Memories of Stonehouse
By John H. Thomson (Aged 94) as told to Robert Campbell
In Stonehouse about the year 1895, five year old children were educated at Greenside School which consisted of 2 rooms, and since both teachers were ladies it became known as the Ladies school. The children were taught reading, writing and arithmetic, but when they were a little older they were transferred to Cambusnethan Street School or Townhead School, and additional subjects taught there were History and Geography.
In those days Stonehouse children were much poorer than the children of today. Often the families were large, and the boys seldom had more than one suit, and this was worn until it was really tattered. The girls wore long dresses, usually made of cotton, woollen stockings, and, like the boys, they wore boots.
Today in schools great care is taken of children’s health, and they are examined regularly by dentists and doctors. Long ago there were no visits from doctors and dentists and diseases like scarlet fever and measles, which are easily treated today, were very serious diseases indeed.
There were of course no cinemas, transistors, T.V., tennis courts, nor any of the things we take for granted today, but those children were usually quite happy. They played football, rounders, hide and seek, but the main game for boys was marbles, and some of the boys were expert. The girls, as might be expected, played at peever and with skipping ropes.
Many of the games were played in the roadway, but it must not be thought that the roads were as smooth as they are today. They were made with a mixture of earth and stones and everywhere there were large potholes. In wet weather, these filled up with rain and became sheets of water, which made walking very difficult. Some effort was made to remedy this, and cart loads of stones were spread on the roads and covered with earth and a steam roller used to flatten this mixture. This was successful for only a short time, and soon rain made the surface as bad as ever.
Much of the land in Stonehouse was owned by Sir Graeme Sinclair Lockhart, who lived in Cambusnethan Castle on the banks of the Clyde. His permission had to be sought before a house could be built.
Weavers had to work very long hours to make a profit. Lighting was by gas or by candle light which added to the difficulties.
Very few houses had inside toilets or running water. This had to be fetched by bucket from wells situated at Green Street, Wellbrae, and Lockhart Street. Later a water pump was installed at the top of Green Street and a washing house, where housewives brought their clothes to be washed in large tubs.
Heavy blankets were difficult to wash, but the housewives stamped hard on them with their bare feet for several minutes, and this seemed to be quite successful.
There were few pavements in the village and the streets were poorly lit by lampposts. At night a lamp lighter, as he was called went along the streets lighting the lamps with a long pole with a flickering flame at one end. The children were fascinated by this, and the lamp lighters usually had a crowd following him around.
And now for a surprise, there were many more shops in the village in those days than there are now. The list includes several grocers, fruit shops, bakers, butchers joiners, dressmakers, five licensed grocers and a chemist. In addition there were five shoemakers and four tailors in the village and they deserved the name because unlike today, they could make those articles in their own shops. Once every week a carrier left Stonehouse with his horse and cart to go to the markets in Glasgow. There he bought goods which were supplied to the Stonehouse shopkeepers. There were two blacksmiths in the village, and a tinsmith who made pots, pans, pails and sold these in his ironmongers shop.
Most of these shops were open for very long hours and on week days they closed at 8 o’clock in the evening. On Saturdays one grocer closed early at ten o’clock, and the remainder closed at midnight. It is