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Prior to police personnel being able to purchase their own homes, Ayr County Council owned houses within the Burghs of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston in which they accommodated officers.

I wonder how many of these houses Threetowners can pinpoint. The streets would do fine.

As an Ardrossanite the obvious starting point would be two houses immediately adjacent to Ardossan Police Station in Harbour Street.

When I was a boy Sergeant Ivy Willet lived in one of them. Constable Willie McCrindle may have lived in the other. Constable McCrindle, I remember used to cut the grass at St Peter's RC Church on his days off. I often saw him as I passed in a bus. I think he emigrated to Australia in the mid-60s.

The two houses that were built on the site of the garden refuse dump in Clyde Terrace - and the two houses at the bottom of St Andrews Road - Jock Shearer lived in one of these.

Meg

Meg,

I remember both these locations and passed them on my evening paper round. Whilst officers came and went with promotions/transfers etc, I remember Constables George Brown and Charles Wardope in the houses in Clyde Terrace, and Constables John Shearer and Robert Biggar in the houses in St. Andrew's Road.

same street as me in Queens drive were two police houses, first was Joe Macaulay then next house to him was wullie stokes after stokes was Sargent Martin, Big Joe is a gent.

Unicornheart,

I remember those too. I delivered evening papers in that street to Mr. Byres and Mr. Cowan. Mr. Byres had the wee post office in Central Avenue and Mr. Cowan, I always remember, had fingers missing as a result of an accident, perhaps in the shipyard.

well i stayed next door to Danny byres , maybe i got Mr Cowans house? and Danny,s sister or in-law had drapers shop in central ave; and when i was a wean? i was her very first customer and she never ever forgot me which i thought nice.

Penny Tray wrote:As an Ardrossanite the obvious starting point would be two houses immediately adjacent to Ardossan Police Station in Harbour Street. When I was a boy Sergeant Ivy Willet lived in one of them. Constable Willie McCrindle may have lived in the other. Constable McCrindle, I remember used to cut the grass at St Peter's RC Church on his days off. I often saw him as I passed in a bus. I think he emigrated to Australia in the mid-60s.

This photo below shows the site of the police houses. It was taken on 27 January 2007, a few days after the houses were demolished. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo beforehand.


Willie McCrindle did emigrate to Australia and, as far as I know, is still there. Willie got a mention in this week's "Fifty Years Ago" in the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald. This is the link - http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... 662#p97377

George

In Stevenston, ther were two at the top of Keir Hardie Road on the right, and another two immediately round the corner on Hayocks Road just before the Ardchoille gates.

Many a time oor baw ended up in their gairdens. Try getting your baw back oot a polis hoose gairden withoot being seen

There were another two next to the old police station across the road from the 'Trust' pub.

I'm pretty certain there were two more on Lundholm Road too, halfway along on the right as you approached the ICI.

The two house up from st brendans church were police houses and if I remember right there was two in old raise rd and corner of mayfield rd.

Were there not two police houses on Parkhouse Road at the foot of Kirkhall Drive (across from the High Tide)? Unless my memory is playing tricks on me, one of my classmates, Linda Stevenson, stayed in one of them.

Peter,

I'm less knowledgeable with Stevenston than Ardrossan and Saltcoats but I think the three locations you point out are correct.

Lynda,

You're correct. There were two in Corrie Crescent, just along from St. Brendans. The other two you're thinking of were, I think, on the corner of Old Raise Road and Auchenharvie Road, just along from the junction with Mayfield Road. There were also another two immediately adjacent but their postal address was Kinnier Road.

George,

That's another correct location at Parkhouse Road.

There were also two in Links Rd .