Local man Willie McClelland messaged me recently saying, “I was born in 16 Sydes Brae, first cottage on the right going into the yard. Hoping some readers may have a photo of the house in previous years. Hoping that you might have a photo of the four white posts that used to sit half way up the Brae, they once supported the ‘sidings gates. I am sure that’s where the name Sydes Brae or sidings brae comes from.”
In this photo from the late 1970’s, it appears to have been taken from the little field that sat between the manse and Wilkie’s field looking onto the start of Sydes Brae. Willie told me, “Across the road is my pals old house. (Loadfoot).They were the Lyon family. Sadly they had a compulsory purchase order placed on their home and moved to Auchintibber Court opposite the industrial estate. To the left of the Lyon’s house is McNaughton’s yard and then slightly out of view was McDonald’s scrap yard which sat right on the corner. Behind the Lyon’s house you can see the site offices and the construction of the current East Kilbride Expressway.”
To the left you can see the flat roofs of the Jerusalem houses with the county buildings and Hamilton College prominent in the background.
