Stroul Lodge, Clynder, Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire

[rjfhouston]

Hi there
I lived in the middle flat of this fine building with my family from 1960-62. If anyone would be interested in my recollections of 50 (!) years ago, I'd be pleased to post them.
Regards
Ralph

[Russell]

Hello Ralph and welcome to TalkingScot Its great when a topic is picked up by a newcomer. They can often add unique information to a topic and expand a thread. Although we are primarily here for genealogy enquiries any information which adds to understanding of places and people is greatly appreciated. Your kind offer will flag up in the e-mail boxes of the previous contributors and alert them to your post.
I wonder if our search box can pick up topics which might be of interest to you.

Russell

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings Ralph, from New Zealand.

Per chance, have you ever lived "on the other side" eg of the loch ?

Roesneath / Clynder

Alan SHARP.

PS. I also see that on RootsChat, at this time, someone is asking for information about the three "Wellcroft" & "Wellcroft House" at Helensbrugh. 11 Glasgow Street, 80 John Street, 115 Princess Street.

[trish1]

Hi there
I lived in the middle flat of this fine building with my family from 1960-62. If anyone would be interested in my recollections of 50 (!) years ago, I'd be pleased to post them.
Regards
Ralph

Hello Ralph

Always exciting that looking for one's ancestors can find someone in the same place about 100 years later - coming from the otherside of the world I am always happy to hear about the places where my ancestors lived in the past. Most of my families came from Fife so I know very little (if anything) about Dunbarton or why/how they would have travelled there. What brought people there and why did they leave? Are you still in the area or long gone?

Trish

[rjfhouston]

Sorry, I completely forgot about this. As a penance I have dug out a photo of the house taken late in 2008:

http://www.talkingscot.com/gallery/index.php?cat=20218

Anyway, after sojourns in various places including England and the Netherlands I now live with my wife in Dunoon which is about 10 miles as the seagull flies from Clynder. 20 by sea, maybe 100 by road!

I lived with my family in the middle flat of the lodge from 1960-2. The ceilings are 18 feet with 15 foot curtains on the curved plate glass bay windows. The lounge is about 20 x 20 feet as I recall with a folding partition on to the hall to make a parquet-floored ballroom 30 x 20. There was a tunnel with two airlock doors to the library (above the car in the picture). The porch has two curved stairways, but the eastern one (farther from camera) was blocked off due to weather.

There was a double tennis court at the front and the drive is curved and had two gates on to the shore road. A burn (stream) runs through the grounds.

The top and bottom floors had lower ceilings and the top was split if I remember rightly into two flats. So there would be plenty of room for the numbers mentioned. There was also a stable to the east which had been converted into a cottage. This still stands.

When we lived there, the building was whitewashed but it has now been cleaned back to the stone. Part of the grounds including the drive to the east gate has been sold and new houses built.

Once again, sorry for the delay and I hope this is still of some interest.

Best wishes
Ralph

[Currie]

Thanks for posting that info Ralph.

It’s certainly an imposing looking place, and complete with battlements. With 18 foot ceilings I pity the poor painter.

All the best,
Alan

[trish1]

Thanks Ralph - what an amazing place to have lived. I guess it wasn't much fun being a servant in such places (my lass was the cook - and although most of my knowledge comes from books/TV - it would seem the cook was relatively important in the servants hall) - but then I look at what they came to in Australia - this lass ended up living on the gold fields for 15 years - while having the requisite child every year or two - and the conditions for the men, let alone the women & children - were quite ghastly. I do wonder how much they may have pined for the places from whence they came.

Like many immigrants, no doubt they thought of the life they could give to their children - most of whom did well in their new land - despite never finding the gold of their dreams!

thanks for the detail - always of interest

Trish