'Ramblin Toes' walk through SunnyGovan!

October '99

Mrs Mary Robertsonfrom Copeland Road.

Wednesday, 06th October 1999 and I'm going for a walk!
I've left my house in Copeland Road near to Paisley Road West and I walk towards Edmiston Drive where I turn left and continue westwards.
It's a nice dry crisp morning as I pass Ibrox Park, home of Glasgow Rangers Football Club, on my right.
The main red brick building is listed but I think that the extension to the roof to accomodate the Top Deck stand has diminished it's appearance slightly.Edmiston Drive is now a dual carriageway, although I can remember when it was a single dirt track!
I look to my left as I pass the school and the Ibrox Sports Centre and gaze at the multi storey flats between me and the beautiful Bellahouston Park. The old Ibrox railway station is now closed and the Albion Training ground is now a parking area for the thousands who turn up for activities at Ibrox Park.
I turn right and walk north into Broomloan Road where, on my left still stands the old Christies Wireworks, now Ferguson House (named after Sir Alex). The Wineally alas, is no more, and pictures of Lettoch Street, Kellas Street, Dava Street, Orton Street and Rafford Street flood my memory. Now in their place is a small industrial unit with the remainder landscaped. The Albion Way (not to be confused with the Albion Bar), is on my right, at the corner of Woodville Street and Broomloan Road, where once stood 'the burrows' council yard and the Old Castle in Kintra Street.
Cantrell & Cochrane, The Segton Bar, Cassidy's and Bella's have all been replaced by the multi-storey Iona Court buildings. These three sets of flats stretch down to Summertown Road and stand over the graves of the Albion Bar, John Anton's, Galbraith's, Thomsons papershop, Peline's chip shop, Ronnie and Cathy Coyle's and Willie and May McCann's family friendly shops who gave 'tic'.Neptune Street (or for even older residents, Queen Street), now starts at Summertown Road where on the corner still stands Broomloan Road Primary School. The Royal Mail sorting office in Broomloan Road is now part of the Telecom enterprise and the 'gypsies' behind it have long gone.


Summertown Road

I walk up Summertown Road passing where Jean's Cafe and Norrie's barbers used to sit, and look to my left at Kintra Street, now waiting to be demolished. The 'pensioners houses' facing St Saviour's Infants school are still in use though there are new addittional flats occupying where the baths and the steamie stood.St Saviour's Primary School opposite Clynder Street, bit the dust many years ago and is now just wasteland. The chapel and the 'chapel hoose' are still there though the church at the corner of Summertown Road and Clynder Street is gone.

Crossing over Copeland Road, I see 'the Holy Land', the new housing estate that replaced the tenements of Merryland Street, Carmicheal Street, Burndyke Street, Hoey Street etc. as I head towards the Govan Town Hall. There doesn't seem to be much change in the red building but it seems much quieter now, used mainly by the Social Work Dept of Glasgow City Council.
On the other side of Summertown Road after passing Carmicheal Street, is the new Royal Mail sorting office for the Govan area. A modern building, it has lost the mystic of the previous address.I turn right into Whitefield Road where there is now a roundabout at the junction with Govan Road, better known as 'the miler', the docks are all closed with most of them filled in, and this site will be the new home for BBC Scotland, the Scientific building and other prestigious corporations who wish to change the image of Govan at the now renamed 'Atlantic Quay'.
Walking south on Whitefield Road, I pass the Royal Navy Reserve headquareters on my left and there are various industrial units utilising the buildings on my right. Passing Woodville Street and Brand Street, I turn right into Fairlie Street and pass Jim Narey's self drive hire depot accross the road from where 'Bermaline' bread returns were once sold for an old penny! Peacock's bakery is now a housing establishment and SGB (Scaffolding Great Britain) still reside at the corner with Copeland Road.To my right is the former Copeland Road subway station, now renovated and renamed Ibrox Underground. Turning left, I pass Russel's butchers before stopping to look at the spot in Harrison Drive where 66 Rangers fans died on stairway 13, after a terrible disaster at the end of an old firm clash in January 1971.
Stairway 13 after the accident.
 This was the catalyst in Ibrox being torn down and replaced by a modern all seated stadia, comparable with any in Europe.

Ibrox Stadium from the air.

Passing Ibrox Terrace, I cross over at the traffic lights at the junction of Copeland Road and Edmiston Drive and head back home!


TAKE ME ON THE NEXT WALK PLEASE.

Take me back