Cranhill
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Cranhill is a 'housing scheme' in the east end of Glasgow. It was built in the early 1950s along with other similar schemes on the outskirts of Glasgow. These schemes were built as the answer to an acute housing shortage in the city of Glasgow. It was a sprawling estate with very few amenities.
The scheme was built to the East of Carntyne, to the North of Greenfield / Shettleston, to the West of Queenslie/Easterhouse and to the South of Ruchazie. Cranhill has four 'borders'. To the North is the Monklands Canal (now the M8), to the South is the A8 (Edinburgh Road), to the West is Ruchazie Road (separating Cranhill from Carntyne), and to the East is Stepps Road.
Many, if not all, of the Streets in Cranhill are named after Scottish lighthouses; Startpoint Street, Lamlash Crescent, Toward Road, Skerryvore Road, Gantock Crescent, Strone Road and Crowlin Crescent are amongst some of them.
The majority of the housing stock (four storey closes with 8 flats) was typical of its time with large family accommodation ie kitchen, bathroom, separate bedrooms (2 or 3) and living room (many with verandas). These flats were a great luxury from the living conditions of the old Glasgow tenements. To most who moved to the area some of the kids had never seen green fields let alone cows and sheep so the playing areas were paradise compared to the rat infested back courts of parts of old Glasgow.
Other housing stock also exists/existed in Cranhill. There are 3 High Flats (tower blocks), a series of Maisonettes and a variety of sandstone four in a block houses. Bordering Cartyne on Ruchazie Road there are also 'tin roofed' houses.
Cranhill Park is at the centre of the housing scheme. The park was once the heartbeat of the community featuring a 9 hole (sloping) pitch and putt golf green, tennis courts and a bowling green. A Carnival (fairground) once visited the park annually.
The park today is in a delapidated state, highlighted by the partial collapse of the pitch and put green over a decade ago.
Once the scheme became established and the community grew, more and more 'basic' amenities began to arrive. Buses started coming into the scheme which made it easier for people to travel to work, school, shopping and socialising in the City etc. Other basic needs were served with the establishment of three small shopping parades, one in the midle, another to the east and the third to the west.
As well as shops, local people were also once served by various 'mobile' services including coal, paraffin, alpine soft drinks, dalzel (bakers), ice cream (vans) and a mobile shop. Even 'candy apples' and 'whelk' sellers walked through the streets of Cranhill serving the community. The only surviving mobile service today are the ice cream vans.
The first schools to be erected were purpose built metal constructions. At its peak, Cranhill had six schools, Lamlash Primary, Milncroft Primary, St Modans RC Primary, St Elizabeth Seton Primary (originally St Modans RC Annex) and the two Secondary Schools, Cranhill Sececondary and St Gregory's RC Secondary. Both Secondary's were razed to the ground in the 1980's and have been replaced by modern Private (ie not council) housing estates.
Two Churches were built in Cranhill in the late 50's early 60's these being Cranhill Church of Scotland Parish Church and St Maria Goretti's RC Chapel.
There were two boy scout troops in Cranhill 68th Glasgow and the 158th Glasgow. Cranhill also had a Boys Brigade, Brownies and Girls Guide organisations.
A Community Centre opened in Cranhill around 1980 to a flying start and provided much needed facilities. However, like Cranhill Park, the Community Centre did not survive years of under funding and neglect.
The Cranhill Credit Union was set up by John Kerr, Ellen Kerr, Helen Kane and other committed members of the community in the late 1970's. Based on the example set by Bert Mullen in the Western Credit Union, the success inspired many others to provide this much needed service for their community. In addition, The Cranhill Arts Project goes from strength to strength. Ironically the Project is probably known by more people outside of Cranhill than in it.
The most famous part of the Cranhill landscape is the magnificent water tower at the top of the scheme just off Stepps Road. The Tower lights up a vibrant green at night, with bright white lights shooting from the base of the top 'box' down to the ground.
There are some famous sons from Cranhill including footballers Jim and Joe Smith, Newcastle, Aberdeen and Scotland, Kenny Aird of St Johnstone, comedy actor Gerrard Kelly and probably the most famous of all, Billy Boyd of The Lord of the Rings fame (who grew up in Cranhill but attended primary school in a neighbouring scheme. The soccer pundit, Pat Nevin, and former Scotland, Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell player, attended St. Gregory's (later St. Andrew's) Secondary School in Torphin Crescent, Carntyne
The private housing scheme at the bottom of cranhill where cranhill school used to be has a somerfield supermarket roughly around where the old 4oo m track used to be in the old school.
Also most of the housing stock is now back and front door with the exception of a couple of streets mainly around the park area. The flats are still there tho as are the shops at lamlash crescent, and a new school is currently under construction on the old St Gregory school site. Whilst it is true that the community centre didn't last there is a children's centre, called "The Beacon".
Where the "backfields" used to be with the helter skelter and many kids used to "dog it " there is now a phase of house building going on. These houses like much of Cranhill housing are semi detached.
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