Ardrossan - On This Day In History

[down south]

12TH JULY 1924

ARDROSSAN-BUILT SHIP SINKS

The SS " Lismore " of the City of Cork Steam Packet Company which sank off Wexford on Saturday ( 12th July ) with the loss of 17 crew, was built at Ardrossan this year.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 18th July 1924


12TH JULY 1969

On this day , Ardrossan Round Table held the first of several annual Donkey Derbies at Laighdykes Playing Fields:

You can see some pictures of the event here.

Susan

[Penny Tray]

GLASGOW HERALD
14 JULY 1903

SOUTH BEACH GREEN

At the usual monthly meeting of Ardrossan Town Council - Provost Young presiding - the minutes contained a letter from Lord Eglinton regarding South Beach Green, Ardrossan, which the Town Council wished to take over if his Lordship's terms were acceptable to them.

The Commissioners offered to erect an embankment along the beach which, they held, would be sufficient to ensure its preservation. Lord Eglinton, however, stipulated in his letter that the proposed wall in order to be efficient must be of concrete with concrete toe at base and concrete cope at top.

The Commissioners, on the other hand, were satisfied that the scheme suggested by them was amply sufficient to arrest the present slow destruction of the beach, and they were unable to agree to his Lordship's proposal, which would involve them in much greater expenditure than circumstances called for.

The meeting therefore declined to take over the South Beach Green on the conditions laid down by Lord Eglinton, but was willing to reopen negotiations if his Lordship modified his demands.

[ardrossanrentboy]

I'd like to follow up this story Penny Tray, do I need to subscribe to the Glasgow Herald's Archives ?

[Penny Tray]

Wealth of information on the following link, including 'old' Glasgow Heralds -

http://news.google.com/newspapers

[down south]

17TH JULY 1972

A compulsory purchase order for the houses of Vernon Terrace, which used to occupy the stretch of Eglinton Road between Eglinton School and the corner of Dalry Road. Both the school and the houses were to go ,to make way for the Eglinton Square housing development.

A year later, this further advert appeared in the Herald, seeking offers for a proposed shop to be included in the development. I imagine that will be the one that now stands on the corner of Dalry Road and is known as Alpine Stores ?

There used to be a shop there of course, an off-licence in my day; it was housed in the Old Toll House, which I would guess must also then have fallen victim to the redevelopment. For anyone with a copy of the McSherry's book " Old Ardrossan ", there's a picture of it in there, which also shows a bit of Vernon Terrace.

Susan

[Meg]

Susan, the shop was called The Toll, and was operated by my grandmother's sister Maggie and her husband, Frank Brand. The old shop used to front onto Eglinton Road. From what I remember, he had a Penny Tray!!!! My mum was born in Alpine Terrace, and my two brothers in Vernon Terrace.

Meg

[mcgrattan]

Two photographs of the Toll Store in Vernon Terrace an one of the building of Alpine Stores in July 1974.

Tom McGrattan

[Penny Tray]

McGrattan,

Rare glimpses of a house in Vernon Terrace, albeit the gable-end, and also Ardrossan Gasworks.

Captain Campbell also included the "Toll" in his book of poems. Oh for a Luckybag!

LUCKYBAGS

Whit will I dae wae it? I'll let ye see!
Why ask me a question so droll?
There's only ae richt wey tae spend a bawbee,
That's on luckybags up at the "Toll."

I'll intae the coonter as sherp as can be,
As if there wis de'ils on my track;
An' doon for a luckybag plank my bawbee,
An' ask for a ha'penny back.

Some weans spend their siller on terrible trash,
On liquorice stick or cheugh jeans;
Wae sic daft carry-ons I ne'er bother my fash,
It's leevin' faur oot o' yer means.

In ae luckbag there's mair value tae me
Than a toffee pock fu' as ye'll pack'
Baith sweeties an' toys for a single bawbee!
An' forbye a hail ha'penny back!
When I am a man wae ma pooches sae fu',
That ilk penny is burnin' a hole,
I'll spend them the same as I'm dae'n e noo,
On luckybags up at the Toll.

[bobnetau]

Susan, the shop was called The Toll, and was operated by my grandmother's sister Maggie and her husband, Frank Brand. The old shop used to front onto Eglinton Road. From what I remember, he had a Penny Tray!!!! My mum was born in Alpine Terrace, and my two brothers in Vernon Terrace.

Meg

Meg, we stayed in Vernon Terrace till I was 8 . We were in the house right next door to the Toll.that was my bedroom window on the ground floor in the first picture.

[down south]

Fascinating to discover all these connections you have to Vernon Terrace and surroundings!, a place I'd never really given much thought to from those days to this. And many thanks for those great pictures, Tom.

Susan

[down south]

23RD JULY 1923

Some splendid additions to our roster of Famous Visitors to the Three Towns ( see this topic ), even if they did only pass through :

The filming of the picture drama " Bonnie Prince Charlie " at Whiting Bay has provided much attraction for visitors to Arran. The leading players, Ivor Novello and Miss Gladys Cooper, crossed from Ardrossan to Arran on Monday. ( 23rd July )

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 27th July 1923

Not the first Novello to visit the area, either, I recall; see here.

Susan

[down south]

25TH JULY 1924

Here's an interesting past feature among Saltcoats' summer attractions...outdoor dances. ( Well, they always say the weather was better in the summers of yore... )

Glasgow Fair has made Ardrossan and Saltcoats very busy; there are large camps of tents all the way up the North Shore;three steamers left for Belfast and three for the Isle of Man; there were no special sailings to Arran. Many thousands of day trippers have arrived at Saltcoats, where the usual outdoor dances have ben held at the old harbour.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 25th July 1924

And open-air dancing wasn't unknown in Ardrossan too, as this later Herald Files report describes:

Open-air dancing sponsored by Ardrossan Town Council on the tarmac adjoining the putting green pay box has proved very popular with holidaymakers and locals, large crowds attending the dances.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, 6th August 1948

Susan