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East Kilbride

PostPosted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 9:30 pm
by Caltonboy
I thought it would be nice to start a thread on it, its history and origins and design ect. feel free to contribute.

I allways get lost in those blasted roundabouts by the way ::):

PostPosted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 10:08 pm
by Caltonboy
I found this interesting web site -

http://eastkilbride.org/info/

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 7:37 am
by scooter
i live in East Kilbride. Have you been there? Why on earth would you want to start a thread on it. its pish.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:56 am
by Fossil
scooter wrote:i live in East Kilbride. Have you been there? Why on earth would you want to start a thread on it. its pish.


::): ::):

fossil

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:14 am
by Vladimir
Have any of you ever been to Barrhead, its even pisher ::):

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:16 am
by fergussmith
It may well be pish but in the 1950s it was the future, and Glasgow was very much the past....
Glasgow was (in)famous for sub-standard housing, while East Kilbride offered an escape route for thousands of aspirational skilled workers - draining Glasgow of talent.
Not much of the architecture is of any great merit - but a few buildings have stood the test of time, for example the Dollan Baths (now sadly messed about with)

http://www.c20society.org.uk/docs/building/dollan.html

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 10:33 am
by scooter
i'm well aware of the history of good old EK. it bored me to tears in geography lession in school. still pish.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 11:13 am
by Vladimir
You could be right. This photo of some tenements in the 50's shows how bad it was. Mind you, a bit of cleaning up and creation of green spaces would probably have been an option instead of demolition for a lot of streets. New Towns were just a fashion, a bit like the 'Luxury Flats' of today.

Image

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 11:27 am
by scooter
yeah i agree. the 50's to 70's architecture of EK leaves a lot to be desired today. It is shocking and a lot of the town is in need of a big 'spruce up' together with the 'wonderful' town planning of underpassess everywhere (ned magnets). EK is pish, as i said.

When you think of areas like lauriston in glasgow (and many others) which were totally demolished, which could have been refurbed its a real shame.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 11:42 am
by Vladimir
The modernist architecture inst all that bad. Its just percieved to be bad these days (due to fashion again). This...

Image

...is what the public likes. Mock English tudor plastic houses. That coulour of tiles is not common to Scotland, and brick was very uncommon until fairly recently. These are southern English/Dutch type houses, im surprised there are no planning laws agianst this construction style. It could have been even worse 8O

Image

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 1:49 pm
by Apollo
On a different note, I had relatives who couldn't believe their luck when they got a house move from Easterhouse to East Kilbride (guess late 60s) and have stayed there ever since. One of there flock is in Stewartfield, though I'd add others have flown as far as Canada, though Inverkip, Stirling and Paisley have some too.

Even though I visit them, not living there myself, I find navigating around the roads a nightmare if I miss a turn on my memorised route, all the roads and roundabouts really do look the same to an occasional visitor on the move.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:00 pm
by Schiehallion
The Whirlies 50 years ago - when life was a bit quieter...

Image

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:17 pm
by Alycidon
Excellent photograph!! Wot no dodgems!

Does anyone know where Mavor and Coulson's Foactory was in EK? Reason for asking is that there is an entry in the database of closed railway lines
"East Kilbride to Mavor & Coulson's Siding (Caledonian) 24-Jan-1966 "

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 4:05 pm
by Pgcc93
Alycidon wrote:Excellent photograph!! Wot no dodgems!

Does anyone know where Mavor and Coulson's Foactory was in EK? Reason for asking is that there is an entry in the database of closed railway lines
"East Kilbride to Mavor & Coulson's Siding (Caledonian) 24-Jan-1966 "


There was a siding into the former Radio Times factory in Hairmyres could it be that?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 5:51 pm
by Alycidon
There was a siding into the former Radio Times factory in Hairmyres could it be that?


Could be in that area Pgcc93, I remember the parcels vans sitting there while passing on the road to Troon. Mavor and Coulson was an engineering business though, making cutters for the coal mines and other heavy engineering stuff, some examples of their product at http://data.scottishscreen.com/film/index.php?page=31&offset=1200 pity the films aren't available to view online.

JBH