hongchongphooey wrote:In response to the Rutherglen Church Tunnel I heard off people (including my gran who is a lifelong Ruglonian) that there was a tunnel going from there to the Clyde and legend has it Mary Queen of Scots used it before to escape capture once.
I dunno how true that part is but i'm pretty certain that under the cemetary there is a tunnel as i've heard it from various sources, would love to know if anyone knew anything more about this.
A friend of mine who grew up in the area (he's in his late 30's now) says he remembers as a kid there being problems with subsidence on Rutherglen Main St and within the grounds of the Old Parish Church - also a collapse - i believe in the vicinity of Greenhill Court - where a small area of ground dropped by a few feet.
He also told me that he and his pals played in the then semi-derelict town hall - apparently their spray-painted mentions still survive in the upper part of the tower stairwell! Also (more interestingly) that in one part of the basement there was a huge heavy wooden door which appeared to lead beyond the basement and under the street. He said the door was permanently locked though they tried for years to prize it open / kick it in.
Rutherglen's got such a rich and ancient history - way older and more significant than that of Glasgow - who knows what lies buried beneath some of it's older monuments. In the past the subsidence in Rutherglen has been attributed to mine workings - and this may be the case but I'd like to think there's more to it than that. Why? Dunno...just instinct!
As always - if anyone else can shed light...