Storm Ali crushes historic archway
Calls to save structure after tree smashes into it
An ancient archway that was once part of a magnificent mansion has been badly damaged by Storm Ali.
This week’s high winds caused widespread damage throughout Renfrewshire.
And the top of the archway that once formed part of the garden at the former Craigends House in Houston has been smashed by a fallen tree.
It is believed the archway is at least a couple of hundred years old and could have been part of the 15th century Craigends House, which predates the later mansion that was built in the mid19th century.
Jim Campbell, who is an expert on the house and the Cunninghame family who owned it, lives in Cunninghame Gardens where the arch is now situated.
He said: “By the time I got home on Wednesday it was dark and I never noticed it.
“The next morning I passed by and saw the tree had gone through the arch.
“It probably belonged to the first Craigends House, not the second one that was built in the 1850s.
“It quite important to us in our area.
“The original house was built in 1479 and the second house was built in 1857.
“That arch, we reckon, was not from the second house.
“There was a walled garden at Craigends which is now Crawford Road and the story is the arch was actually from the original house.
“It was moved when Cunninghame Gardens was built to commemorate the link to the family.
“They didn’t know the arch existed until they were clearing the area and found this arch on its own.
“It wasn’t know to have existed in the second house. Overgrowth had taken it over and nobody knew where it was.
“It must have been there before the 1857 house was built.”
The 19th-century Craigends House was rebuilt to a design by the architect David Bryce.
It was this building that replaced the structure which had stood since the 15th century.
The estate of Craigends had been in the possession of the Cunninghame family since 1477.
John Charles Cunninghame, 17th Laird of Craigends, was the last to hold that title when he died in 1917 without leaving an heir.
Mr Campbell now hopes that the factors of the estate where he lives will be able to carry out work to repair the archway. “It has to be repaired,” he said. “It’s very important to the local area.” For more information, visit Mr Campbell’s website www.craigends. co.uk.
Commuters faced major disruption yesterday after trains were cancelled from Paisley Gilmour Street station as lines were cleared of debris.
Replacement busses were laid on but many experienced delays in their journeys into Glasgow and beyond.
Services returned to normal in the afternoon.
Police officers were also forced to stand guard overnight in New Street as masonry fell from a building after being battered by high winds and rain.