Social
History
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Hamilton
Park
Alexander Hamilton Memorial Park
Stonehouse Bandstand
Alexander Hamilton Memorial Park
The question of a public park in Stonehouse was first raised by the
Coronation Committee in 1911. The Parish Council was requested to
investigate the possibility of providing this recreational facility and
approached Sir Robert Sinclair Lockhart who stated he “could not see
his way to support such a project”. The Parish Council then directed
its efforts to an open area in New Street owned by Mr John Hamilton but
alas with no success.
The village’s public park was made possible due to the kind generosity
of a former native of Stonehouse, Alexander Hamilton. Born and brought
up in Stonehouse, he later made his fortune as head of the Victoria
Carpet Company in Kidderminster and later making khaki uniforms for the
troops in the Great War. It was his wish that he could leave something
for the village that he visited annually and loved so dearly. Thus the
council were left the task of finding a suitable site. After much
discussion and argument a ten acre site was purchased for £500
from the land of Holm farm. Many people thought a flatter area would be
more appropriate and others even thought Mr Hamilton would have been
better spending his money on a factory for Stonehouse.
On 30th May 1925 Alexander Hamilton fulfilled his dream and presented
the park, bandstand and fountain to his native town. He died four years
later. The park does not however take its name from the benefactor but
from his grandfather and namesake Alexander Hamilton.
The bandstand was bought by Fourth District Council from Glasgow
District Council in 1924, later turned into a tea room in 1965 before
returning to its original state in the mid 80’s. There once stood a
bandstand on the banks of the Avon near the viaduct, but there is no
evidence of it today.
In 1933 the famous chute was installed, said to be the longest in
Scotland, if not Europe, at the time. It was opened by Councillor
Thomas Wilson, but sadly was dismantled in August 1967 because it was
considered too dangerous. Councillor
Wilson was at the park again to
open the tennis courts, putting green and pavilion in the early 30’s.
When Sir Harry Lauder visited the park in August 1942, he said, “It’s a
bonnie park; yin o’ the nicest I’ve ever been in, an’ something
Stonehoose folk should be rale prood o’ ”. Despite the recent
neglect
of the park it still overlooks one of the most spectacular views of the
Avon valley.
Stonehouse Bandstand
On May 3rd 1911 the Scottish Exhibition of Natural History, Art and
Industry was opened in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow, by the Duke and
Duchess of Connaught. In the construction of the 62 acre site a
bandstand was built near the site of the present bandstand, built after
the exhibition in the 1920’s.
Stonehouse bandstand now commands a magnificent panoramic view of the
Avon Valley from the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Park in Stonehouse,
purchased by Fourth District Council from Glasgow District Council in
1924. The exhibition itself attracted nearly 9,400,000 visitors from
around the world, with an admission price of a shilling or 16d if you
were under 16 years of age. At a cost of £143,000 to finance, one
of the aims according to the official catalogue “was to keep alive, in
the breasts of all who reverently look upon them, the love of their
native land - the ancient kingdom of Scotland - and will sustain
affection for those who have made their nations history”.
The 1911 exhibition was established during an era of industrial
depression. There was a slump in the ship building industry and unrest
in the docks, mines, railways and factories throughout Scotland,
culminating in strikes in 1911 and 1912. The Glasgow exhibition
heightened the resurgence in nationalism when devolution was the issue
of the day and when the Scottish vote of 1910 had been largely
responsible for confirming the Liberals to power. Scottish Liberals in
Westminster were committed to devolution, when nearly a third of the
cabinet were Scots, and when independence was not unthinkable.
Political nationalism had the knock on effect of reviving awareness in
our cultural history, hence the great attraction for the millions of
visitors who attended the exhibition in the six months it was open.
Located predominately in Kelvingrove Park, the Stewart Memorial
Fountain (still present) was the focal point of the various exhibitions
within the park, including; industry, history, fine arts, machinery and
music. Some of the larger exhibits included were a highland village, a
garden club, an aerial railway, a mile long mountain slide and an
African village. Among the Scottish collection of historical
significance were, a complete set of the charters of Scottish Kings,
the letters of Sir William Wallace, the sword of King Robert the Bruce,
the brooch of Lorne dragged from Bruce on the battlefield in 1306,
relics of Bonnie Prince Charlie and Queen Mary, and literature by
Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. Music and entertainment were
organised on a scale never seen before. An amphitheatre and bandstand
were designed to be handed over to the corporation after the closure of
the exhibition in November 1911. The amphitheatre was constructed to
facilitate an audience of 10,000, while the bandstand enthralled the
public with an array of talented bands.
It was also the intention of the event that “the exhibition should be
so designed as to create a greater public interest in Scottish History
and Literature; should celebrate distinguished Scotsmen; and should
represent a realistic picture of Scottish Burghal life in bygone
times”. The exhibition was acclaimed world wide as a major
success for
Scotland and the city of Glasgow.
When the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Park was opened on 25th May 1925,
the newly purchased bandstand was the centrepiece of this popular
Lanarkshire tourist attraction, entertaining audiences with bands from
all over Scotland, including Stonehouse’s own Pipe Band (World
Champions 1909) and Silver band (Scottish Champions 1919). The
bandstand was temporarily altered to incorporate a tea room but was
later reinstated to its original state due to attacks of vandalism, and
has more recently entertained residents and visitors with bands from
far and wide. The park itself was probably better known for the longest
chute in Scotland, opened in 1933 by Councillor Thomas Wilson and later
dismantled in 1967 for safety reasons. Sadly this park is only a shell
of its former glory but the bandstand still stands majestically as a
silent memory of its illustrious and historical past.
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