay Street, January 1968. Storms bring a chimney crashing down next to Hoey's. On the other side the shops are:
Princes Cinema, George Carpets, Princes Cafe, Bookseller, Colin Robertson (Bakers) and the Electricity shop.
Source: Daily Mail

Springburn Road

Keppochill Road

Corner of Cowlairs Rd/Springburn Rd 1893.

Cowlairs Rd/Springburn corner looking towards The Co-op buildings. J.R

This was the original spot where the Post office once was in Millarbank Street.

Classic tiles still survive from a close entrance at Carlisle Street.
How they must have once gleamed! (Known as a 'Wally Close')

this is cowlairs yard .eastfield depot was beside the flats at carron crescent that have the black stripe down them .cowlairs will live again as the signalling centre for glasgow central to carlisle(west coast main line).and a storage depot for engineering companies .but no tracks to allow trains ,will take photos if anybody wants me to .forgot to say cowlairs depot shut mid 80's .i should remember the date but cant .i'm a train driver based at queen st. was a second man (fireman) at eastfield depot

Colgrain Terrace (1966)

Mosesfield House

Above: The old Library at Ayr Street. Another building gifted by private donation.

Above arial view of Springburn.

Notice Where the luftwaffe missed and Glasgow council finished

Above: Springburn Road at Flemington Street

Above: Keppochill Road. To the right Cowlairs park.

View from the Garngad with Springburn Road and Sighthill Cemetery at the top.

Above the fine old Bank Building survived.

Hawthorn Street with the old tram then bus depot on the right.

St. Rollox Chemical Works

Above very rare shot of Gourlay Street 1971. Note that the cinema has turned into a bingo hall.

1967 The corner of Northcroft Road (also known as the Avenue) and Wellfield Street

showing the Salvation Army Hall. Auld's Dairy to the right and The Sports Shop

on the left (This used to be Taylors the Fruiterers and then a pram shop.)

Note Pawn Shop above Turnbulls.

Above photo: The station platform with distant view of the once winding Atlas Street. In the 70s onSaturday evenings a bus used to leave from the top of Atlas Street next to the station which took you on a mystery tour. We ended up in Dunoon when I went on it.

Above: View of Vulcan street. c1950
On the left beyond the train the top three levels of houses leading up to
Angus Street still survive.
This photo could have been taken from in front
of James Reid's Jewellers or Lipton's Grocery on Springburn Rd next
to the corner of Cowlairs Road.

Above: The famous Public Hall. As with all Springburn Landmarks,
the money came from private, not public funds in this case the Reid family.

The same building today

Above: detail of Scrolls on Public Hall seen from Keppochill Road

The Blocks.
Built 1865, demolished 1967. (View 1)

The Blocks ( View 2)

Springburn Road shows Johnson Church at the corner of Queenshill Street opposite Sellyn's.

c1970 Looking up Springburn Road.

Co-operative shops on the left, Vulcan Street just off on the right.

1974. Kay Street with the baths straight ahead.
Bellini's chip shop on the right. Galbraith's on the left.

Only this half survives of Kay street today

1976 ? Classic Shot of Gourlay Street. Incredibly, only the school beyond the Princes survives today.

Beyond the Princes, on the same side, the tenements at the corner where

Kennedy's dairy once stood and featured in the Gourlay street black and white shots above,

have already been demolished. This makes this colour photo later than the black and white ones.

Certainly the Bookseller shop (owned by Alex Thompson sold books, magazines.models etc) eventually

ceased trading in the autumn of 1976. It seems closed here, in what is obviously daylght while

the cafe and the pub still appear to be trading.

This picture would therefore appear to be very late 1976 mabye even the following year.

(JR) The block of tenements missing from the Princess to Millarbank St. corner,

in the last close before the corner, was the home of Jean Faley,

author of "Up oor Close" and JRs cousins The Kiloe family. Jean's childhood friends.

Above Sellyns remained in this same location for thirty years!
Prior to this it had been located at the corner of Atlas street
where the bank later was. See the section called 'Photos of shops.'

Can you spot your house Steve..lol

Yep!...well actually not from this side...it was the right hand block as we look here. It was 20 stories up which means six windows from the top left as we look but on the other side of the building looking towards Springburn. Excellent pic incidentally!

]]>Photos of old Springburn 2http://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+of+old+Springburn+2buntygalhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+of+old+Springburn+2resize tidyTue, 01 Jul 2008 14:13:36 CDT

Springburn Road looking across from the corner at Flemington Street.

Carleston Street
(Note Christie's dentists above Thomsons pub on the other corner was a licenced grocers)

For the following Many Thanks to B. G.

Balgrayhill swings (several angles)

Belmont House (some views)

Breeze's Tower (two views)

Keppochill Road corner

Fountain in Bargrayhill Swing Park (2 views)

Gourlay Street Looking towards Sprinburn Road.

(Picture Probably by John Thomas)

Two views from the Graveyard (Note the old Laundry buidings next to the fire station.)

Springburn Park. The great man himself. James Reid who along with Hugh, was responsible for all the Leisure investment in the area.

Looking at Cowlairs Road from Vulcan Street.

Plaque for Glasgow Corporation. Not that the district ever owed them anything.

On the back of this photograph, there is handwriting stating that this is the interior

of the public halls at the corner of Keppochill Road and Millarbank St.

And from the outside

Outside the Co. Date and source unknown.

Steamie wash tub stalls and spin drier in the middle.(2 views)

Left of stalls shows the pull out drying cupboards.(You paid exta to use these)

Vulcan Street (2 Views)

.

]]>Photos of Old Springburn 5http://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+of+Old+Springburn+5buntygalhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+of+Old+Springburn+5resize tidyTue, 01 Jul 2008 14:08:02 CDT

The two pictures below are from Andrew Stuart's "More Old Springburn"
by kind permission of STENLAKE PUBLISHING

Bishopbriggs Terminus

Atlas Street

There are some very rare shots here folks, Im sure you will have no trouble identifying the
locations..enjoy..Steve

Wellfield Church and Balgray Cafe in left foreground, followed by Woolworth'sbuilding (just beyond parked white van in middle left of picture). Johnstone Church in far distance.

Kay Street entrance in middle right (opposite black van on road).

Balgray Brae 1862

Woolworth's Store at Torrance Street

Sledger's Hill

Hawthorn Street

Stobhill hospital below celebrated its 100th birthday in 2004.
In 1899 the local Parish Council bought the land to build Stobhill Hospital. Lord Balfour of Burleigh, the then Secretary of State for Scotland, laid the foundation stone for the new hospital in September 1901. The first patients were admitted to the hospital in 1903 and by the summer of 2004 Stobhill had 800 patients. Stobhill was officially opened on 15 September 1904 and had over 1,800 beds.

Below: Tram in Keppochill Road 1961.

The Avenue (Northcroft Road)

From "Old Springburn"by Andrew Stuart by kind permission of Stenlake Publishing.
www.Stenlake.co.uk

Northcroft Road Lenzie Street on the left, Edgefauld Road at the top

Springburn Road Atlas St on the right

Springburn Road

Cowlairs Road on the left Vulcan Street on the right

Back courts in Springburn 1950's possibly Reidhouse Street

Hydepark works from Springvale terrace, with Library roof and the pub at the stumps.

Springburn Road Thompson's pub on the right

Springburn Road viewed from Queenshill St

Springburn Road the Kinema on the left

Springburn Bowling Club c1930 ( Broomfield Road )

Edgefauld Road Tenements , Calderwood's Dairy at top of Northcroft Rd would be on the right

Queenshill Street Santi's on the corner (used to be The Maypole)

]]>Photos of Old Springburn 6http://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+of+Old+Springburn+6buntygalhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+of+Old+Springburn+6resize tidyTue, 01 Jul 2008 14:06:03 CDT
Old painting of tramcars on Springburn Road

Springburn Public Halls

Springburn Fire Station

Millerbank Street (photo from a library book)

Hoye's Springburn Road

below:

Pics from a private collection

Cowlairs Road meets Springburn Road

Looking from Angus Street on to Springburn Road

The tramcar behind the front one is level with Keppochill Road and Springburn Road

Notice Bill and Davy Robertsons sweet shop right hand side

Carleston Street looking down onto springburn road

Looking across to Springburn Road at the bridge

Hawthorn street looking up towards springburn road I think we have another photo similar in and earlier batch

Vulcan Street

]]>Photos of Shopshttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+of+Shopsbuntygalhttp://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com/page/Photos+of+Shopsspacing tidyTue, 01 Jul 2008 13:56:07 CDT

The Bundy - Balornock 7.30 am 11th June 2008

Top of Edgefield Road

James Bruce, Fishmonger & Poulterer, 573 Springburn Road
(Facing Northcroft Road)

Geoffery's the Barbers Opposite the Fire Station in Springburn Road

Picture from Mitchell Library Collection sorry about the quality have tried to find it again bur failed

Above: 527-529 Springburn Road just a few shops up from Anderson & Ireland the chemists

Going in the direction of Balgrayhill.

Bake house in back court behind Hamilton's Bakers Shop 527-529 Springburn Road

(see previous Photo)

Above: 1938 photo of Brownlee's fish shop at 540 Springburn Road

(across from Thomson's pub) and below very close to was the Florists and fruiterers.

Above: In the late 1960s this became a sports shop

great for buying Subutteo. (thanks to B.B. for these)

Two of bmac26's sisters playing in the fountain in Balgray swingpark Gardengate aged 5 Kids of Wellfield Street Margaret dingwall aged 8 and James Dingwall aged 3taken at 103 Wellfield Street Margaret Dingwall aged 14 on a trip to Girvan FionaM & sister

Two of bmac26's sisters playing in the fountain in Balgray swingpark

Gardengate aged 5

Kids of Wellfield Street

Margaret dingwall aged 8 and James Dingwall aged 3
taken at 103 Wellfield Street

Margaret Dingwall aged 14 on a trip to Girvan

FionaM & sister