The Three Towns in old directories

[hahaya2004]

Hi Susan,
there were also Pigots directories for 1821-22 &23 (Saltcoats] and 1825-26 (all 3 towns).

https://archive.org/details/commercialdirect1821dire
https://archive.org/details/pigotcosnewcomm182526dire

[down south]

Thanks very much, Irene. Think I'd seen the 1825/6 one before, because that's on the main nls site, but not the 1821/2/3 one. ( Must confess that being keen to move on in time from 1837 I had skipped listing the earlier one I did know about, thinking it didn't add much; very remiss of me, because if I was trying to make a complete list I ought to have included it ).

Susan

[down south]

And there are indeed a few quite interesting points to note after all in these very early directories ; so while we're here we might as well take a little look at them.

First, the 1821 directory; and in this one, Saltcoats is in a combined entry with Irvine. Here's the direct link to the page:

https://archive.org/stream/commercialdi ... 2/mode/2up

Though Irvine gets pride of place in the description, Saltcoats is by no means insignificant in comparison, and is described as a considerable sea port town; looking at the lists of trades and businesses, there seem to be just as many listed for Saltcoats as Irvine. They include such names as John Gibson the watch and clock maker, Bryden the tailor, and James Fullarton the ironmonger ( and that would be the spelling till later in the century, by which time there would be both Fullertons and Fullartons flourishing in local businesses...and quite probably all descended from the same ancestry ! ) . One thing that's particularly interesting to see, is that the saltworks at the North Pans is still active at this date.

Ardrossan in fact isn't quite missing; its status as an " infant port " neighbouring Saltcoats is mentioned, and at least one resident is listed: David Henry, the engineer in charge of harbour construction . I like this confident prediction : " It is probable that Ardrossan will become, under the peculiar care of the Noble family of Eglington, a celebrated watering place. " Peculiar, of course, in its old-fashioned meaning of " particular " ! And that's not a typo on my part, because interestingly the spelling is Eglington with the extra g...but then, back in those days, spellings had by no means settled down into a consistent form, as anyone who's looked for ancestors in old parish registers will know.

If it seems surprising that the harbour, begun in 1805, was still under construction in the early 1820s, then the 1825/6 directory gives some indication of the reason; apparently completion was being delayed due to " some legal points "; wonder what that was all about.

But in this one the town of Ardrossan has nevertheless made enough of a start to get its own entry:

https://archive.org/stream/pigotcosnewc ... 5/mode/2up

The list of residents and businesses though, isn't exactly a long one; and among the gentry there are as many listed as summer residents only, as those with permanent homes. Very grand some of them are too; but one familiar name among them is most worth noting...Dr Macfadzean is already present.

Stevenston meanwhile also makes its appearance under the Saltcoats entry:

https://archive.org/stream/pigotcosnewc ... 5/mode/2up

At this era I think, the earlier coal-mining activities had ceased, before being revived again later in the century. Certainly there's no mention of that, with the town being described chiefly as a community of weavers; but also the many grand houses nearby get a particular notice : " The neighbourhood abounds with the elegant mansions of genteel families. " Including " Halleshirst " ( Alex Hamilton ) and " Hilderhurst " ( John Howie ); surely one and the same place and better known as Hullerhirst ?

There's not much extra to note in Saltcoats meanwhile, except that James Fullarton seems to have become involved at this point for a while in the salt-making trade; and that the town has acquired a tradesman who could hardly be more welcome , an umbrella maker.

Susan

[down south]

Back to the future now, and the Slater's directory for 1886. Here are the direct links for Ardrossan:

http://digital.nls.uk/directories/brows ... d=90653540

And Saltcoats and Stevenston:

http://digital.nls.uk/directories/brows ... d=90654644

And let's start with Ardrossan; which is duly continuing to prosper. The harbour expansion is proceeding; the improvements to the G&SW railway line have been completed, including the opening of South Beach station in 1883; and the arrival of the new Caledonian railway line ( which would take place in 1888 ) is eagerly awaited. Other modern developments noted include the provision of a fire engine, a lifeboat, and other life saving apparatus.

Glasgow Street numbers now go up to at least no 204, so that street must be almost complete; and further houses grand ( Crawford Villas, Crescent Park, Ravenscraig House, Burnfoot Villa ) and more modest ( Wave Cottage ) have been added to North Crescent. Of course Burnfoot these days has an Eglinton Road address, but in those days all those seafront houses of the main road, including Seafield House, seem to have been considered part of North Crescent. On South Crescent meanwhile, ARDROSSAN ACADEMY ( 1882 ) has now opened .

One particularly notable change has come over the public life of the town; for Provost Barr is dead...he died in1884. Instead it's Provost John Hogarth who is in charge; he's one of a whole clutch of Hogarths now listed as " gentry ", the start of their rise into prominence, particularly as shipowners. They weren't the most model of employers, apparently; Sam has told me that they were known as " the hungry Hogarths " because of their stinginess with the provisions aboard ship.... And another well-known figure in Ardrossan shipping circles has arrived in town; Robert L Alpine, shipping agent, timber merchant and, even at this early date, consul for Norway and Sweden; as this 1960s advert for the firm details, it had begun in 1877:

In town centre commerce, meanwhile, there's a notable gap, for the City of Glasgow Bank is no more, having failed in 1879. The address of that bank building is No 76 Princes Street, and there and at No 74 we now find Allisons' tailors and drapers, going up in the world. At No 56, James Fullerton junior has taken over, but his ironmongery business has a major rival opposite in the shape of John Hogarth's just opposite at No 59-61; about where the Lyric would later be built. Arthur Guthrie now offers a circulating library; and the Co-op has opened a bakery, in separate premises from its other shops, at 59 Glasgow Street; interestingly that would remain a bakery down to the redevelopment of the 1970s, though no longer the Co-op...in our day it was McCutcheon's. And here's one more famous business taking its first steps; Charles Murchie has opened a grocery store at No 8 Glasgow Street.

Susan

[down south]

Stevenston too is doing well. As well as Nobel's new dynamite works, the town now has four active collieries: three operated by the Ardeer Coal Company, the Lucknow, Prince and Ardeer pits; and the Auchenharvie Pit belonging to Merry and Co. That business being presumably an offshoot of Merry and Cunningham's ironworks; in addition to which, there are now two iron foundries, plus also the continuing quarrying and brickworks.

The town now has a bank, albeit only a subsidiary of Saltcoats' Bank of Scotland branch. Also newly to be found in the listings are the Assembly Rooms, Ardeer; the Good Templars' Hope Lodge, New Street; and a school described as Ardeer Academy. What that was, is by no means clear; it can't be Ardeer Primary, because as we've just lately seen that didn't open until 1902 ( see here. ) Among the shops and businesses, noticeable are Robert Boyd, described as a hat manufacturer; and what seems to be a business rivalling the Co-op for range of goods, that of Andrew Cumming, who offers boots and shoes, drapery, grocery and butchery at premises both in New Street and Ardeer.

Moving on to Saltcoats, there's no need to look far for evidence that the new main industry there is booming; the number of lodging houses listed there has roughly doubled in the few years since the last directory in 1878. Many of the new entries are in Manse Street, where there has obviously been quite a bit of building going on; a few of the " cottages " there still bear the names they have here. The brae heading up to the Caledonia Road railway bridge must have been included in Manse Street at that date, because the top half of Bankside House gets its first separate mention from the lower part on Ardrossan Road, and has a Manse Street address here.

There are also plenty more places to stay in such spots as Eglinton Street/Place and Springvale Place. And on a more elevated social level, the building of Montgomerie Crescent is well progressed, with about half the houses occupied; though there are only one or two houses as yet on Winton Circus. This picture must date from just about now:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nayesterd ... 2752946059

Among the notables living on the Crescent are plenty of Fullertons, even to the point of one house being named Fullerton Villa ; as we've heard before on site, some of the Fullertons were still living on the road down to our day. Robert Alpine has also moved in , and the road's reputation for manses is already established, with at least a couple of ministers living there.

Down at the east end of town meanwhile, the future Provost McIsaac has taken up residence at Parkend ( not Parkhead ! ) House; while as reported here, the Home for Destitute Children now occupies Rockvale House as well as Canal Bank House. There's also, aside from the Mission Coast Home, apparently another new Home: Wallneuk Home in Bradshaw Street. Among other social welfare/community organisations, the YMCA is to be found in Green Street; and the Good Templars seem to be everywhere, not just Raise Street as before but also Green Street and Countess Street. And one more institution in Green Street gets its first mention ; the Albert Hall .

But there's plenty to more to be said about Saltcoats; so, more next time.

Susan

[down south]

The early 1880s had been an eventful epoch in Saltcoats history, with the removal and rebuilding of the station to stand at the top of Countess Street and such consequences as the shutting up of Raise Street , construction of the goods yard on what had been the Drakemyre, and creation of the square at the top of Countess Street; much of this work probably still in progress. And in 1885 Saltcoats adopted the Burgh Statutes and became a burgh in official modern law as well as historical fact.

Except for the use of the new name Vernon Street, there's not yet much direct evidence of all this to be found in the 1886 directory . But there are a few changes in the public institutions of the town to notice. The demise of the City of Glasgow Bank has meant that the bank in Dockhead Street has now been taken over by the Bank of Scotland; but there's no real change there, for James Campbell remains in charge.

John Grimwood meanwhile has retired or died, and his positions as registrar and parish official on the one hand and postmaster on the other, have gone into new, and separate, hands, and also locations. The new registrar Andrew Armour carries on this and other parish business in Windmill Street; in his other business matters he appears under an Eglinton Street address, and it's a fair bet that his office is already in fact where the registry is described as being in the 1903 directory, at 2 Eglinton Street, on the Windmill Street corner; where presumably it stayed until the new registry office opened in Ardrossan Road. 2 Eglinton Street is quite a familiar address; it was later the home of Macpherson's dairy.

The post office had also moved; we're specifically told so in Saltcoats Old& New , http://www.threetowners.com/old-new/chapter-14/ where it's described as having been moved to " near the Dockhead entrance ". Now where exactly does that mean, do you think; for there are at least three different places that you could describe that way. Unfortunately, even in the 1903 directory ( the last before it would have moved to its splendid new 1908 building in Chapelwell Street ), in which most Dockhead Street premises are numbered, the post office isn't.But fortunately, there are a couple of big clues that have allowed me to make what seems like a good guess.

One is that the new people in charge are Fullertons; George and his sister Jessie. And they were indeed part of the Fullertons' ironmongery family, two of James Fullerton's children; he and they were still living there, over the shop, in the 1891 census.( It was the son and heir, James Jr, who had grandly moved onto Montgomerie Crescent ! )

And the other clue is here, in this report of flooding in Saltcoats in 1893 recently posted for us by Penny Tray ; see http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... 66#p132466. Where it's stated that " Volumes of water poured in by the street leading to the Braes, next to the Post Office . " I reckon they mean Victoria Place, and that the Post Office was in fact in, or at the very least beside, Fullerton's ironmongery.

Susan

[down south]

Turning to the Saltcoats shops, a few more familiar names have arrived. Saltcoats no longer has a branch of Guthrie's, and instead the principal printer and stationer is now Archibald Wallace. And Duncan's drapery and tailor's business has also appeared on Dockhead Street; history relates that it had in fact been active in Quay Street since 1824, but this is the first mention of it in a directory. No doubt you had to pay to get in those...and extra for an appearance in bold type, as occurs in some of the later-dated ones.

William Howie the baker meanwhile has moved from Countess Street to Green Street. And another shop that now appears in a different place, is the Co-op. Not only is it now to be found in Bradshaw Street, but instead of being a branch of Ardrossan Co-op, we have the first and only mention of the Saltcoats Co-operative Society. Which is suggestive evidence that such an organisation did in fact exist, if only for a brief time.

Fullartons as well as Fullertons are also to the fore, with a cabinetmaker on Dockhead Street, and Robert Fullarton on Hamilton Street, not only draper and tailor, but finding space somehow to be a " tweed, blanket and drugget manufacturer. " And here on Hamilton Street is another well-known name whose business survived into the latter half of the twentieth century ( though by then wholesale rather than retail ), Murray the fishmonger . And how fascinating to see that even back then, the family's devotion to " Our Lady, Star of the Sea " had them living at Stella Cottage, just as Stella Maris on Ardrossan Road was the home of a later Murray; see here.

We can't of course yet identify the exact locations of these shops, for even yet Saltcoats hasn't caught up with Ardrossan in street numbering; even in the newer streets where numbers are beginning to exist, house names are just as likely to appear. The one notable exception is Hamilton Street, where quite a few premises are numbered; only the odd numbers, it seems. But I'm rather suspicious of this numbering, for it doesn't seem to accord well with that of our day . Numbers here go up to 77, but in 20th century Saltcoats the highest odd one was No 61, Dr Rankin's house, and that itself wasn't built until the early 1900s; while several residents who appear both here and in the 1903 directory ( where the numbering seems a much more plausible match to what we knew ), such as Doctors Kinnier and Wallace, are apparently at different addresses. Either there was a lot of rebuilding and house-moving going on in a few years, or more likely the numbering scheme was completely changed.

Susan

[down south]

A few reminiscences have come down to us of some of the other shops of about that era. They were contributed to the Herald in the 1930s by John Miller, burgh chamberlain of Saltcoats , whose memories of childrens' games of that time we've also seen ( see here ); and revisited by the paper in the 1970s . Most of the article consisted of a listing of shops which merely repeats what we have in the directory, but there were also a few specific memories. William Leckie, one of the Dockhead Street bakers, was reputed to sell the best loaves in Saltcoats, because of the quality of his bakehouse oven's sole. James Walker, the chemist, made his own patent medicines; he was also well-known as a dentist , as described in this later advert ( which we've encountered before ) :

That dated from 1909, and the business was still going in 1921 at the same address in the hands of a Miss Walker, probably James Walker's daughter; and even down to our day No 19 Dockhead Street was still a chemist's shop.

But since Mr Miller was recalling the days of his boyhood, some of his most detailed memories were of the shops that sold sweets and other goodies.There was Toffee Jessie's at No 2 Hamilton Street, kept by a Mrs Fullarton, whose " dark golden compound was sold over a homely counter composed of two planks set on a couple of sugar barrels ".

That isn't in any of the directories, but Mrs Shanks' shop in Windmill Street is. Here she sold " a popular pinky confection shaped like a small egg, of which a lucky few contained a silver sixpence. This shop was the favourite one in which to buy sherbet, which was known as " beverage "; and as in most of the wee sweetie shops, Mrs Shanks sold " sugar auley ", better known as liquorice, which could be sucked or cut into pieces and shaken up in water to make " sugar auley water " or " alleycreish " . " The writers of the Herald piece comment : " From some of our elders we gained the impression that this was a delectable drink; from others , perhaps more honest, we learn that it took days of shaking to produce a mouth-twisting brew of which the taste lingered on. "

And so too, described as a " general dealer and milk seller", is that of Kirstie Hodge in Green Street. Here she made and sold her celebrated " pardies "; according to the Herald, " possibly similar to what were called " parkies " in other parts of the country, defined by a dialect dictionary as small thin gingerbread cakes sprinkled with tiny sweets. " And another attraction here: " Apparently children who were favoured customers at Kirstie's were allowed to go out to her back yard and scratch the back of her pig. "

Susan

[down south]

On to the next directory now, and this is a purely business and professional one; the Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, Wigtownshire and Kirkcubrightshire Directory for 1893. It's been featured before on 3T thanks to Ellen ( sweet caroline ), so many of you will already have had a look at it; and being more limited in scope there's not so much that's new to find in it. It also has an irritating feature : certain firms , mainly ones based in Ayr, have paid for listings in every town, despite having no premises there ! But on the plus side, there are a number of advertisements through the book, though only one local one ( see below ).

Here is the direct link for Ardrossan:

https://archive.org/stream/ayrshiredumf ... 8/mode/2up

And for Saltcoats and Stevenston:

https://archive.org/stream/ayrshiredumf ... 2/mode/2up

There's also a separate complete list of the farm and farmers of Ayrshire in which our local ones can be found.

https://archive.org/stream/ayrshiredumf ... 2/mode/2up

Despite my remarks above, there are nevertheless a few new developments worth noting.

Some new Temperance Hotels in both Ardrossan and Saltcoats are advertising: Anderson's Temperance Hotel ( Harbour Street ) and Mrs Stewart's ( Harbour Place ) in the former, and first news of the Temperance Hotel in Hamilton Street ( Margaret Manson, proprietor ) in the latter. Ardrossan has a new bank, the Union Bank of Scotland, which being located in Princes Street had probably taken over the City of Glasgow Bank premises. Ardrossan also has a Mineral Water Company ( location not given ); Saltcoats a " sewed muslin manufacturer " ( John Hogarth, Bradshaw Street ).

Some well-known Ardrossan shops have moved to their rightful later homes: Murchie's is now at 48 Princes Street; Allison's at 56 Princes Street. Fullerton's ironmongery, displaced by the latter, has moved to Nos 36-8 Glasgow Street, where it would remain until at least the 1930s. And the Co-op, which had been there, has moved up the street to Nos 68-70. Opposite there, another familiar business has begun; Allan's the painters. Also notable perhaps is the strong presence of the Leckie family in the bakery business; William Leckie, presumably the same who had a shop in Saltcoats, has a shop at No 54 Princes Street ( the same bakery, probably, that was later taken over by Murchie's ? ); Andrew Leckie, surely a relative, has a bakery, confectionery, refreshment bar and restaurant at No 72.

In Saltcoats meanwhile, we find that the Co-op is still in Bradshaw Street, but now described as a branch of Ardrossan Co-op.

And Kyleshill House, formerly a home of the gentry, has become a Hydropathic Establishment , whose proprietor had formerly run similar activities for the Mission Coast Home. One suspects it didn't flourish, because no later directory mentions it.

https://archive.org/stream/ayrshiredumf ... 4/mode/2up

Susan

[down south]

The next directory on offer is one on very similar principles: Clarke's Business Directory of Scotland for 1895. Here are the links to our towns' entries.

Ardrossan: https://archive.org/stream/clarkesbusin ... 4/mode/2up

Saltcoats : https://archive.org/stream/clarkesbusin ... 4/mode/2up

Stevenston, this time lumped in with Kilwinning instead of Saltcoats : https://archive.org/stream/clarkesbusin ... 6/mode/2up

Not much could be expected to have changed since the last directory, but there are a few new things to notice nonetheless. In the Stevenston entry, detail is sadly lacking, but I can spot that the leading bakery is now Morrison and Dickie.

Ardrossan now has a branch of the Clydesdale Bank,more or less where it would be in future years, and it's the Hogarths who are in charge there. The town also has the very first Italian business mentioned locally, but the name is not at all a familiar one: Rocchiccioli !...a confectioner, and seemingly doing quite well given that he has branches at both 3 Princes Street and 12 Glasgow Street.

A more familiar name is Haining the cobbler, at 84 Glasgow Street, who must be the forebear of the Hainings discussed here. Worth noting that 84 Glasgow Street is part of the later address of the Post Office, which adds weight to the suggestion that the cobbler's might have been near there at one time.

A few more names we recognise are appearing in Saltcoats too, like Grey Taylor the baker in Raise Street; Reilly the egg dealer in Green Street; McLachlan the butcher in Chapelwell Street; and Patrick's hardware and fancy goods. There's also Jones & Co, cycle depot, in Countess Street, first reflection of the booming popularity of cycling; there will be lots more cycle dealers by the time of the next directory. I notice also J McGrath, confectioner, town crier and bill poster , in Quay Street, an interesting combination of jobs; no wonder there were so many posters stuck up in that picture of Quay Street we looked at earlier in this topic....

We're also beginning to get more of an idea of where the shops are, because many more of them now have street numbering. We've already seen and discussed a picture from around this time of the part of Dockhead Street around Black's the bakers ( see this topic ); and we can narrow George Washington Wilson's pictures of Dockhead Street down to just about this date too, for here are Agnes Maule's glass and china shop at No 45, and Wilson Wylie's the bootmaker at No 43, just as in the current directory ( and neither at that spot in the next one ):

http://www.ayrshireroots.co.uk/Towns/Sa ... ad_St1.jpg

Susan

[down south]

We're back to a full-scale one for the next directory, which is Slater's Directory of Scotland for 1903.There are a few changes from their previous format. The rise of the middle classes is reflected by the non-commercial section being described as Residents, rather than Gentry and Clergy, though it's still definitely limited to the more affluent classes; while the business and professional section is no longer divided up under different trade headings, except for the farmers.

Here are the pages for Ardrossan:

http://digital.nls.uk/directories/brows ... d=90673441

Saltcoats: http://digital.nls.uk/directories/brows ... d=90674521

And, Stinstonians rejoice ! You've finally got your own directory entry:

http://digital.nls.uk/directories/brows ... d=90674581

Though it still doesn't contain anything like as much material as those for the other towns; only just over a page-worth, whereas those for Ardrossan and Saltcoats run to three or four pages.

Ardrossan's entry in particular is prefaced by an impressive list of its public institutions, representatives, and facilities . Among those newly-mentioned are the Police Station; the Drill Hall; the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Joint Hospital; a Reading Room for sailors; a YMCA Mission Hall; and a Quaker meeting room. Winton School, opened in 1899, is also newly listed, and the recent enlargement of Ardrossan Academy is noted; and the town now has its full quota of stations, with the addition of Winton Pier and the Caley stations.

Among clubs and societies listed are a Liberal Club and a Unionist Club; the Ardrossan Bowling and Curling Club; and the Ardrossan and West Kilbride Farmers Society. The town still has its Baths, run by one Thomas Beattie; but living in Bath House ( Bath Villa ) itself is Mr James Broome Lawson, described as a professor of music.

And, so I don't make this post overly long, there'll be more on Ardrossan tomorrow.

Susan

[meekan]

Susan
the enlargement of Ardrossan Academy, would that be at that time the building that became home to St Peters school?