Cranhill
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[edit] History
Cranhill is a housing estate in the east end of Glasgow. Like many similar publicly-funded 'schemes', it was built in the early 1950s on the outskirts of the city to alleviate the post-war housing shortage. However, unlike the 'big four' schemes, Easterhouse, Drumchapel, Castlemilk and Pollok, Cranhill was relatively compact, with High Carntyne to the west (separated by Ruchazie Rd), Springboig and Carntyne to the south (separated by the A8 Edinburgh Rd), Queenslie to the east (separated by Stepps Rd) and Ruchazie to the north (separated by the Monkland Canal, now the M8 motorway). Most of the streets were named after Scottish lighthouses and include Startpoint St, Lamlash Cres, Toward Rd, Skerryvore Rd, Gantock Cres, Strone Rd, Crowlin Cres, Monach Rd. Longstone Rd is an exception, Longstone being located in the Farne Islands (almost Scotland?). The main street, running east-west through the scheme, was Bellrock St.
[edit] Housing
The housing stock consisted mostly of four-storey tenement blocks divided into common 'closes', each with eight flats with the end close in each street called a "T" close with 4 flats. Other types included three tower blocks, locally known as 'the multis', a number of terraced maisonettes and a variety of pseudo sandstone (concrete blocks) four-in-a-block cottage flats.
Most of the flats were typical family accommodation of the time, containing a kitchen, bathroom/toilet, two or three bedrooms and a living room. Many of them had balconies or verandas overlooking the street and all were a vast improvement on living conditions in the old Glasgow slum tenements. For many of the families who moved in, this was their first access to green fields and nearby farms, and the playing areas were paradise compared to the rat-infested back-courts which the children had formerly suffered. Nevertheless, a favourite play area was the 'Sugarolly Mountains', substantial hills made from chemical tailings dumped by the side of the canal on the site now occupied by the high flats (and featured in the lyrics of Jim Diamond). No-one knew what they were made of, but the rainwater puddles were green! Even the canal itself was an attraction, given that the next-nearest 'recreational' water was either at Alexandra Park or Hogganfield Loch
[edit] Amenities
As the scheme became established and the community grew, amenities were put in place. Bus routes were extended through the scheme to make it easier for people to travel for work or pleasure, to the City Centre or the nearby shopping areas of Shettleston and Dennistoun. Other basic needs were served with the establishment of three local shopping parades.
As well as the shops, local people were served by mobile street traders with vans and lorries selling foodstuffs, in the late evenings one could hear the cry of the bread van man shouting "Roell", coal and paraffin oil, sweets and soft drinks, ice cream and even fish and chips. Candy apples and 'whelks' (actually periwinkles) could be obtained while rag-merchants would shout 'any old rags'from horsedrawn or hand carts. Today, the only surviving mobile service is the 'ice cream van', a service whose darker side erupted in what came to be known as the "Ice Cream Wars".
The first primary schools to be erected were small metal constructions but, at its peak, Cranhill had four primary schools: Lamlash Primary and St Elizabeth Seton RC (originally St Modans RC Annex) and the larger brick-built Milncroft (including the Toward Rd annex) and St Modans RC. Milncroft was demolished in 2006.
As the children grew older, local secondary schools were needed, the first being Lightburn Secondary across the Edinburgh Rd in Torphin St, Carntyne. With the construction of Cranhill Secondary in Startpoint St, the Torphin St building became St Gregory's RC Secondary to meet the needs of the Roman Catholic population. Some time later, a new St Gregory's was built on waste land at Crowlin Cres in Cranhill and the Torphin St was renamed again, as St Andrews RC Secondary. At its peak, Cranhill Secondary had a roll of some 1300, but both secondaries in Cranhill were razed in the 1980s and replaced by private housing estates.
Two churches were built: Cranhill (Church of Scotland) Parish Church and St Maria Goretti's RC Chapel. There were two Boy Scout troops, the 68th Glasgow and the 158th Glasgow, a Boys' Brigade troop, Brownies and the Girl Guides. The Tenants' Association provided an early focus for social events and a Community Centre was opened around 1980.
Cranhill Park was built in the centre of the scheme and became the heart (and lungs) of the community. It featured a nine-hole pitch-and-putt course (famous for the its sloping terrain), tennis courts and a bowling green. An annual carnival was held, with a visiting fairground and food outlets. A favourite amongst local children was free miniature loaves of bread distributed by a local bakery.
The Cranhill Credit Union was set up by John Kerr, Ellen Kerr, Helen Kane MBE and other committed members of the community in the late 1970s. This was modelled on Scotland's first credit union, the Western Credit Union (now Drumchapel Credit Union) established by Bert Mullen in 1970.
The Cranhill Arts Project, possibly better known to more non-residents than to locals, goes from strength to strength, but the most famous local work of art is the Cranhill Water Tower, at the corner of Stepps Rd and Bellrock St. One of several huge elevated storage tanks built to provide high-volume, high-pressure storage, Cranhill Water Tower is unique in having a square concrete tank, in contrast to its cylndrical neighbours in Garthamlock and elsewhere. At night, the whole magnificent edifice is illuminated a vibrant green, with white spotlight lights shining from the base of the tank down to the ground.
[edit] Celebrities
Cranhill has produced its share of celebrities including Angus Young and Brother Malcom who found stardom after they moved to Australia and formed the band AC/DC, footballers Jim and Joe Smith of Newcastle, Aberdeen and Scotland, Kenny Aird of St Johnstone, comedy actor Gerrard Kelly. Possibly the most famous is actor Billy Boyd of The Lord of the Rings. Pat Nevin, soccer pundit and former Scotland, Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell player, attended St. Gregory's Secondary School.
Other than the celebrities, many Cranhill kids have moved on. Anita Healey, from Newhaven Rd, owns West End Auctions and has appeared on ITV's auction show 'Flog It'. Ron Thomson, from 273 Bellrock St, is a lecturer at Glasgow University while Drew MacFarlane, from 271 Bellrock St, is a senior officer in Equity, the actors' union.
[edit] Cranhill today
Most of the original housing stock has been demolished to make way for 'back-and-front-door' houses and a private housing scheme and supermarket now occupy the site of the former Cranhill Secondary School. However, the original flats are retained in some of the streets around the Park, as are the shops at Lamlash Cres. A new school is currently under construction on the old St Gregory's RC Secondary site. The Community Centre has been replaced by a children's centre called 'The Beacon'.
The 'backfields', with their helter-skelter and a hangout for kids 'dogging' lessons, is now a construction site for semi-detached homes. Unfortunately, the Park today is in a dilapidated state, highlighted by the partial collapse of the pitch-and-putt green over a decade ago.
