General
History
-
Roads
&
Bridges
Roads and bridges have throughout time, established a
means to travel,
trade and communicate with other settlements, determine
the site of
cities, and provide a quick and efficient method of
transportation.
They have provided a framework for development, adapting
to the changes
of the economic and social needs of traffic through the
ages. These
changes have brought about speed, comfort and safety in
ensuring the
travellers passage from point of origin, to destination.
From the cart,
the rail and the car, Stonehouse has seen, and can still
evidence, the
advancement of technology and design of roads and
bridges.
In determining the route of roads from their early
origins, their
planning was made much easier by the absence of
hedgerows, fencing and
man made obstacles. However, the early roads were
influenced by rivers
in avoiding flooding and the need for fording.
The first recorded era of road development in the parish
was the Romans
who invaded Scotland in 80AD. The Romans adapted and
realigned many of
the primitive track ways of the Celtic tribe, the
Damnii, who had
settled here during the Roman occupation. This road
system was
constructed between the 1st and 2nd century, and
resulted in the
framework for the present road system of today.
From the Roman occupation of Scotland, until the 18th
century, little
is known of the roads in Lanarkshire. The Roman roads
fell into
disrepair, with all but a few traces of their former
existence
remaining. In relation to the Roman
road
passing through the parish of
Stonehouse, further information can be found in “Wha’s
like us? A
History of Stonehouse”.
As trading between towns and villages increased,
footpaths, tracks and
drove roads developed a network of roads across the
country. Earthen
tracks were most suitable for the early forms of
transportation such as
carts, wagons and horseback, but as the means of
transportation
improved, with the introduction of scheduled coaches, it
was clear
there was a need to invest in, and coordinate, new
highways with more
permanent river crossings.
During the 18th century Lanarkshire increased its
productivity output
in shipping, engineering, coal and weaving. It became
evident that the
industrial revolution would require to develop and
expand a road
network able to cope with the demands placed upon it.
With traffic ever
increasing, new, lasting and better maintained surfaces
would be
necessary to ensure the changing face of transportation
and pressures
on existing roads were addressed. The 1790
Statistical Account of
Stonehouse stated in relation to roads, “They
are much hurt by the
carriage of coal and lime. Materials to mend them are
ill to be got” further adding that there were
no turnpikes in the
parish in this year.
The authorities lobbied Parliament to borrow appropriate
finances to
construct new highways. This finance was secured by the
introduction of
tolls which were authorised to be levied on travellers
and traders who
used the roads. This initiative resulted in Turnpike
Roads, which
continued until their demise under the Roads and Bridges
(Scotland) Act
1878.
Around 1836, the Edinburgh to Ayr turnpike road was
introduced passing
through Stonehouse, with toll houses at Meadowside
Cottage (East Bar
Toll) Lockhart Street, and at Tinto View (West Bar Toll)
at the
junction of Townhead Street and Sidehead Road. Initially
one road man
was responsible for the stretch of road between the
Glessart Brig and
Overton. When the turnpike road opened, a coach service
was available
between Edinburgh and Ayr daily, as well as the twice a
day coach from
Strathaven to Glasgow, via Stonehouse and a direct
service every
morning from the Buckshead Inn to Glasgow, returning the
same day.
There was also a regular, twice weekly postal (carrier)
service between
the village and Glasgow. The Post Office was formerly
situated at the
Cross where Quintiliani’s chip shop is located (1859).
The first mail coach from London to Glasgow via Carluke
was introduced
about 1790, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that
public pressure
necessitated the need for new and improved roads. The
management
responsibility for roads at this time was under the
authority of the
county. In an Act of 1803, commissioners (Trust) were
appointed with
the powers to provide half the finances for improving
roads from public
funds, provided the other half was met by the
landowners. The Trust
enlisted the services of Thomas Telford (1757-1834) who
had the task of
constructing new roads and bridges. The responsibility
of improving and
maintaining the principle turnpike roads throughout
Scotland was placed
with Turnpike Trusts, with the lesser roads continuing
to be maintained
by the Parish Statute Labour Trusts.
During the turnpike era, 22 Turnpike Trusts existed in
Lanarkshire
servicing nearly 370 miles of roads throughout the
county. The income
from these trusts was collected from tolls payable from
road users
passing through the network of toll bars situated on the
turnpike roads.
Thomas Telford's last road construction in Lanarkshire
was the Edinburgh
to Ayr Road, from Midlothian, near Shotts, by Newmains,
Canderside,
Stonehouse and Strathaven to Loudonhill (1820-1823).
There were also
extensive bridge constructions over the Cander Water
(Cander bridge
1821) and over the Avon between Stonehouse and
Strathaven (1821), which
later collapsed in 1927. The Woodlands bridge rested
only a hundred
yards up river of the Cander railway viaduct, built in
1863 and later
demolished in 1942. The Woodlands bridge was later
replaced by the
Cander bridge of today in 1966, over the site of the
former Cander
railway viaduct of which the foundations can still be
seen in the gorge
below.
In 1816 Scot John Loudon Macadam (1756-1836) became a
prominent
reformer of road administration, though most will
remember him for his techniques in road surfacing, which
still bears his name
today, whereby he used a method of road surfacing that
took account of
the ever changing mode and increase in traffic. The
Nationalisation of
the roads, which was under consideration at the time,
was strongly
criticised by Macadam who thought that the result would
probably be
that the Government would utilise the roads as a source
of revenue
instead of attending to their maintenance as a public
service!
During the early years of the turnpike era, many of the
trusts were
found to be badly organised and co-ordinated in relation
to working
with other authorities. The number of trusts and tolls
caused many
instances of delay and inconvenience to travellers in
reaching their
destination. Further ineffectiveness of management was
caused by trusts
having to renew their licenses every time they expired,
until an Act of
Parliament in 1830, which enabled all licenses to be
renewed at the
same time.
In 1825 the introduction of the railways created a
network of rail
lines throughout Scotland, ending the long distance
haulage of goods by
coach and cart. Trains were more cost effective and
efficient than
stage coaches, thus not able to compete, resulted in the
end of the
turnpike system. The evolution of the train also caused
a great loss in
custom to many old coaching inns, such as the Black Bull
and the
Buckshead. This transportation revolution also meant a
halt to major
road improvements, with financial resources being
targeted at local
minor roads, linking rural villages with the advancing rail network.
Hamilton Advertiser, June 27th 1863
“We hereby call an
adjourned meeting of the trustees of Stonehouse
Parish Roads, to be held within the Black Bull Inn
(Meikle’s) there, on
Thursday the 9th of July next, at twelve o’clock noon,
for the purpose
of transacting the general business of the trust, in
the terms of the
local and general statutes. Signed James Mitchell,
Trustee, James
Hamilton, Trustee and Matthew Hamilton, Clerk”.
In 1878 the Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Act transferred
maintenance
management of the Turnpike and Statute Labour Roads to
the control of
County Road Trusts.
The toll system ended and Stonehouse became part of the
Middle Ward of
Lanark, when three wards were created to manage road
maintenance. In
1883 the last toll bars in Lanarkshire were dismantled
and the control
of the road network became the responsibility of the
County Road
Boards. These were appointed by the County Road Trustees
until 1889,
when the County Councils
came into being.
With the development of the motor vehicle in the late
19th century,
resources were needed to cope with the ever increasing
traffic. Initially the introduction of the motor car was
met with great
opposition from the general public, as it was seen as a
fast,
polluting, health hazard to the safety of citizens.
Until 1896 the ‘Man
and Flag Act’ required a person to walk, waving a red
flag in front of
any motorised vehicle for the safety of residents in
towns and
villages, as was the case for Mr Riddell’s thresher from
Lockhart
Street.
Fortunately this act was repealed and in 1903 the Motor
Car Act was
established, ushering in a new era in road
transportation and
management. Various other Acts in the early 20th century
ensured
measures to improve the road network. This was done in
response to the
rapidly advancing technological developments in
transportation, with
the standardisation of road specifications aiding the
harmonisation of
the county road system.
With the introduction of the motorcar and road
improvements, a
motorised transport service was soon available. The
following extract
recalls the event of the first motor car in the village:
January 1897
MOTOR CAR
Considerable
excitement
was occasioned on Saturday afternoon when the
motor car built by Messrs. J & C Stirling, of
Hamilton, was driven
to the door of Mr C. Stirling in Vicars Road. Numerous
comments were
made as to the propelling power, and it is just a pity
that a close
examination was not allowed to be made, as the Messrs.
Stirling might
have profited by the inventive genius of Stonehouse,
which has its
station about the Cross. The absence of noise and
smell was very
favourably noticed, and we will be proud to hear of
the continued
success of the enterprising firm.
The first omnibuses in the village were operated by John
Ferrie around
1920. His charabanc (Maxwell) also doubled as a delivery
lorry for
fruit and veg. Mr Burns, the owner of the Black Bull
Hotel, also
operated a bus hire service at the time, using an
‘Albion’.
Around 1923 the first passenger service was established
by Robert
Hamilton and James Letham Watson, ‘Admiral’ by name.
Using Lancier
buses from their garage in New Street, a regular service
was run from
Stonehouse to Glasgow and Larkhall to Darvel via
Stonehouse and
Strathaven. The late Henry MacFarlane worked as a
conductor on the
buses as a fourteen year old boy and remembers well many
of the
villagers who worked for ‘Admirals’, including driver
Jimmy Black and
conductresses Alice McInnes (Todd), Esther Kirkland and
Cissy Ferguson.
A popular stop on the journey was the ‘fountain’ at the
corner of Kirk
Street. This was a well used for refreshments and
collecting water.
Unfortunately, due to poor road surfaces, and constant
repairs to the
Lanciers, the service became unreliable and was
eventually run off the
road in 1927 by GOC (General Omnibus Company), the
forerunner of SMT
(Scottish Motor Traction Corporation).
Several other firms tried to operate a bus service in
the village,
including Baxters, Torrance, Covenanters and the
Lanarkshire Bus
Company. Most of these were owner driven, but none were
able to make an
impression in what was the survival of the fittest. With
privatisation
in the early 1980’s came a succession of bus companies
including a
local firm operated today by George Whitelaw. Located at
Lochpark
Industrial Estate, this company has thrived for many
years now, holding
off fierce competition.
Most bridges in Lanarkshire, including Stonehouse, were
built before
the introduction of steam propelled and motorised
transport. These
bridges were made to the requirements of the day, and in
many cases
upgraded to cope with the changing face of
transportation and increased
demands on roads. Many of these old bridges were of
square span,
masonry arch construction, for horse traffic, but
generally capable of
coping with the heavy goods traffic of today. However,
some bridges
such as the Woodlands bridge (Thomas Telford 1821) and
the Linthaugh
bridge (c1772) are less able to facilitate the pressures
and
practicalities of of modern day traffic. Both bridges
have suffered
through weathering and deterioration of the sandstone,
which have
affected their ability to cope with heavy traffic. The
railway viaduct
crossing the Avon was constructed by the Arrol Bros. in
1904
(demolished 1984).
Linthaugh bridge throughout its long history has served
the village
well as a popular alternative route for accessing
Hamilton, Quarter and
outlying villages. In 1771, two bridges including
Linthaugh Bridge were
swept away by floods. The Linthaugh Bridge was rebuilt a
year or two
after the event, partly funded by private contribution
and partly from
county funds. In constant need of repair, the bridge
was, for a decade,
merely an access for farmers and fishermen, when a
landslide on the
Millheugh Road resulted in its closure. However,
Millheugh Road was
reopened in 1998 after a long fought campaign by
residents, the community
council and
local councillors. United endeavours in 1993 also
ensured work began on the opening of the first phase of
the A71 bypass,
after 25 years of campaigning to protect property and
improve the
safety of residents in the predominantly ‘Conservation
Area’ of
Stonehouse. The campaign continues to complete the
bypass.
Evidence of former bridges spanning the Avon can still
be evidenced,
such as Millers bridge, South of the ‘Meetings’, on both
banks, and
another midway between the Linthaugh bridge and the Holm
farm on the
South side.
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