Greyfriars memory
Canadian shares 1920s photo
A descendant of a former occupant of Uddingston’s Greyfriars House has sent the Advertiser a photograph of her family pictured there in the 1920s.
A Canadian relative of the occupants of the building in the early 20th century – also known as Clydeside House – contacted the newspaper after reading about housing plans for the site on our website.
Townfield Construction plan to convert the listed Clydeside House (Greyfriars) into nine flats along with a proposal for 20 houses within the grounds.
The picture was taken at Uddingston’s Greyfriars in 1921. Virginia Evans, of Creston in British Columbia, said the photograph, taken in 1921, includes members of her family outside the house with the gate to the walled garden in the background.
Mrs Evans’s great grandfather James Barr had bought the house from a James Cross. James Barr was a brother of John Barr, the first Provost of Ardrossan.
Referring to a supporting statement made by architects LBG Waterson, submitted with the planning application to convert Greyfriars house into flats, Mrs Evans said: “I am thrilled to find out someone ‘will be sensitive to the setting of the listed building and the wooded nature of the site.’
“I grew up with so many stories from my mum and grandfather about Clydeside House.”
Pictured are (back, from left) Mary Mcallister Mccallum (b 1900), Margaret Mcewan Mccallum (b1904), Isabella Barr (b1865), ‘Maggie’ Margaret Barr (b1866), and (front) ‘Polly’ Mary Barr (b1863) and Mrs Evans’s grandfather John Anderson Mccallum (b1897).
Townfield Construction Ltd’s plans, submitted last year, are still under consideration by planners.
Villagers had been concerned about the condition of the mansion following a fire in October 2013 in which the roof collapsed.
There was speculation that the cost of renovating the building would be “prohibitive”.
Built in the early 19th century, Clydeside House was renamed Greyfriars when Capuchin friars took it over in 1949.
South Lanarkshire Council’s head of planning and economic development Pauline Elliott said this week: “The planning application to convert the existing building at Greyfriars into nine flats together with the erection of 20 additional dwellings within the grounds has been the subject of extensive consideration and consultation.
“The planning service has now received responses from all consultees and is currently considering these. As a result, I am unable to confirm a Committee date at this time.”