Craigends of the 20th Century | Robert Montgomery Jnr

Robert Montgomery Jnr

My father never knew when he'd be needed. He could come in and five minutes later he could be summoned. He would start to change in to his working clothes, and then that would get another call. He was literally at their beck-and-call. There was no set routine. She might say to him tomorrow we're going such-and-such a place, but you know, he was just there to do their bidding.

And he [Robert Montgomery, the chauffeur] would probably sit in the kitchen of (the house they were visiting), with the rest of the servants while she was there. He probably had to sit and wait. He wouldn't just drop her [Mrs Cuninghame] off, and come back.

She [Alison Cuninghame] tripped over the guy rope and away went the hat and the wig. He [Robert Montgomery] dashed to help her and stuck it on the wrong way! He spoke about that often. He actually felt heart-sorry for her. She was on the point of tears.

The instance when that picture fell off the wall. [It] must have been about the size of that wall there. [My dad] got the phone call and they had to go and get the other men, probably Jimmy Philips and Jimmy Blair, and the rest of them, and try and get the thing back up again.

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My dad was a miner for over 30 years before he got the job at Craigends and I remember him saying that he had been talking to Madam about it and she told him that they were one of the first to bring Polish workers over here to work in the pits.

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Dad often took them to visit Sir Robert McLean in Houston (he was chairman of Stoddart's Carpets in Glenpatrick Rd in Elderslie) and also to the Lord Lieutenent of Renfrewshire's house which I think was in Wemyss Bay. There was also Haggart Spiers at Houston house. Dad also went up to Glasgow's Central station to pick up guests but I don't know who they were.

⁶

After we left, a Mr Walker took over Dad's job. The lawyer told Dad when he was leaving that he was being a bit hasty and should stay on, and I believe that when Alison died that Mr Walker received £3,000 from her will - a lot of money then!!!

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She went to Harrogate quite a lot and she had an estate up North which sent venison in season and Dad picked the boxes up at Crosslee station.

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He looked after the hens at home farm and I loved collecting the eggs. Dad had a big earthenware container which was filled with a mixture called "water glass" and, after he had delivered the required number of fresh eggs needed at the mansion, the excess eggs were pickled in this solution until they were required by Mrs McGeorge, the cook. The foxes would wreak havoc quite often, despite all the precautions taken to keep them out, and a few would be lost. Dad had to report these incidents to Madam, and eventually they would be replaced by a batch of fluffy yellow chicks, which had to be watched over very carefully.

⁹

Dad built big flower beds at the front of the house and planted a small box hedge round them.( I've still got a cutting of that in my garden.) These were for his favourites - dahlias, of all colours. He also made a long flower bed at the back of the house and filled this with marigolds and forget- me -nots. A large plot of ground at the back of the barns at home farm was dug over, and in that he planted all his vegetables, which enabled us to more or less live off the land during summer and autumn.

¹⁰

[Home Farm Courtyard] was a great house for entertainment for Dad played the melodion, Samuel played the dulcima, Arthur played the accordion, John played the drums, grampa played the "spoons" and we would all join in with whatever we could get our hands on, as various improvised percussion instruments.

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