1996 West Hallside - Blantyre Project - Official History Archives, Lanarkshire

These photos were shared by Jim Leishman and show the former ‘West Hallside Farm’ on the outskirts of Blantyre in late 1996, early 1997.

Pictured 22 years ago or so is West Hallside Farmhouse. Whilst west of the Blantyre boundary, it was part of the former Estate owned by the Hamilton family.

The Leishman family rented the house as the plans for an emerging Drumsagard Village were held up by parliament. It was all green belt and the house nearby to the construction site was available to let.

The previous farmers had moved over to the owners Lothian farm.

Jim told me, “We stayed a couple of years before moving to Townfoot Farmhouse in August 1995. The house [West Hallside Farmhouse] was massive and freezing summer and winter. 11′ ceilings and very big rooms. Good for the kids, 11 and 12, to play about in the fields and sheds. We moved out just before the works started but I went back when I heard the farmhouse was not going to be a community centre or similar and it got bulldozed. It’s all changed now of course.”

Hallside House itself, once situated across the River from Calderglen was demolished sometime in the 1930s, leaving this farmhouse, which is picture being demolished in 1997.

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• Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said:
• Elizabeth Grieve Shame it’s been knocked down
  Arlene Campbell I lived in the street /houses built here on this site after it was demolished . Karen Sweeney Pauline Mossom bay willow court Gary Campbell
  I’m sure it was slightly later than 1997
  Gordon Mason The farm was at the end of our street when we moved in ’97, we were also told it was to be a Brewers Fayre. I remember when they took it down, and the farmyard was sold off as individual plots for housing, Bay Willow Court as it is now. East Hallside has also gone now, being built on by Bellway. Both farms had been built and rented out by the Duke of Hamilton’s estates, and were allegedly built from stone taken from the ruin of Drumsagard Castle, which stood on what the locals now call ‘Dog Hill’. There lies another porkie told by sales agents, some of whom alleged that the castle ruin stood behind what is now Walnut Gate. In fact that ruin was the old pit head for one of the Newton Collieries. No connection to Hallside House Paul, other than the name. It had its own farm, both being over the hill on the Blantyre side of Manse Brae, and owned by Prof Jardine of Glasgow Uni. Here’s a set of pics of East Hallside during demolition. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1475717922681828/permalink/1577129522540667/
  Sandy Wilkie Used to go down with a big van to the Lyle’s at West Hallside every afternoon to collect about 20 cans, each containing 10 gallons of fresh milk, to bring back to Bardykes to pasteurise and bottle before delivering around Blantyre doorsteps every morning AND evenings! The Lethams in East Hallside – where are the girls now?
  Gordon Mason Robert Letham still lives in Drumsagard with his wife and one of his sons. the other son is still local.
  Paul Wilkinson I don’t understand why we don’t force developers to retain these buildings, they are part of our country’s heritage and end up being nothing but a memory or as in a lot of cases not even that. East Hallside was a gorgeous building and I’ve said to Gordon before it looked older than it was so I could well believe that it had some old stone from the castle within in. It’s very sad that we continue to lose more and more of our local historical buildings.