Our Street (Nov 2000)

[Archivist]

From: "penni burnett" <angels4me@xx.com>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000

Hi All: Although I am an American, my dad was born and raised in Saltcoats and I was the recipient of many many local stories....He would have loved this group......But my grandma always wrote me when I was growing up and when I saw the envelope and it said "19 Sharphill Road". I knew it was a very special letter...When I was 12 I went with my dad back to his home for a visit. Still to this day when I think of 19 Sharphill Road it has the feeling of a little girl who loved her granny with all her heart........the pretty gardens, the bed in the wall.....the pretty bowl and pitcher in the bedroom for washing up.....the mail slot in the front door for a letter from home and the smell of lard in the kitchen. Sometimes when I am in a restaurant a whiff will pass me by, and I think that's just like 19 Sharphill Rd.......Then we would go to 23 Caledonia Rd..to see my aunt and uncle and cousins and oh what a beautiful house and gardens and hot running water. (hahaha). I hope to make it back next year but I am sure the feelings of 12yr old will never quite be duplicated...If anyone can give me an update on these addresses, that might be fun....


From: "Sandra Glover" <sandglow@xx.co.uk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000

I remember when I was young, about 6 years old, and every other Sunday we would go and visit my Aunt Mary ( Andrew ) in Rowanside Terrace. I loved that street, it was lined with trees and grass, unlike Duff Place where we lived, in the Autumn I would play with the helicopters that fell from the sycamore trees and trudge through the leaves. We moved into that street when I was 8 and my parents still live there but it has gone down hill, there is no grass and a lot of trees have gone, instead the street is lined with cars and vans. Thats progress for you ?
Regards to all
Sandra


From: "Jean Boyce (Saltcoats)" <sparralegs@xx.co.uk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2000

Hi Penni, 19 Sharphill Road still exists and in excellent condition, my grampa and two aunt's lived in 21 just next door until 1954, there name was Gaw and 23 Caledonia Rd is also in great condition, these old house's never seem to date.
Jean Boyce Saltcoats


From: "Hugh McCallum" <hewmac@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2000

Sandra Glover wrote in part:
> in the Autumn I would play with the helicopters that fell from the
> sycamore trees and trudge through the leaves.

Hi Sandra,
In that sentence you brought a long lost wee brain cell to the fore. Took me back to school at Ardrossan's Winton Primary when I was a wee boy. Sycamore trees were right along the front of the school and we'd play with the seed pods when we were not playing with our wee metal cars or cardboard milk tops (nearest the Wall). Miss McIlwraith was the headmistress then and lived opposite the school.

Some years later I found myself standing on her neighbour's coal bunker banging on the bedroom window at 2 a.m. in the morning. It was all Peter XXXXXX's fault. In those days we were firemen and we had the fire bells in our houses. Peter used to stay at his girl friends on a Saturday and if there was a fire in the three towns I had to pedal like mad to the Fire Station via Anderson Terrace to alert him. Wondered what would have happened had he fallen out with her and I was caught banging on the window at 2 a.m. in the morning.

Hugh McCallum


From: Bernard Walsh
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2000

When it comes to street names surely my old street takes the biscuit. Living in "Misk Knowes" meant that every time you were asked for your address you had to repeat yourself at least three times. Then there were disbelieving looks. Even my spell checker doesn't like it..I get "miscue knows"!


From: Isabella Ashurst
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2000

Hi
I was born in Manse St., but lived all my life, till I left Scotland, in Reid Terrace. My favourite memory of those days is playing 'Blue Bus". One of us kids had to run down the lane to Canal St. whilst the others waited at the end of the terrace. When a Blue bus came along the person at the bottom of the lane had to scream out "Blue Bus" and then the rest of us hid somewhere and it was up to the shouter to find us. The first one 'found' then had to go to the bottom of the lane. And, mind you, you weren't allowed to go looking for a hiding spot till you heard the shout.

Isabella


From: Bernard Walsh
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2000

Ewen
I grew up in Misk Knowes in the 50s and 60s. I went to St Michael's in Irvine but a number of friends attended the 'Higher Grade'. There were Steeds down our end of the town in Garven Road. The two I remember were Billy and John, maybe relatives of yours.


From: "J.F-Smith" <jferg@xxxx.co.nz>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2000

Good morning all....
Used to live from time to time with my Aunt and Uncle at 7 Kerelaw road and would be sent to get the milk at a Farm just a little way further up Kerelaw road..... so with can in hand off I'd toddle....Aunty Peggy ( I don't believe) ever new how lucky she was to get the milkcan back in full!! Ever tried swinging the can round without spilling the milk? Loved wandering up Kerelaw road looking at birds nest... The Farm was always of interest.. I seem to remember that the Family at the farm had been there for generations..
Does anyone else know the farm and did they ever go for milk to it?

A' the best tae ye a'
John


From: mcguire
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2000

Well as someone mentioned already enough has been said regarding Raise Street where I last lived in Saltcoats but I started off in Glebe St. (No. 9). I remember the great times we had playing on the waste Glebe ground at the end of the street. I suppose by now it has been developed on. Then there was the tennis courts there and the number of times we ran off with tennis balls that were hit over the wire surrounds and then being chased after and called for every thing under the sun by the 'previous' owners. Well I ask you if they couldn't play tennis properly then they deserved to lose their balls both men and woman alike. The Glebe does however bring back one bad memory. A girl who was in my class at St Mary's was raped there. I can't remember if they ever caught the evil assailant.

It seems that nearly everyone from 'Threetowners either lived or knew some one who lived in the bungalows. I remember the joke about when they were building the they were meant to be flats but as the ran out of bricks the foreman said "well I guess we will have to stop now and just 'bung-a-low' roof on them!"

Bye from Denmark

P.S.
Isabella mentioning the name Lennox and Sally mentioning a fanatic Celtic supporter reminds me that Bobby Lennox was at St Mary's also while I was there (he was always playing 'heedies ' with a tennis ball). Does he still live in or visit Saltcoats?

Tony


From: Isabella Ashurst
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2000 10:10 PM

Hi Tony,
When I was over last year ago Our Bobby was still there though he'd got rid of the pub. Both of my boys here are soccer players (local clubs) and take great pleasure in telling people that one of their rellies played for Celtic.
Talking of the boys playing soccer, how about this for a co-incidence. My husband was managing an under 11 team and the coach was Scottish. Anyway I went to one of the matches, met the coach and asked where he came from, he replied Scotland. I said "well I can hear that, but whereabouts in Scotland" whereupon he replied Saltcoats. I just laughed, presuming my husband had put him up to saying that, so then I asked him a few questions, to which he knew all the answers.....he really is from Saltcoats. We couldn't believe that having come all the way round the world we ended up in the same little local Soccer Club...great world isn't it. By the way his name is Brian Bain, in case any of you can remember him. He was 51 yesterday.

Isabella