History of the Mission Coast Home

[down south]

I've mentioned before an article on the Mission Coast Home and its history, and here it is now complete. It appeared in the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald ( http://www.ardrossanherald.com ) in 1974, the hundredth anniversary of the first construction work ( later extended several times ) on the building we know today:

http://i.imgur.com/024MD3T.jpg

At that time it was still active in its original purpose as a convalescent home for needy Glaswegians; but nowadays it's become an evangelical institute called Adelaide College.

We've just discussed here the datestone and inscriptions on the building :

http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... 558#p97558

which are part of the 1888 extension that commemorates the founders , James Smith and William Bryden; and there's also a little more of the history in the topic " Saltcoats biscuits " here:

http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... 678#p75678

Susan


THE HOME FULFILS ITS MISSION

One of the most prominent and most extensive buildings in Saltcoats, which has been taken for granted by generations of local people, but which few of them have ever entered, is the 'Mission Coast Home' in Nineyard Street.

The main part of the present building was opened a hundred years ago this month, and over the years about 150,000 men, women and children have been accommodated in the homes.

The Mission Coast Home was the benevolent brainchild of one man — James Smith. The legitimate forerunner of the concerned social worker of today, Mr Smith was an active campaigner for moral and religious welfare among the poorer people of Saltcoats in the mid-1800s and in 1853 he moved to Glasgow to take up work as a temperance agent.

Two years later he was appointed a church missionary in one of the poorest and most densely-populated areas of the city; and as he moved among the people he became convinced of the need for some means of providing them with change of air from the slums, especially those in failing health.

With the support of a group of selfless patrons, Mr Smith had the idea of providing free accommoda­tion at the seaside, with the beneficiaries paying their own train fares and food bills; although . it quickly became evident that in most cases the people were too poor to pay the costs of food and fares, so these were also provided. Many of those who benefited later repaid what they could afford, in gratitude.

Knowing Saltcoats, Mr Smith chose that town for his new venture. His father had died when Mr Smith was young, and the boy was taken under the care of Mr Bryden, a tailor and draper of Saltcoats, whose apprentice he later became. He formed a lifelong friendship with Mr Bryden's son, William, who succeeded to the drapery business, and was equally concerned in the success of the Homes.

In May of 1866, Mr Smith rented an upstairs room and kitchen in Kyleshill, Saltcoats, for the accommodation of six poor people at a time, and in the six months until October of that year, 156 persons took advantage of a seaside convalescence.

It is pleasant to record that Mr Smith acknowledged the gift by the National Bible Society of six Bibles, that Dr Kinnear, Saltcoats, gave attention and medicine free; that Mr Bryden, in Mr Smith's absence, took charge,ordered provisions, and showed the greatest kindness to the visitors; and that the proprietor of this newspaper provided free printing and advertising.

The Glasgow and South Western Railway allowed the poor visitors to the Home to travel at half-price.
Expenditure for food amounted to less than 3s 6d per head per week . . . and the inmates described their' fare as "eating and. drinking, of the best."

A couple of years later the Home consisted of eight apartments capable of accommodating thirty persons, and ten years after the scheme started, a thousand persons annually were enjoying the facilities.

The building erected and opened at the end of August 1874, consisted of a two-storey building containing a large dining room capable of seating 200 , and twelve bedrooms. This extension made it possible for ninety persons to be in residence at once.

The cost of the new building was £1150, and it was the generous gift of Mr Thomas Corbett, a merchant of Glasgow and London, whose son became the first Lord Rowallan.

Mr Smith retired from his mission work in 1870 and came to reside in the Home at Saltcoats, where he died in 1881. By his portrait, he looks at first glance a stern Victorian gentleman with receding hair and great bushy beard — but with deep-set, sad and haunting eyes.

Mr Bryden died in 1886, and in 1889 a memorial hall, lesser hall, and sixteen more bedrooms were added to the Home, replacing the original old cottages which had grown dilapidated. These new buildings were dedicated to the memory of Messrs Smith, Bryden and Corbett.

Other extensions to the Homes were made in 1896, 1903 and 1907. In 1918 Parkend Home was gifted by the then chairman of the directors, Mr Robert Headrick, in memory of his brother.

Officially the name of the homes is now the Glasgow and District Coast Homes, but to local people the old designation of the " Mission Coast Home " still persists, which would probably please James Smith.
Nowadays the Home is furnished as comfortably as a first-class hotel.; including central heating and television. It still relies on voluntary subscriptions for its upkeep.

[Penny Tray]

Susan,

Thanks, amongst other things, for drawing attention to the skills and generosity of Dr. Robert Snodgrass Kinnier.

I'm always interested in the origin of street names and it would seem reasonable to assume that Kinnier Road, Saltcoats, is deservedly called after this fine gentleman.

This is usually an honour reserved by Town Councils for their own elected members and I hadn't thought of Dr. Kinnier in this respect. I see now however, that his portrait once hung in the council chamber and I found a reference myself in the Glasgow Herald of 10 November 1886 to Doctor Kinnier being elected Senior Bailie locally.

[Harcourt]

Dear all

I haven't been able to access the article - would it be possible to repost the link? Apologies for my technical incompetence.

On another topic, my understanding is that Kinnier Road was named after Captain Douglas Kinnier DSC, the second son of Dr Kinnier. I'll try and dig out the letter.

Best wishes

Andrew Kinnier

[Penny Tray]

Harcourt,

The way Downsouth has compiled her original post gives the impression, I think, that if you click on the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald site you will find an 'article'. In actual fact all you get his the Herald's home page. All she was doing, again I think, was simply acknowledging the source of her information. In actual fact she has rerproduced the article in typed form below, beginning with the heading - THE HOME FULFILS ITS MISSION.

If I've misunderstood either you or Downsouth, apologies. Downsouth invariably posts only in the afternoon and will no doubt correct me tomorrow if I'm wrong.

In the meantime the reference in the Glasgow Herald to Dr. Kinnier that I mentioned is included in the following link under MUNICIPAL MEETINGS. Simply drag the 'guide box' to the yellow highlight.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=31 ... oats&hl=en" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[down south]

Greetings Andrew. And my apologies for confusing you with the Herald link. Penny Tray is of course correct, and it was just an acknowledgement I'd been advised to make to the newspaper as the original source; the article is the one reproduced here. I'll have to try to find a clearer form of words when I do this in future.

Susan

[Harcourt]

Dear Susan and Penny

Many thanks for your help - it's greatly appreciated!

As to Kinnier Road, sometime in 1931 Saltcoats Town Council built 4 streets, 3 of which were named after former provosts (Millar Rd, Smith Dr and Halkett Place) and the last one was named after Douglas Kinnier.

I hope this helps!

Andrew