The rise and fall of the Bundy

[Pripyat]

Hmmm? You're probably right, Id never heard of it (the first thing I thought of was Married With Children), although... I've been told the Bundy's territory was on the north side of the Brock Burn (with the Pollok centre being on the south)?

Wish you had,nt mentioned Married With Children.
Christina Applegate oops

Hazy, have a wee look at Would Ye!

[Armadillo]

I was always given to understand that Bundy in the gang context meant:

Boys United Never Die Young

Then again, what do I know - I'm from the Highlands, where we didn't have gangs.......

[cumbo]

I was always given to understand that Bundy in the gang context meant:

Boys United Never Die Young

Then again, what do I know - I'm from the Highlands, where we didn't have gangs.......

Dont know about that Armadillo the Campbells and Mc Donalds young team had a wee thing going for a few years

[Raymond]

There were Bundys at Bridgeton Cross and Parkhead Cross, both brick built affairs, now demolished. There was also a Corporation Transport office on Alexandra Parade at Aitken Street where drivers and conductors could have their breaks and which also acted as a Bundy. It was also a haunt for the dreaded Inspector. The last time I passed it was a restaurant.

[job78989]

The use of the bundy as a time keeper for the buses had stopped when I worked with them in the early 70's. There were still a few of the about until the mid seventies.

The entire bus network was covered in time keeping points with an inspector clocking the time that the various busses passed. I remember a brick built one at Peat Rd roundabout, just where they are widening the road just now. The others that I can remember are Eglinton toll, Cathcart Road, Botanic Gardens and Charing Cross. I distinctly remember that one as me and my driver got booked for running 1 minute early at 8.00am on Christmas Day 1973 or 74 and we both got a two day suspension for it.

Anyone remember any others?

[macca734]

According to this page (pop-up hell, BTW), there wre Bundys in

Castlemilk
Clydebank
Kirkintilloch
Pollok
Drumry
Pollokshaws

All bus termini?

Add to that Balornock, outside the shops opposite Broomfield Road where it comes down the side of Springburn Park and turns south towards Red Road. Not sure if there was a machine there though. The area was always called the Bundy when I was wee.

[viceroy]

The only bundy I can remember is the one which stood at the corner of Edinburgh Road and Springboig Road and the only reason I can remember it is because I once left a conductor standing there. For the full story read my GCT reminiscences on Glasgowken’s website [shameless plug].

It was never really clear to me what the point was of having these bundy clocks. The one I have just mentioned was around the corner from a terminus so I suppose it would have deterred you from leaving too early. But this was the exception and in any case there were only a few of them dotted about the transport system and you always knew where they were. So if you were running sharp all you had to do was hang back and by the time you reached the bundy and your conductor hopped off the platform to stamp his card you had no worries about being too early.

In fact the same strategy applied when you were approaching one of the timekeeping points. These were nearly all at busy junctions where there were a lot of bus routes passing through. I don’t remember any bundy clocks at these [except possibly Botanic Gardens]. Just some dick of an inspector looking at his watch as you went by, with an expression on his face as if he’d eaten sour prunes for breakfast. Sometimes they would stand short of the timekeeping point just to try and catch you out. Bastards!

[job78989]

I don't think that any of the bundy clocks were at termini. The one at pollok was at the 2nd stop on barrhead road heading into the city from peat road roundabout, where there was also a timekeepers box.

Most of the buses that passed this route had termini at points throughout pollok, priesthill, nitshill and southnitshill.

John

[Toby Dammit]

there were Bundys in

Castlemilk
Clydebank
Kirkintilloch
Pollok
Drumry
Pollokshaws

There was loads of "Bundy" graffiti all over Clydebank when I was young (back in super soaraway '70's), but as to their being part of an organised gang, or just some drunk aspirational neds is a different matter. Similarly, the "Young Mountblow Fleet" seemed to be just a few wee bored boys scribbling their names on the cornershop wall etc.

With the crazy explosion of the drugs market in Clydebank since the '80's though, things might be a bit different now.

[ramor69]

In my really early days, I stayed in Dykefoot Drive, which was pulled down after I moved on to make way for the Pollock Centre. I remember a swing park at the top of the street which as me old mum would tell us "Keep away fae that swing park cos The Bundy ur always causing trouble up there, you'll end up gettin' hurted".

I remember a bundy on Langlands Road. It was at the corner of Skipness
Drive, Where folks got off the bus to go to the Southern General Hospital via the underpass. There was also a brick bus shelter, (quite art deco), there which was always stinking of p**s.

[riot grrl]

Being a Pollok girl, I remember the Bundy on what became the site of the Pollok Centre. The Bundy had a bad rep amongst the gangs in the area, like really bad.

The Bundy at Pollok was given a facelift because the Queen drove past to open the National Savings Bank, but I remember the last days of the area known as the Bundy as increasing derelict blocks of flats with bricked up windows. Then we had the Pollok Centre and suddenly Pollok had supermarkets instead of the wee rows of scheme shops with their Co-ops and Galbraiths, not to mention the mobile shops. Mind you, the Tesco (as was) had the lowest spend per customer in the whole of the UK.

I think the Bundy fizzled out when the original scheme was demolished. I don't remember seeing Bundy graffiti'd on the bus shelters so much as the scheme was being emptied and demolished.

Maybe somebody owned the trademark, Pollok Bundy™©

[job78989]

Hi ramor69, I also remember the wee park and some of the fights at lunchtime between the schools. A damm good reason to end denominational schools now! I also remember the Bundy at the langlands Road Stop.


Hi riot grrl,

Also remember getting taken to the roundabout by St. Roberts school to wave wee flags at the queen. The Bundy did have a real bad rep in the area.

Nice to see two new members from the area participating in the forums.

here are a couple of links to other threads you may find interesting:

Rosshall Park

Waulkmill Glen

War Trenches

Welcome to Hidden Glasgow


John

[riot grrl]

Many thanks, John.

I did have a look at the Rosshall Park post and I really enjoyed the pictures. I loved the 'caves' and I remember we used to catch wee fish in the pond/lake, not proper fishing or anything, just scooping them up with a jam jar.

I also have to say that I loved the water tower pictures too, especially the photos taken from the one at Crookston Wood, which was in my area. Not as stunning in its architecture as the other water towers though. There was the big one on Priesthill too, could see it for miles. Quite a landmark.

[ramor69]

The remains of the Langlands Road bundy, kindly exposed by GCCs Parks Department.

[Dugald]

A worthwhile picture Ramora! Isn't it great the things on HG that can trigger thoughts of times belonging to a past. Here we have a couple of rusty stanchions standing in a wee park on the Langlands Rd. in Govan, reminding me of a time when I used, very frequently, the bundy clock that these posts once supported. Oh, I didn't use the clock while working as a conductor on a # 4 bus to punch a time-card; no, not at all, I used it as a young boy training for bicycle racing. I didn't possess a watch in these young days and I used the bundy to time myself. Of course, the bundy didn't provide me with an exact time, since I just noted the time from the other side of the road on my way out, but it was ideal for a young cycling enthusiast without a timepiece. Sometimes in the winter darkness it was hard to see the clock and I had to ride up onto the pavement, but it still worked. Good picture!