TIMES PAST Beautiful mansion’s unfriendly gargoyles
OUR recent story on Drumchapel history and heyday featured Garscadden House and mentioned its “Girnin’ Gates”. This sent Times Past scurrying down memory lane in a bid to find out why the elegant country mansion’s entranceway should have been given such an unpleasant name.
One story, told to our sister newspaper The Herald in 1994 by Eleanor Williamson, who had been born in the building, said the gates were so-called because there were little wrought-iron gargoyles at the side of the gate lodges. “These were rather bad-tempered little faces,” said Williamson. “When it rained, the tears poured from their eyes – hence the Girnin’ Gates.”
The gates are visible in our picture, which makes this part of Drumchapel look like a rural idyll – which it was, in 1949, when the photograph was taken. Countryside horse riders and walkers are enjoying a lovely Easter Sunday afternoon, ambling past Garscadden House which was built in 1789 for James Colquhoun, who was the laird of Garscadden. As this sad photo from our archives shows, it was eventually destroyed by fire in 1959. Children, the Evening Times said in breaking news that night, were believed to be responsible – they were certainly out in force the next day to watch attempts to save the grand mansion.
The 24-roomed mansion house was well alight when fire crews arrived, and within 30 minutes most of the roof had collapsed. The interior of the grand old house was destroyed. Do you remember Garscadden House? Get in touch with Times Past to share your stories and photos.