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Here are two terrific views by pupils from the Ardrossan Academy school magazine showing Harbour Street, Saltcoats in 1958; a little off the track of the Stroll, so I'm putting them in here.
The one looking down the hill is by Joe McManus; the view from the other direction by Rona Hadden.

A little before my time, and I don't remember it like this; by the early sixties as far as I remember, most of the old cottages had been demolished, and it was a while before much was built on the seaward side at least to replace them.So it's very much a vanished Old Saltcoats scene.

Susan

Susan,

The first view is likely to have been by Joel McManus, elder son of Provost Joe McManus. I'm not sure that he ever referred to himself of Joe but you never know? Joel became an art teacher himself on the Island of Islay before his tragic death in a road accident.

I continue to marvel at the number of students from the Academy who could produce high quality pictures in this style in that era. Also, your ability to keep producing them for the benefit of Threetowners.

I imagined when I saw the artist's name that he would have been a relative of Provost McManus. The caption does say "Joe " but that could easily have been an error in the office. Sad that he died before his time.

I needed a caption too to recognise Harbour St in the second picture, it was so changed by my day. Though I see the cottage with the shutters on the left is still there, and the old Landsborough steeple sticking up at the back is also a clue. I thought afterwards I should perhaps have put it in as another "where is this " puzzle !

Remembering the artistic talent of several of my own classmates, I'm not really surprised that the Three-Towns -and -beyond area could produce a few students from the senior forms each year who were this good. The illustrations didn't have a "local " theme every year, but suffice it to say there are still some more to come.

And since we're down by the Harbour, here's one more from the same year, 1958 ;a rather more familiar view this time, by Hector Lee. (Who I suspect from his name must be another one who came of a well-known local family ) .
Susan

Hi All
I remember Rona Hadden, who was the artist of one of your pictures. I went out with her for a couple of years in 1959-1960 when we were both at Glasgow School of Art. She lived at 6 West Doura Avenue and had two sisters. Her father had a chemists shop off the bypass. She taught Art for a while in Kilwinning, married an Italian (his name may have been Fabbri?) and moved to Maryhill then to Italy where they had a sizeable family.
She was a fine artist, and won a prize for some work for the St Dunstan's organisation for the blind, I think. Happy days, how time flies!
best wishes to all threetowners
Thomas Mann

Here are a couple of photos from a book in 'The Queen's Scotland' series printed in 1953.
The photographer credited is John Cameron.
Hope they're of interest!
Thomas Mann

Thanks very much for those interesting pictures, Thomas. The Saltcoats one is of course Quay Srreet; very much changed now, except for the Town Hall steeple in the distance. The Stevenston one I don't think I've ever seen before; must be the High Kirk, but I'd better leave it to the Stevenstonians to decide where that arch may have been that it's taken from.

Thanks too for all the information about Rona Hadden. Here's another illustration by her that some may well recognise, because it was used to introduce the Primary Pages in the school magazine for quite a few years in the late fifties and early sixties:



And while we're about it here also is an advertisement for her father's chemist's shop. Not somewhere I knew, because it was out of the town centre, part of the parade on Old Raise Road. I believe there still is a row of shops there, though whether the building is the same one or a newer replacement others will know better than me.
Susan

Susan
thanks for the Rona Hadden illustration, I hadn't seen it before, and for Mr Hadden's advert.
I remember the bottom of Quay Street looking very much as in the Saltcoats photo.
As Architects we were at one time involved in a comprehensive redevelopment scheme for the whole of The Braes area which fell through, sadly.
I seem to remember there was a ruin in the centre of Stevenston and a bit of garden, perhaps the other photo was taken from there.
I've no news of the Hadden family except that Mrs Hadden was still living in 6 West Doura Avenue in about 1982!
regards
Thomas Mann

An amazing photo of Stevenston.

I'm pretty sure it was taken from the old mill building in the Millen' which was the shortcut from Townhead St, opposite the Post Office, and led up past Begbie's dairy to Millhill Rd. The old mill which overlooked the burn and faced up towards the Kirk, is probably one of my earliest memories. It would have been demolished just after the war.

JD.

Here's a nice photo of Rona Hadden, who was the artist of one of the previous pictures. This photo was taken at Largs at the yacht slipway in front of the Marine & Curlinghall Hotel in about 1959 when I was teaching Rona to drive in her Austin-Healey Sprite BGM256. She was a student at Glasgow School of Art and still living in Saltcoats.
The last news I had about her was that she was living in Italy,
Thomas Mann