A Wee House.

The above photograph shows an old miner’s cottage located at 83 Meikle Earnock Road, Hamilton ML3 8AG South Lanarkshire, Scotland c. April 2021. The following excerpt is from a locally produced small booklet on the history of the area titled: “Our Story” c. 1986. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner who were the owners at the time provide their story.

We moved into this cottage 53 years ago, coming from Lanark. I was working with the Highway Department, and I recall that roads around here were in a pitiful condition. Up here there were just cart tracks then. We began to repair and surface the roads, which took three years to do. This house here belonged to Neilsland Estate, it was owned by Douglas Watson. When the estate was broken up, houses and farms were sold. We took the opportunity and bought this house. The dairy next door was sold as well, it was bought by James Baird, the uncle of Andrew Baird.

We first saw this house on a trip by motorbike, coming from Lanark, and I thought, “I would like to live in this wee house.” Well, we are still here. Before us a family by the name of Cuthbertson used to live here. They have descendants living in Canada and Australia, and they still come occasionally to look at the house. They were miners. When we first came here, I went to a sale at the pit head, which was about 150 yards from here, down the road. The pit had just closed down, and they sold all sorts of things, iron, huts, bricks, you name it. I went to see what I could pick up cheap. I made that yard at Meikle Earnock Road which belongs to the Department of Transport. I made that in 1932/33. Sometimes we had four or five steamrollers at a time. We used to have the garden of our cottage cultivated like a market garden. We even kept goats, sheep, hens and pigs. We could do with the goats now, to eat the grass.

We were here when they took the chimney stack down at the pit head. I saw it coming down. It was pretty high, and and it was quite a sensation to see it come down. It was a tight community then, and you would speak to everybody.

(Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, 83 Meikle Earnock Road)

The structure and look of the cottage hasn’t changed much over the years and it is still very recognisable. The whitewashed lime rendered walls have been roughcasted over and the slate roof tiles are now gone. The small porch/doorway has also been removed and the window on the right side has been lengthened. You can easily see the alterations that have been made to the building over the years, If you cross-reference the above featured photograph with the Meikle Earnock Pump Well c. 1901 photograph provided below (showing the cottage in the background). In fact, within John Watson’s first journal there is a photograph of the Meikle Earnock Pump Well featuring the cottage (already clearly established) in the background dated c. 1877. So, the cottage is at least 144 years old!

The cottage is no longer occupied and it is currently owned by the Barrie family, who are descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. They also own the ” Fairhill Cottage ” across the road and this cottage formed part of the original Fairhill Estate.

Written, Transcribed And Republished By

Hamilton Historian.

Terence (Terry) Murphy.

Ref: ” Our Story ” c. 1986.

Meikle Earnock Pump Well c. 1901.

The above photograph shows the Meikle Earnock Pump Well c. 1901. It was located at Meikle Earnock Road, just right of the junction with Neilsland Road, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The start of the miner’s footpath known as the “Meikle Earnock Shuckie” can be seen on the left of the photograph, behind the woman holding a small boy. The woman is also heavily pregnant and both her and the small boy she is holding are draped in a tartan shawl. They are looking towards a group of schoolchildren gathered around the pump well to have their photograph taken.

In the background of the photograph is “A Wee House” that has survived to this present-day. It is a miner’s cottage and was once the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. The Meikle Earnock Pump Well no longer exists and was removed many years ago (exact date unknown). Its former location is now a very busy section of Meikle Earnock Road.

Written By

Hamilton Historian.

Terence (Terry) Murphy.

Tor Lake (The Tally-Ho).

Tor Lake was developed as the water supply for Neilsland House (Mid Stonehall) which at the time was owned by successful Coalmaster John Watson. Designed and constructed by Arthur and Rodger Civil Engineers of Glasgow, work began on the construction of the lake during c. 1873 and was finished by June c. 1874. It was located in the land of Torheads, at the southern end of the Neilsland Estate in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland and was across from the Hamilton And Strathaven Railway.

Tor Lake also supplied the water being fed to the troughs around the Neilsland Estate, the Woodhead Cottages and Shooting Lodge and the Wells at The Avenue, Neilsland. Water was fed down to the area via cast iron pipeline. The lake was commonly known by locals as “The Tally-Ho” because the woodland between the land of Torheads and Highstonehall is where the Watson Family held shooting parties for hunting pheasant, grouse and game. It was also a very popular area for poachers. The phrase “Tally-Ho” is the huntsman’s cry when the quarry (pheasant or game) is sighted.

The Watson Family used Tor Lake for various outdoor recreational activities. Particularly swimming, boating, curling and horse riding around the lake edge and site. The family’s “Lady Of The Lake” punt boat which was built in Glasgow by Mr. George Geddes c. 1874 can be seen moored to the middle island of the lake in the c. 1877 Thomas Annan photograph above. Curling matches and tournaments were regularly held by the Watsons during the winter months when the lake was frozen.

The actual scale of the site is very impressive if you ever get the chance to explore it! The lake had a surface area of 1.1 acres and contained approximately 766,200 gallons of water. Between the 1960’s and late 1990’s Tor Lake (The Tally-Ho) was used by local teenagers as a popular swimming and hang-out spot. Unfortunately it was completely drained out when work began on the construction of the nearby Torhead Housing Estate.

You can still see the embankments that outline the shape of the former lake. The middle island is easy to identify as it is dense with laurel and rhododendron shrubs as well as birch trees that have self seeded over the years, making it difficult to navigate. The site is also very swampy during the winter months or after heavy rainfall. Therefore, if you do plan to explore it I strongly recommend that you wear good waterproof boots or wellies. There is no trace left of the former Boat House at the site and the only structure that remains is the concrete and engineering brick built Cistern/Valve Box. That had three separate chambers to filter out particles of dirt and debris from the water before it was piped down to the estate. Waste from the Cistern/Valve Box was fed into the nearby Overflow stream and subsequently drained into the Neilsland Burn. The Overflow stream still exits and bypasses the lake site on it’s southern side.

Written By

Hamilton Historian.

Terence (Terry) Murphy.

Ref: My Own Local Knowledge Of The Area and The John Watson Journals.

Curling At Tor Lake c. 1920’s.

The photograph above shows a curling match being held at Tor Lake (The Tally-Ho) on the Neilsland Estate c. 1920’s. The boat house can be seen in the background. Tor Lake was located at the southern end of the estate across from the Hamilton And Strathaven Railway. During the summer of c. 1934 reporters and press photographers flocked to the area after tales of “The Neilsland Monster” circulated.

On the left of the photograph is Jeanette Lucy Vickers (Watson) Jack who is the author of “The Neilsland Monster” story and she was the daughter of Thomas William Watson WS and Lucy (Hamilton) Watson, who were the owners of the Neilsland Estate. Jeanette is being steadied by the family chauffeur Mr Hutcheson. Thomas William Watson WS can be seen standing in the front row wearing a light overcoat. Standing behind him and slightly to his right is his son Leslie Dundas Watson and he is also wearing a light coat. Leslie was the brother of Jeanette and the father of Sir Simon Conran Hamilton Watson 6th Baronet of Neilsland and Earnock.

Written By

Hamilton Historian.

Terence (Terry) Murphy.

Neilsland “Universal Nature”.

It is no secret that Sir John Watson Bt of Neilsland and Earnock was a prominent freemason within the district and so too was his second oldest son Thomas William Watson WS. In fact, John Watson recorded in his journal that he attended a meeting of No 7 , Kilwinning Grand Lodge, in Hamilton, and witnessed his son Tom, being initiated into the mysteries of freemasonry on 24th February 1892. John Watson was also clearly interested in Ancient Egyptology as he had toured Egypt three times. The first tour was during 1877 and the second in 1894, both tours are recorded in his journal. The third tour was in February 1898 just months before he died!

Among the Ancient Egyptians the right-angled triangle was the symbol of “Universal Nature”, meaning God’s great handiwork and that he is the true creator. Greek philosopher Pythagoras received the symbol of the right-angled triangle from Ancient Egyptians during his long sojourn in the country. With it he learned the peculiar property that it possessed: The sum of the squares of the two shorter sides is equal to the square of the longest side-symbolically expressed by the formula, that the product of Osiris and Isis is Horus. In mathematics and trigonometry the equation is called the “Pythagorean” Theorem. This figure has been adopted in the 3rd Degree of Freemasonry, (The Master Mason Degree) and it is recognised as the Forty-seventh Problem of Euclid.

The forty-seventh Problem of Euclid is to the operative mason: a stonemason, bricklayer, builder, carpenter etc, necessary for constructing a foundation that is architecturally correct as established by the use of a square. Thus, a cornerstone can be laid! It is the mathematical ratio (The Knowledge) that allows a Master Mason to: “Square His Square When It Gets Out Of Square.”

We are all familiar with the Swiss Cottage area of the Neilsland Estate in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. But what many people do not realise is that there is a more esoteric and symbolic meaning behind it. Because the area has been purposefully laid out in accordance with the visual representation of the Right-Angled Triangle “Universal Nature” (the Forty-seventh Problem of Euclid), as mentioned above.

The Base represents Osiris, Who is the Male Principle or the Sun and in this situation the “Summer-House”.

The Perpendicular, Isis, Who is the Female Principle or the Moon and in this situation the “Swiss Cottage”.

And the Hypotenuse, Horus, Who is their Son or Product Of The Male And Female Principle and in this situation the “Infant Saviour Statue” commonly referred to as the “Little Feet”!

So, what does all of this mean?, you’re probably asking yourself. Well, it is a fertility blessing for the Owner Of the estate, Thomas William Watson WS. So that he and his wife Lucy would produce a son and male heir. Which they eventually did and that was Douglas Watson, the first born Grandson to Sir John Watson Bt. Both Thomas Watson and Sir John Watson Bt were Speculative Masons and were more engaged with the symbolic message behind freemasonry and the Forty-seventh Problem of Euclid. Which incorporates the ancient principles of the Divine Trinity, represented by the Masculine, the Feminine and the Offspring. With particular emphasis on the Ancient Egyptian Goddess Isis and “Fertility”.

The first tragic love story in history is that of Ancient Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. After Osiris was murdered, Isis became pregnant via immaculate conception. She gave birth to their son, Horus The Child, The Promised Child or “Infant Saviour”. The story predates Christianity, Joseph and Mary’s immaculate conception, with the Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus. In this situation and within our local landscape, the symbolic meaning of Osiris and Isis giving birth via immaculate conception is represented by “The Leap Of Faith” or crossing of the Bridge Path at the right angle, “Universal Nature”. Lines can be drawn leading away from the centre of the Swiss Cottage and Summer-House and they cross at a 90 degrees angle, this exact spot is the start of the Bridge Path.

The red dot on the above map clipping marks the location of the “Infant Saviour Statue”. The right-angled triangle or Forty-seventh Problem of Euclid within this setting does not have the exact dimensions corresponding to the equation (the sum of the squares of the two shorter sides is equal to the square of the longest side). This is because the original stone bridge already existed before each of the buildings and statue were built and positioned within the setting. However, the right angle or “Square” and general layout of the area were clearly established using the basic principles of the equation to convey it’s hidden symbolic meaning! The original stone bridge was curved and crescent-shaped. Like a “crescent moon”, known to symbolize womanhood and fertility. Isis is the Ancient Egyptian Goddess of Fertility and Motherhood. Her effigy was created twice over in the form of two statues (figurines) for John Watson, one of which survives and is still admired to this day.

The Watson Fountain is located at the “triangular” corner junction of Cadzow Street/Muir Street, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The central figurine within the fountain monument is the last surviving example of the Ancient Egyptian Goddess Isis, who was worshiped and used symbolically by John Watson, Coalmaster and Baronet of Neilsland and Earnock. The figurine originally held a miners lamp in her left hand and with her right hand held a miner’s pick, resting it against her thigh. Both items clearly represent the Mining Industry and as previously mentioned, Isis is the Goddess of Fertility. Fertility means: Productiveness, and Productiveness is derived from the word Productivity, which means: The effectiveness of productive effort, especially in “Industry”!

Written By

Hamilton Historian.

Terence (Terry) Murphy.

Ref: The John Watson Journals.

Chapel Street c.1966.

A snapshot in time showing Chapel Street in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland c. 1966. The photograph was taken near the Campbell Street junction. The focus of shot is the former pend close that led through Quarry Place to Quarry Street. A man can be seen looking into the close whilst walking behind two schoolchildren.

A small fish market was regularly held by the local fishwives who lived within the immediate area. They often gathered to gossip about the passing through drunken men who would conveniently relieve themselves by urinating against their front doors. I guess the drunk men were not only attracted by the “smell of fish” but perhaps felt that it would mask the smell of their urine, lol!

This entire section of buildings and nearly all of Chapel Street were demolished to make way for the New Cross Shopping Centre and multi story car park during c. 1970’s.

Written By

Hamilton Historian.

Terence (Terry) Murphy.

Lamb Street c.1965.

The above photograph shows Lamb Street during c. 1965. The street is located between Quarry Street and Leechlee Road near the top cross area of Hamilton Town Centre. The photograph was taken from the former Baird’s building (Soon to be Wetherspoons). Di McGregor’s building can be seen on the left advertising Corgi Toys, Sports Goods and Camping Equipment. The central focus of shot is the rear view of last houses at the end of Strathmore Road, towering above them in the distance is the Almada Tower and the County Buildings (SLC Headquarters). A woman can be seen pushing a pram, crossing the road and beaconing a small boy behind her to hurry up.

The corner of the “Small World” pub can be seen on the right-hand side of the photograph and it marked the junction of Lamb Street, Chapel Street and Quarry Street. Further along Lamb Street and within the same row of tenement buildings that included the pub was the then job centre ( known locally as “The Bru Office” ). This entire section of buildings and nearly all of Chapel Street were demolished to make way for the New Cross Shopping Centre and multi story car park during the c. 1970’s, which contained a “Fine Fare” supermarket.

Written By

Hamilton Historian.

Terence (Terry) Murphy.

R.I.P. Prince Philip.

It was announced earlier today that HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, husband to the Queen has sadly passed away. He was 99 years of age. May he rest in peace.

In the above photograph HRH Prince Philip is with the Queen and both are waving to the public from the balcony of Hamilton’s Municipal Buildings (Library & Townhouse) at Cadzow Street, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The Townhouse Offices were officially opened by the Queen’s grandfather King George V on 9th July, 1914. The Queen and HRH Prince Philip visited Hamilton on Monday, 29th June, 1953, just weeks after her Coronation. The visit was included within her tour of Lanarkshire. After an inspection of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), the Queen met with all the necessary dignitaries who were present and then attended a luncheon at the County Buildings in Almada Street.

Written By

Hamilton Historian.

Terence (Terry) Murphy.