2012 Calderside Farm by Jim Brown
Pictured here in 2012 is Calderside Farm in Auchentibber. Located in Blantyre Parish, the farm sits high up on the fields just off Calderside Road and commands impressive views of both Blantyre and East Kilbride.
In trying to find out when the farm was built, unfortunately Roys map of 1747 just ends at the field where the farm stands, so I could not confirm it’s existence back to that date. However, Jim Cochrane, whose family lived at Calderside, told me the house dates back to 1825, but the buildings around it are older dating between the 1600’s to 1747.
The first solid evidence of the farm in history, i found myself is 1859 where not only does it appear on maps of that era, but there are also some good descriptions of it and the nearby area.
It is described then as “A good Farm Steading. The property of G. Anderson Esqr. of Springfield. There are Cement Kilns about 12 chains north of this Farm. Coal, & a stone used for making cement are found on this property.“
This 1859 map puts the farm into context. On the 16th September 2014, I was contacted by Jim Cochrane who shared with me, some photos of the farm taken between the 1930s and 1950s. Jim is related to the Marshall family who owned the farm at that time.
Interested in the comment about nearby kilns, the 1859 description is as follows, “Five brick Kilns, on the side of the Parish Road, about 12 feet high &open on the sides, next the Road. They are used for burning stone to Ashes, which are afterwards ground in mills in Glasgow, for the purpose of producing Roman Cement. The stone used is got by mining. (Mine written on Trace 6 , XVII-1). There is a row of dwellings opposite the Cement Kilns which has no name.” These Kilns were on the land that is now occupied by Calderside scrapyard, across the road from modern homes.
Interestingly, in the opposite field is Campknowe, the conical circular hill fort site dating back to 2000BC. In the farm fields at this location, flooding often occurred. The description in 1859 goes on to say, “A piece of low wet land at the bottom of “Camp Knowe” , in an arable field on the Farm of Calderside. It is at present sewn with corn, & may be considered as arable ground, being only flooded in winter, & then can at any time be drained by means of a sluice which empties it into a Stream that enters the Rotten Calder. It is principally kept for Curling in Winter. The Surveyed edge cannot now (June) be defined.”