Strathaven 
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Strathaven's Russian Princess

Greetings from Strathaven!

Some Views of Commongreen, Strathaven               

Bank of Scotland Buildings, Commongreen, Strathaven
1881 and 2004
"Nae man can tether time nor tide!
Had the Strathaven Conservation Order been in place this scene might'nt have been
so drastically altered.

Every picture tells a story! 

"Three weeks before he so unexpectedly passed away, Mr. Thomson and I had, in his house, a long talk about local weaving conditions during his boyhood. As I was leaving he drew my attention to a picture on the wall. It is a painting of the Commongreen and is signed "Andrew Taylor, 1885. In the background the tower of Avendale Church is a conspicuous object; in the middle distance the Royal Oak Tavern, Wellbrae, Vicarland (the Vicarage) and the Bank of Scotland buildings are shown in the foreground: yoked to a cart, is a horse with a bottle of hay lying in front if it. Mr. Thomson said the owner of the horse was Livingstone, the Darvel carrier, whereas Mrs. Hamilton votes for Pollock, a Newmilns dealer in young pigs. Error is now as good as truth. Even in the days of its flesh - peace be with the soul of the man concerned! - the biped possessor was less important than the quadruped possessed. For hours on end the horse stood like Patience on a monument. Exempt from the tyranny of the eighteenth century Kirk session, I suggest that this animal was a re-incarnation of Job. To the rising generation the Commongreen is pre-eminently a bus terminus . . ." John Brown, M.A. "Modern Strathaven, With Peeps at its Past", pp.65/66.

"Strathaven lies prettily at the end of a small ridge of eminences on the banks of the little stream of Pomilion, which runs through it, and divides it nearly into two equal parts, and contributes greatly to its cleanliness and comfort. It has the appearance of being a very old town. The houses in the old part of it are very much crowded together, and the streets are narrow and irregularly built. It is built in the immediate vicinity of the castle, which is now in ruins. No doubt the cause of the narrowness of the streets, and the crowding of the houses so much together, was, that the inhabitants wished to be under the protection of the castle. Though now in ruins, the castle is still a beautiful feature in our landscape. It is said to have been built by Andrew Stewart, grandson of Murdoch Duke of Albany, and must have been a place of considerable strength... Of late years, some excellent houses have been built, and new broad streets formed in the town. A number of neat small villas have been erected by some of the wealthier citizens in the neighbourhood. A few years ago, a number of the inhabitants formed themselves into a company to supply the town with gas, which seems to be succeeding well. Many of the private houses, and almost all the shops are lighted with gas; and it is expected that all the streets will soon be lighted in the same manner." The Third Statistical Account for Scotland, 1835. Rev.William Proudfoot, Minister, 

Boo Backit Brig

  Hamilton Advertiser: 5th September, 1914 
 Strathaven: 

Advertisements:  

Wanted: Board or rooms in Strathaven or vicinity, for Patient about to leave Sanitorium. Apply Bryson, Printer.

Mr. Thomas Rankin, L.D.S., Dental Surgeon, 66 Cadzow Street, Hamilton visits Strathaven every Tuesday, from two p.m. till eight p.m. Consulting Rooms - 14 Commongreen (Mrs. Robinson’s).

Email:-  rpc12437@hotmail.com 
            robert.currie3@btopenworld.com

http://rpc12437.tripod.com
http://strathavenrussianprinces.hostwebs.com/

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