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Since Alastair Barclay wrote the definitive history of
Stewarton in his excellent production 'The Bonnet Toun", it is virtually
impossible to find a local theme that he has not covered. I have therefore
decided to select a photograph from his book and see what lean make of it.
Such a picture is on page 43 "Lainshaw House.
My first recollection of Lainshaw House and Estate is from the early
thirties, when I was a boy. At that time the social divisions were much
wider than today. Lainshaw was then a residence of the 'Gentry', run on
the "upstairs-downstairs" principle. The old Victorian adage still
applied:-
"God bless the Laird and his relations, And keep us in our proper
stations."
A great game among schoolboys of that era was 'billying' with Chestnuts;
known as Conkers in England. This game naturally involved a lot of
wastage, and demand exceeded supply. The Laird graciously allowed
schoolboys into the estate on one Saturday morning a year to gather
chestnuts. But do not think that this was a licence for rural mayhem! We
were accompanied by Mr Waddell, Headmaster, who did not mind giving up his
Saturday mornings in a good cause. I can see him yet in his Anthony Eden
type hat, long coat and walking stick, supervising the outing with his
effortless authority. No boy would dare step out of line in Mr Waddell's
presence. But I am digressing; back to Lainshaw.
Of course, one day a year was not enough for the "Lainshaw Street Boys".
For the record, I remember the following well known Stewarton names which
formed the nucleus of the Lainshaw Street Gang (circa 1930-34) Deans,
Higgins, Barclay, McGuinness, Chalmers and Templeton. We used to enter the
estate via Kilwinning Road, over the wall and into the trees, bent on
mischief. I don't know why we did it; we were terrified all the time we
were in that haven of privilege, expecting the gamekeeper to pounce on us
at any minute. Mr Hay the gamekeeper was a tall angular figure attired in
the traditional garb of Lady Chatterley's lover, though I'm sure the
similarity ended there! He had his work cut out with the trespassing boys
and local poachers. Dan Nelson, a free spirit if ever there was one,
carried on a real war of attrition with the Gemmy's for years.
I have received a fascinating insight into the lifestyle of the
'downstairs' staff at Lainshaw between the wars from Mrs Margaret Rae of
Ravenscraig Road, who was then employed in "genteel service". Genteel
service it may have been, but the day started out with "cleaning oot yon
big fire", and ended after dinner in the evening. This would be about a
fifteen hour day.
One thing that Mrs Rae enthuses about is the food. Apparently they had
kedegree (an upper class breakfast dish consisting of fish, rice and egg)
with Scotch eggs. She was lucky! The punters of the day would be more
acquainted with sliced sausage. When I asked her if she attended any of
the early Gala Days, her short reply was "I wid be working".
The staff at Lainshaw used to have parties, organised by the Cook, to
which local lads were invited. John Caine and his pals, the gay blades of
the day, were top of the invitation list. From what I can recall of that
lot, they were there for more than the canapes. Mrs Rae also remembers the
beautiful gardens and greenhouses, lovingly tended by the team of
gardeners. This perfection would only be arrived at by long hours of back
breaking work. Kipling sums up this work ethic excellently in his words:-
'Oh Adam was a gardener, and God who made him see That half a proper
gardener's work is done upon his knees.'
During the Second World War, Lainshaw served as a camp for the militia. I
don't know much about this phase; I was away in the Sodgers myself! But I
understand from the ubiquitous Alastair Barclay that great officers dances
were held there, attended by selected local lassies. From what I can
gather, a good time was had by all.
The last stage of all in the eventful history of Lainshaw House was its
conversion to an Old People's Home, perhaps the best purpose it has ever
served. Strangely enough, in my capacity of Local Authority Architect, one
of my last jobs was the supervision of the upgrading of the House. I used
to liaise with Mr & Mrs Hughes who were then in charge and devoted
seventeen years of their lives to looking after the residents. Mr Hughes
and his wife still reside in Stewarton and are enjoying a well earned
retirement. He can be seen striding purposely down the main street with
his shopping basked. So can Mrs Rae!
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