1931 Warnocks Laun at Broompark Road
Pictured here in 1930 is Warnock’s Laun (Land), a tenement building in Broompark Road. Today with receipt of these higher resolution images from Gordon Cook, some more information came to hand about what life was like living there.
Mr Andrew Reid was born in this building in 1909. His account of his childhood days at Warnock’s building reads exactly as follows,“Our home consisted of one large room 15 feet by 15 feet with two ‘box beds’ and one large ‘shop window’. It was on the ground floor at the front of a tenement building consisting of thirteen other houses. Three of these houses were ‘butt and bens’ i.e. a room and a kitchen, the other ten, like ours, were ‘single ends’. We had no running water, no kitchen or sink, no gas or electricity.”
1931 Warnocks Laun at Broompark Road
“With 14 families living in the building ― i.e. over 100 persons ― there were always plenty of children around. We had no lack of playmates. The trouble was there was no place to play ― no public parks or play areas then, we had only the back wash green and that was utilized almost every day. If we dared play on it we were soon chased. The only place to play was at the gable end or on the main street. Since there were very few cars then, mostly horse and cart then, the street was comparatively safe, but it was rough whinstone ― no tar made roads then. The road was always very dusty and it was a great delight to us in the summer when the water cart came round twice a week to lay the stoor (dust). This was a huge tank, shape of a barrel drawn by horses and a fine spray of water gushed from the back. And we would follow the cart in our bare feet, getting the cool spray of water.”
I’ve previously investigated Warnocks Laun, its history, construction and residents. If you’re interested you can read more here. https://blantyreproject.com/2015/03/12/1881-springfield-place-warnocks-laun/