Bridgeton Options

[Petrella]

Just saw your post Taurus as I posted Igrew up in Kirkpatrick St. And have many fond memories of the place, sadly all the old buildings have gone and the communities along with them to be replaced by a large Police station.The old back courts were just bare earth which a poor wee man from the Corporation had to sweep every day, there was a communal "midgee"where everyone dumped their rubbish and some went raking for luckies.A wee woman who always wore along fur coat down to her ankles used to come round singing and she would shout up at the windows "how's yer maw fur nylons" and many of us would throw coppers down to her I wonder if anyone remembers her I have some treasured photographs taken in the back court that I would like to post but I haven't figured out how to do it just yet

[taurus]

Great memories there Petrella,I lived in the next close to the Co-op,jst above the Wee Restaurant,do you remember that,It was very popular with the working men at lunchtime,queued out to the street,their mince and totties were famous.

[taurus]

I found out more info on my gg grampa's shop.It was around in 1903,so,no one is alive now that can tell me anything lol! He was in partnership with someone else called Charlie Parker,they had two other shops and when they split the business,he took the Bridgeton shop and I think expanded the business.Chances are,there are no other pics around.
His daughters married a Marshall and a McCrossan and one of them lived across from the graveyard!

tulip

I don`t know if i`m on the right track here Tulip,but our family were friendly with the McCrossin family in the 1950`s,they lived in Main St in a lovely red building near the pend through from Savoy St. Anyway,they had a shoe repair shop in Fairbairn St and I used to go there to get the taps put on my shoes for the tap dancing class.

[Petrella]

Thanks for jogging my memory Taurus I certainly do remember the wee restaurant in fact they catered for my wedding back in 1951 which was held in a three apartment my Brother in law played the saxophone and the piano.there were few fancy weddings in those days,everything was still rationed after the war even my wedding dress had to be hired from Jane Jove in Bath st.Do you remember the wee woman who used to take in washings in Marquis St.money was tight in those days and anything that earned a few pennies was worth trying,but there were many happy times and it's nice to remember them.Im not sure but was the name of the restaurant Hosie

[maryhillresident]

Just saw your post Taurus as I posted Igrew up in Kirkpatrick St. And have many fond memories of the place, sadly all the old buildings have gone and the communities along with them to be replaced by a large Police station.The old back courts were just bare earth which a poor wee man from the Corporation had to sweep every day, there was a communal "midgee"where everyone dumped their rubbish and some went raking for luckies.A wee woman who always wore along fur coat down to her ankles used to come round singing and she would shout up at the windows "how's yer maw fur nylons" and many of us would throw coppers down to her I wonder if anyone remembers her I have some treasured photographs taken in the back court that I would like to post but I haven't figured out how to do it just yet

That 'wee woman' was known as Hairy Mary, mentioned many times on here. She must have travelled all over Glasgow, as she frequented Maryhill all through my childhood there in the 50's. We often saw her sitting in a doorway with a bag of cakes or sweets, offering them to an imaginary companion. If she offered a passerby one and they refused she would curse like a trooper, but she was harmless.

[taurus]

Thanks for jogging my memory Taurus I certainly do remember the wee restaurant in fact they catered for my wedding back in 1951 which was held in a three apartment my Brother in law played the saxophone and the piano.there were few fancy weddings in those days,everything was still rationed after the war even my wedding dress had to be hired from Jane Jove in Bath st.Do you remember the wee woman who used to take in washings in Marquis St.money was tight in those days and anything that earned a few pennies was worth trying,but there were many happy times and it's nice to remember them.Im not sure but was the name of the restaurant Hosie

Yes the restaurant family were the Hosies. We were friendly with them,living directly above the restaurant. Mrs Hosie`s daughter Cissie lived in Marquis St,she was a darling woman,had 4 daughters and I played with them up their stair on the landing,that was the way of life,we made our own fun sitting on the stairs playing at buses or whatever fairytale we dreamed up. I know it drove the childless neighbours mad,all these noisy kids,well I know that in hindsight. Didn`t care back then ! There was a neighbour up the close facing us, Mrs Miller and she did the washing in the back yard washhouse for our next door neighbour,and I have a feeling thats what she did... took in washings. Of course my mum went to the steamie,she would never have had enough money to pay anyone to do our washing,but our next door neighbour nursed her invalid mother and kept the house for 2 brothers and her father,so there was plenty of money coming in to pay mrs Miller,and our neighbour was worn out anyway.I had a hired wedding dress too,in 1958,not because things were scarce but because we weren`t well off. I got it in a right grubby looking building in Stockwell St,but it was beautiful,pure white with a gorgeous row of pearls on the neckline and a huge satin bow on the back right down to the hem.
5 guineas it cost,so well worth it,I laugh when I see the thousands of dollars that get spent these days on wedding dresses and all the extras,I love to remember my bargain.It was sad when mrs Hosie sold up and moved away,she opened another restaurant down near the Arcadia pictures,we went there once when my dad was home on leave from the sea,it didn`t have the atmosphere and didn`t last long either.

[Melody]

Morning all, please keep these fabulous stories of Bridgeton coming. The east end never fails to be my favourite part of Glasgow. The names of the streets conjure up my childhood and going to see my fabulous Gran and Greatgran in to me that wee corner of heaven amongst the old blackened tenements and lovely, lovely people.

[Petrella]

Thanks maryhill resident Iwas actually hoping someone would have remembered her real name as I grew quite fond of her I remember going to Ayr for the day and being astonished to see her and her trademark fur coat wandering around but she was on her best behaviour that day and didn't give us either a song or abuse It was rumoured years later that she had sadly been found dead in a workmans hut can't remember where it was but it was another seaside resort she certainly did get around and she was a great old character

[*"McKean"*]

Billy Fullerton and the Brigton Billy Boys gang
My mother was born and grew up in Brigton. Told me of her Granny carrying an axe under her shawl during the catholic children's May Day parade. This was to fend of Billy Fullerton and his sick psychos from attacking the little children. Fullerton on behalf his evil billy boys was given a medal for beating up striking workers during the depression. There are still Scots proud of the poisoned beastie.

http://brigton-glesjack.blogspot.com/2008/...on-brigton.html

[**Murphy**]

I found out more info on my gg grampa's shop.It was around in 1903,so,no one is alive now that can tell me anything lol! He was in partnership with someone else called Charlie Parker,they had two other shops and when they split the business,he took the Bridgeton shop and I think expanded the business.Chances are,there are no other pics around.
His daughters married a Marshall and a McCrossan and one of them lived across from the graveyard!

tulip

Hi Tulip the Charlie Cater you are looking for is my dads uncle he lived at Connal street and they are defo not all at the graveyard haha my grans name was Florence but called dolly for reasons still unknown to me

[tulip]

Hi Murphy,yes,I think you might be right. We have Murphy's in the family and there was a Florence too.

Tulip

[jammydodger]

Hello all, I was born in 1949 and brought up in Dunn Street, we lived in the the first close at the corner with Dalmarnock Road, above the antique shop (McKewans???) and right opposite what we called the "american swings". So many memories, where to start?

At the close mouth there was a wee shop, we called it the dairy, where an old woman sold milk, jam, bacon and sliced corned beef, but not much else. Half way up towards Baltic Street was another shop, Polly's, much more modern, who sold sweeties, Irn Bru, and such stuff. We were right opposite the tannery, and close to Arrol's, a big works on the junction with Baltic Street, bridge builders.

We played out all day, whenever we weren't at school, playing in the street or the back court. No cars at all, we just played in Dunn Street if we wanted, used the tannery doors as goals. We played a sort of cricket in the back court in summer, a painted wicket on a wall, which was the back wall of a bakery in Dalmarnock Road.

We were right across from Dalmarnock gasworks, I remember the overhead crane on the go all day, there was a big accident one day, but I was too young then to realise what was going on.

It was tenement living, as many others have posted about. Toilet on the landing, but we were lucky, just an old woman and a childless couple on our landing, but that lavvy was freezing and dark at all times of year. Brigton then was swarming with bairns, we were lucky, just two children in a room and kitchen, plenty of my pals were 6 or 7 in a singlend.

I'm trying hard to think of stuff that might interest other visitors to this forum, failing no doubt. There was a strange old lady who used to feed the stray cats, I think she wore a fur coat, she laid out the cat food on the sill of a blocked up window near the close mouth.

We had a leerie all the time I was there, who lit the gas lamps in the street every night. I remember a horse dying in its traces right outside our close, might have been the coalman's, I remember it being "recovered", we hung out the window to see the action, maybe 1957? Horses were used a lot then, the coalman, the milkman, the rag and bone man. Some motor lorries went to the works, but really traffic didn't exist. The antique man had a fancy car that was parked outside his shop in Dalmarnock Rd. I can't remember any other local cars.

My brother and I slept in the bedroom, my parents in the bed recess in the kitchen, they were lucky, the coal range was going all year round in the kitchen, but that bedroom was freezing in winter. And noisy all year round, with the trams running along Dalmarnock Road all night, or so it seemed.

There were loads of shops in Dalmarnock Rd. There was a Coop across the road, I can remember the bacon slicer, and having to give our number every time I bought something. A pub called "Murrays"??? just next to the Coop, I was sent to fetch my faither out a couple of times. On our side of Dalmarnock Rd, a grocers (Galbraiths or Cochranes?) then towards the Clyde a bookies (illegal), a bakers (renowned for its broken biscuits, a penny a bag) then a sweetie shop selling the likes of fisherman's friends and walnut whirls loose out of big jars and then a butchers.

All demolished now, of course. We moved to Allan Street, Dalmarnock, in 1963, and then to Cumbernauld in 1971. I moved to England when I was 24, but have watched with horror the destruction of Glasgow's East End over the years since. Maybe posting on here will preserve some of what it was- just a brilliant place to grow up in.

I hope that this is all not too personal, I was just surprised at how few entries there were for Bridgeton, and felt I should post something before it's too late. It was a great place. I might post more in due course.

[possilboy]

hi all if you can get a copy of a book ah b/lang tae Glasgow its by a relation of mine john mcbarron its about his life growing up in your neck of the woods great reading cheers

[*fairbairnjohn*]

Please post your memories of this Glasgow district here...Bridgeton

Were you born here? Did you grow up here?
Did you visit your aunt here? ...or your children?
Was your first home here? Were your children born here?
Did you shop here? Was your favourite cinema here?
Did you go to church here? Was your favourite pub here?
Did you 'romance' here? Did you go to school here?
Do you have a photograph from here?

Come on let us know and immortalise your memories here...Bridgeton

GG.

Yes i was born in 1946, and brought up at 68. Fairbairn Street, just next to auld Tommy Mairs shoap, at the corner mrs chalmer's newsagents, then Adam's chippy round the corner, we had a pub called the Wembley bar at the corner of Baltic Street and Dunn Street, and the steamy in Ruby Street, not forgeting the tram depot across the road from it. we spent many a day playing with the trams, and on them hiding at the opposite end from were the driver operated it, the clippie would be running up an doon the corridor shouting come oan, gerraff ! in Dalmarnock Road we had the emporium, then a wee wireless shoap were we got our accumulators charged up so we could hear the wireless. then Joe Aitchenson's boxing club next door, and my uncle John's barbour shoap at the corner of Fairbairn Street opposite the auld church, which i believe is still there. naw we had great times living in Brigtin, the greeny, the dummy, were we played many hours of footy, cricket, rounders, kick the can, ah could go oan n oan, as ah loved the place.

[*Ann leishman*]

knew a Sid Ohara fae Bernard st, he married ma cousin Margaret in the sixties.

My gran was Sophie leishman and my 85 year old dad is Robert leishman from poplin street.