Civilian http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/ http://www.eblah.com en Fire hydrant marker secrets http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1275234739/ http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1275234739/#num1
In this area, they are usually similar to the example shown below, where they were established by Lanarkshire Fire Brigade, and most have LFB cast into their top border, but there are a blank and anonymous examples to be found, which presumably came along later.

I should have grabbed some other pics, because although they are not old in the ancient sense of the word, a number seem to have suffered subsidence, and sunk into the ground to the extent that less than half of the gravestone remains visible after resurfacing of the footpath.

I've heard various tales of what the two numbers mean, but never an official definition, and some of the stories are more than a little suspect in their claims regarding the numbers' meaning.

Barring a proper definition, my own take on the numbers is that the upper figure refers to the capacity of the water supply the hydrant is connected to, and the lower figure gives the distance from the marker to the hydrant, in feet, given the age of these markers.

It has to be said that the tape measure used to determine this distance (or the MKI eyeball that was used to estimate it) was a little suspect in some cases, and the distances are less than accurate.

One oddity that has been noted is where the marker is only a few feet from the hydrant cover, but the lower figure is significantly larger.

Having looked a few of these examples, the reason seems to be the resiting of the H plate from the wall of a building set some distance back from the hydrant, and onto a gravestone at the side of the footpath. It looks as if this work was carried out merely as a move, transferring the H plate from the wall to the gravestone, and the workers were not required or provided with the means of revising the lower distance figure, hence the large number being shown, even when the hydrant is only a few feet from the marker.

The original mounting can often be found on the building wall, provided it has not been cleaned, painted, redeveloped, or of course, demolished, which makes it really hard to see

]]> Sun, 30 May 2010 16:52:19 Apollo Any experts on Renfrew and Glasgow airports? http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1274694188/ http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1274694188/#num1
The reason for asking this question can be found on the Wiki page for Renfrew Airport:

Secret Scotland - Renfrew Airport

In the Photographs section you will see three photographs from 1965 which have been offered to illustrate the page.

The question arises because the Admin has received a number of messages to the effect that these picture show Glasgow Airport, and not Renfrew.

However...

None of those making the claim that the picture identification is Glasgow rather than Renfrew had provided any justification, nor any means of contact to discuss this.

On this basis, we have to go with the good faith of the contributor, who is sure his pics are of Renfrew, but is now also interested in having confirmation - one way or another.]]> Mon, 24 May 2010 10:43:08 Admin Sandyhills lamppost discovery http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1274437173/ http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1274437173/#num1
It's completely corroded, and there doesn't seem to be any evidence of any interesting features remaining, but it something of a unique survivor.

I'm reasonably sure there are no others to be found, as this one lies in a spot where I wouldn't tend to look for anything, as I usually try to do in more likely areas... but, you never know.

The top view was just a panorama I stuck together, just to see if the join was obvious

]]> Fri, 21 May 2010 11:19:33 Apollo The Boathouse - Loch Tay http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1274390835/ http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1274390835/#num1

The structure is a multi-functional 'drive-in' boathouse, created over a specially constructed cave offering the owner both fun on the water, and a retreat in tune with the local environment which can be enjoyed alone, or with friends and family.

A specially created cave below Boathouse allows a speedboat to be driven in, tethered to the ceiling, and then hoisted by an electric winch into its mooring position. The living space located above includes a kitchenette, shower room, and a fold-away bed. Cedar shuttering glides open to reveal an expanse of glass, which completely changing the look of the building.

In order to permit construction of the £300,000 project, a dam was fabricated which allowed the foundations to be installed, and also solved the problem of water pressure build-up, utilising huge local boulders in the building of the walls, allowing the water to flow through.

Might not be as big as the Transport Museum or the blight near Holyrood, but at least it shows Scottish architects can do something interesting... if they are given the opportunity:

Loch Tay Boat House, Highlands, Scotland

See also:

BBC News - In Pictures: RIBA awards 2010]]> Thu, 20 May 2010 22:27:15 Apollo Uddingston Ferry http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1273667510/ http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1273667510/#num1 There is also a 1872 picture by Alexander Fraser The Younger with is titled Uddingston Ferry on the River Cylde.

What can anybody tell me about this.

Was it used to take miners across to the Blantyre Ferme ?

David
]]> Wed, 12 May 2010 13:31:50 david mceachern Annes Pantry, Uddingston http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1273225204/ http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1273225204/#num1
What does anybody know about this place and who long has it been there and who was Ann ?

David ]]> Fri, 7 May 2010 10:40:04 david mceachern Uddingston: The Seven Orchards http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1273153456/ http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1273153456/#num1 David or Navigator, any info on where this place was exactly?]]> Thu, 6 May 2010 14:44:16 Captain Brittles Uddingston waterworks markers http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1272965420/ http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1272965420/#num1
Purely by chance, probably because my senses were momentarily heightened as I risked my continued existence by crossing Glasgow Road as it approaches Uddingston, I came to a halt on 'the other side' just before a long section of fence that runs along the north side of the road, and realised that the lump of mossy concrete I was looking at had some letters on it, and this turned out to be yet another form of marker.

On the upper edge it has LCCW, which I tentatively take to be Lanarkshire County Council Works (department) - (this was close, and turned out to be waterworks).

The central area has the letters K, A, and V, but I haven't thought of any reasonable significance for these.

Below this are two groups of characters.

The first is ON or 0N, and is clear, other the potential confusion caused by first character being the letter O or the number 0 (zero).

The second is 16, but has suffered some erosion, and is not completely distinct, even close-up, so is slightly uncertain, but probably correct.

As will be confirmed by a later find, also pictured below, the first is probably ON (letters), while the second is probably 16 (numbers). This suggests the alphanumeric pair provided a unique identification for each of these markers, and the council would have had list of them.

Below this is a figure of 7 FT



A little further along the road, I found another two similar markers in the area of Belleisle Drive.

As you will see, these are all very similar, but have significant design differences, and both only carry the single letter V in their central panel.





I have to admit I haven't bothered trying to find anything further about these online, since I spent a fair amount of time trying to track down the other markers, such as the Rutherglen benchmarks, and came away very little wiser, and suspect I would have unearthed at least something on these at the same time, if there had been anything useful to be had.

So if anyone happens to know anything that isn't online... ]]> Tue, 4 May 2010 10:30:20 Apollo Cheapside Street fire remembered after 50 years http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1272352462/ http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1272352462/#num1
14 firemen and five members of the Glasgow Salvage Corps died after a whisky warehouse exploded. The event remains the single highest loss of life by firemen in peacetime Britain.
Quoted Text
Brian Sweeney, Chief Officer of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, told STV News: "It is a very poignant day when we have cause to remember a disaster which, even though it was 50 years ago, still remains very poignant for many members of our community including many veterans who were there. A very poignant day but one which we can take pride.

"The fire had a huge impact. If we look back at the records, look back at the funerals, a cortege several miles long, tens and tens of thousands of Glasgow citizens out there to pay their respects. One of my colleagues the other day reflected that 50 years ago, in a much smaller scale way, it was Glasgow’s version of 9/11."

Cheapside Street tragedy remembered | Glasgow and West | STV News]]> Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:14:22 Apollo Clydeneuk House http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1272272946/ http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/forum/forum/m-1272272946/#num1 As a kid I played in the grounds of the old house and there was the old bridge and fountain and the external walls.
Any information would be good and any photos ?

David]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:09:06 david mceachern