Let’s hop over the Blantyre Parish Boundary again into Cambuslang Parish with a photo that may be a familiar sight. These are Loanend Cottages on the Flemington Road.
The Robb’s Flemington Farm pictured in the background. Pictured from the top of the former Bing, upon first glance there is something odd you’ll notice about these homes. They aren’t actually all homes, some of them are cowsheds! This is 1975 and the original photo pictured by Drew Semple has also been recently colourised.
These had been houses originally since their construction around 1909. However, in 1968/69, Robb the farmer at Flemington bought the cottages from the coal board. He knocked out the centres to make byres and feeding areas for his cattle. He kept one building of two semi-detached houses and converted it into one house for a worker, George Mare and his family. This was at the Flemington side of the rows beside the former Colliery managers’ house. You’ll notice the cows coming in and out in this photo.
Not so long afterwards, the farmer sold off the cottages separately to private owners, with the central dividing walls reinstated to create individual homes again. Today, the desirable cottages are beautifully kept and home to many families. Whilst a little out the way, the residents currently enjoy excellent views of the surrounding fields, with abundant wildlife and very little trace of their 1970’s use.
Does anyone know when the bing at Loanend Cottages was reduced in height. It appears quite high in the photo above “History of Loanend Cottages”, but it’s now lower and nicely wooded, rather than a bare slag heap.