Eaglesham, General

EAGLESHAM

The ancient Kirktoun of Eaglesham lies in a hollow south of the steeper rise from Clarkston, and slopes gently downwards to the White Cart Water on the east. The lowest part of Eaglesham is at an elevation of about 162m (530ft), sloping up to over 213m (700ft) on the way to Ballageich Hill and the Bonnyton Moor. Belonging to the Montgomerie family since the 12th century, the village was rebuilt from 1769 by Alexander Montgomerie, 10th Earl of Eglinton. It was not completed for a generation, because some feuars delayed building their new houses, even though the superior gave them the materials. The roofs of the houses were originally thatched, but the owners were later forced, by national building regulations, to adopt slate to restrict the spread of fire. The street layout is a letter A, with the Lynn Burn running downhill from the apex, in the common green or 'Orry', between the two rows of houses in Montgomerie (originally South) Street and Polnoon (North) Street. The cross-link is formed at the eastern end by Gilmour Street, while the slightly later Cheapside Street extends Montgomerie Street eastwards towards the River Cart and the Lanarkshire boundary. The original village was listed in its entirety as early as the 1960s. It is now a major Conservation Area and practically every building is worth a look. [Small column 65]

Eaglesham House, in ruins by 1959 and now entirely demolished, was entered from Floors Road, which runs between Waterfoot on the Glasgow Road and the Humbie Road from Eaglesham to Mearns.

Taken from "Greater Glasgow: An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Sam Small, 2008. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

NS55SE 17 570 517 or 585 513

For further details, see MS/1508.

The old village of Eaglesham dated from a very early period. When the Earl of Eglinton built the new village (in the late 18th century: see (M) 14) he turned the site of the old village into an open area some 500 yds by 200 yds dotted about with trees, and through which a stream runs. (Thompson {1903} is doubtless describing the area of parkland centred NS 570517).

J H Thomson 1903.

Deighton (1974), however, states that the earlier village stood in the vicinity of Polnoon Castle (NS55SE 6: NS 585 513).

J S Deighton 1974.

On an elevation E of Polnoon Street, N of Mid Road, on The Orry, foundations of several buildings were noted, which may be part of the village prior to the 1770 planned layout. The two main features measure 20 by 18m over walls 2 to 4m broad, varying within the rectangles, with more substantial foundations on the SE and NW quadrants respectively. Each has an enclosed yard on the slopes to the E. Four other foundations are less complete. They are 100m NNE of the Moat Hill, a mound now much mutilated, but shown by Ainslie in 1789 to have a ditch round.

T C Welsh 1982.