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In August 1949 Susan McDowell Bollen, maiden surname Clarke, arrived in the U.K from Canada, for a two month stay, she gave her destination as 13 Busbie Drive, Ardrossan, anyone know how to find out who lived at that address ? I know that Busbie Drive was re-named Strathclyde Avenue at some point, were the houses knocked down, and new one's built ? or was the name just changed ?........Del.

Hi Del,
Although I've no idea on the numbering of the then Busby Drive, (maybe Sarah - Sadie Milligan can help there) I seem to recall in the late forties and through the fifties that there was a Clarke lived in the last tenement before the corner into Beggs Terrace. Just to get that location right, behind that tenement was the children's playground.
Hope this is helpful.

Del

I don't know how to find who lived in Busbie Drive in 1949 but I do know that the houses were not knocked down and rebuilt. They were renovated inside and out around the early 1980s. The photos below show Strathclyde Avenue in 2002.



George

Thanks Hughie and George, I suspect that her parents lived at that address....Samuel Allan Clarke and wife Jessie, allthough Susan did have brothers and sisters in Ardrossan also, so maybe she stayed with one of them, she had married Canadian Ron Bollen, in India, in about 1944, and moved to Canada..........Del.

Hi Del80
I lived at 11 Busbie Drive from around 1949 until 1961. I remember 2 sisters living at No13 but unfortunately I can't remember their names. Poppy

Hello Poppy, Susan had three sisters, Jessie McCracken Clarke, Ann Smith Clarke, and Alice Boyce Clarke.....she also had two brothers, Samuel Allen Clarke and Maurice Clarke. Jessie married in 1940, Ann in 1945, Alice....known as Elsie....didn't marry until 1950.....ring any bells ?.......Del.

Hi Del80
I wonder if the Clarke family moved out when I lived there and this other family moved in. The younger sister was not as old as me. When we moved from Hunter Avenue this young woman came to my house and bought my carpets as I think she had been alocated a house in the street. I remember she told me she was a single parent. Other than that I can't help you.

Hi Poppy,Could it have been the Dockerty's at that time .I lived in 17 upstairs 1973-1977
and they lived below .
SC

Hi SC
The house in the picture is definately No13. I lived in the other corner house both leading into Central avenue shops. I think we left Hunter Avenue in 1979/80. I am sure the young woman was still living with her parents in Busbie Drive until her allocation to Hunter Avenue. I hadn't spoken to her before then. Sorry Poppy

George,
Is my memory playing tricks on me? I seem to remember Busbie drive with tennement buildings with closes, and some were ground level +2. It looks like the modern day buildings are ground + 1.

The tenement building after 17 was a 3 floor(Ground +2).When the council renovated them ,they knocked the 3rd floor down.My Brother in Law lived there for a while.Yes they used to have only the one entrance.

SC

Meekan

Your memory is not playing tricks as Sweet Caroline's explanation proves.

Here is a photo taken by Tom McGrattan when Busbie Drive was renovated in the 1980s. One of the blocks was three storeys high but I have just driven along Strathclyde Avenue to convince myself that there are only two storey buildings today.


George