Thistle Cottages

[georgeflemingard]

During my family research i came accross a relation who was born at, number 7 Thistle Cottages Stevenston. The print is very hard to read on the certificate, so thistle may be wrong. ????
Can anybody tell me where these Cottages were and if they are still there, and is Thistle the proper name.
Thanks George F

[aland]

thats the wee row of cottages next to the shop on err looking up bing maps, got it, on Ardoch Crescent

just across the road fae the garage on caledonia road

who is the relative as my maw was born there in 1934

[georgeflemingard]

Alan, thanks for the info, i was'nt sure if there was such a place, i must look it up on the map. The relation was Hugh Cairns my Father in Law, I married his daughter Helen who unfortunately is not with us anymore, she passed away in 1979.

[aland]

you wont see thistle cottages on the map, what I will do seeing as I am such a good bloke, when I am out tomorrow I will pop into the deepest darkest bottom end and grab a photo of the cottages for you

[little plum]

If I'm grasping the location correctly, here's an old image of the row. My first house when I got married was No 7, introduced my 2 sons into the world while living there, ooh the fond memories.

[georgeflemingard]

Hi little plum, thank you very much for the photo. I am quite surprised, you lived in the same cottage as my Father in Law Hugh Cairns. He was born there in 1917.
I am also surprised how prosperous the cottages look. Hugh's Father was a "furnace man" in the Stevenston coal mines, I expected, thistle cottages to be a row of miners cottages like we see in some of the old mining towns ?

[aland]

If I'm grasping the location correctly, here's an old image of the row. My first house when I got married was No 7, introduced my 2 sons into the world while living there, ooh the fond memories.

spot on Neil, sorry george it was effin peeing with rain the other day, will grab a phot next time I venture into the deepest darkest bottom end

[little plum]

I am also surprised how prosperous the cottages look. Hugh's Father was a "furnace man" in the Stevenston coal mines, I expected, thistle cottages to be a row of miners cottages like we see in some of the old mining towns ?

Hi George, is it not more likely Hugh's father was a " furnace man" at Ardeer Iron Works , this closed in 1931.
I don't think the living conditions would have been much better than the miners raw. Before I moved in I converted one of the rooms into a bathroom/toilet, the back room had evidence of recess beds in it. I demolished the outside toilet to the sadness of one of it's previous owners who was Alec Paul, a well known cobbler/shoemaker from the town. He had installed it, and was the proud owner of the first private outside toilet on the row.
I know a Jimmy Cairns, I wonder if he is any relation.?

[georgeflemingard]

Little Plum, You are spot on, Hugh's father was a Furnaceman in Stevenston Iron Works. It was his Father, hugh's grandfather who was the Coalminer. Sorry my mistake, {there not unuaual at my age}
At this time i don't know any of hugh's siblings, or even if there are any. The census forms for that time are not yet available, they could be related ? thanks for setting me straight.

[aland]

I don't think the living conditions would have been much better than the miners raw. Before I moved in I converted one of the rooms into a bathroom/toilet, the back room had evidence of recess beds in it. I demolished the outside toilet to the sadness of one of it's previous owners who was Alec Paul, a well known shoemaker from the town. He had installed it, and was the proud owner of the first private outside toilet on the row.
I know a Jimmy Cairns, I wonder if he is any relation.?

according to my mum, they actually used the recessed beds in the back room, that was the main living area of the house as the front room was only used on special occasions, there was recessed beds in there too. The outside loo wasnt built by alec himself as shoemakers are useless at bricklaying, it was a cousin and well known stevenston builder Jimmy Sinclair that built the bog, 3' square apparently and not much space. prior to that it was a communal loo for the whole of thistle cottages about 6 familys with a lot of bairns so say 1 loo between 30. Good job they didnt have curries in those days mum was born there in 1934 and they moved to clark crescent when she was 21 before seeing sense and moving to ardrossan in 69,

[Als4m1955]

Thistle Cottages in Stevenston. The address is 31 Caledonian Rd. I was born there @ # 7 Thistle cottages.
They don't look so grand now.
Our front area had flowers and there was a close that led to the back. There also was a "shelter" in the back.
The people that lived there in 1940's.

Higgins family. Mr Gordon, the Dixon's, the Casella's family in the close. Mrs macIlraith. I think in the other corner.

Yes there were enclosed beds, I slept in one. It was a lovely house.
MollyB

[stiubhairt]

I was searching for thistle cottages as I just discovered three houses occupied by my family members in the 1911 census then saw a reference to Hugh Cairns. I have a Hugh Cairns (d 1954)married to an Agnes Stewart (d1945). any relative?