Our Stories

19 stories
 

"We don't see the young Scotts in the afternoon"

Our parents always told us that we must never walk in sight of the mansion house, for fear of upsetting the ladies of the house.

However, there was a family story from when my ... read more.
25th June 2008


The first time I had ever felt loss

As a child, my mother would often take me through what remained of the grounds in my buggy, walking our lurcher and jack russel dogs. I remember the archway, and some steps and a ... read more.
25th June 2008


As if it was yesterday

When playing in the ruins as a boy, a group were all over the house for approximately four hours. When it was time to go home, we were walking away, turning round to ... read more.
25th June 2008


Streams of people

Some days in the summer there were streams of people walking the road to the Manor (usually the parents warned you not to go). We would always be in trouble for missing tea and ... read more.
25th June 2008

The Sandman

I remember swimming in the pool just under the bridge with my westie 'Angus' who used to love being thrown off the bridge and swimming back for more. It was a favourite hide out ... read more.
25th June 2008


Too fragile to be moved

On one visit my dad and I went into an outhouse and found a fantastic dolls house. It was really big and very intricately made so I imagine that it must have belonged to ... read more.
25th June 2008

All was not natural beauty

Quite a bit of my childhood was spent exploring the woods. We would walk up to the site of the house, past a large holly tree. Sometimes we'd explore into the woods and ... read more.
25th June 2008


It was a great place

I used to play at Craigends House with my friends in the late 60's early 70's, the house was still pretty intact at the time we used to spend the whole of our school ... read more.
25th June 2008


It seemed like every child from Linwood was swimming in the Gryffe

I always remember one particularly hot summer when it seemed like every child from Linwood was swimming in the Gryffe below the house. We used to sit under the Yew tree and tell scary ... read more.
25th June 2008


If only he could have seen it in its full glory

When my friends and I where young we were never aloud to go down to the manor but always did. It was an amazing place to go and being from North Clippens in Linwood ... read more.
25th June 2008


What a great place to grow up

Like almost all the kids from Linwood in the 60's & 70's we spent most weekends & all our summer holidays either swimming in the Gryffe, playing in the old ruin of the house ... read more.
25th June 2008


I can still smell those apples

As a child Craigends Manor was my playground. It was there I first started to learn about nature and the countryside. The old house was always a wonder to me along with the Stables ... read more.
25th June 2008

We would use the lights from our bikes to explore the tunnels

My dad took my sisters and I for walks up the "manor" as we called it for many years with our dog Lucky.

I remember the big old grand entrance covered in ... read more.
25th June 2008


We wandered around the old manor house

I first went up on my own with my pal Paul from Cowal Drive, we were about 9 or 10, so it would be about 1970. I can't believe we wandered around the old ... read more.
25th June 2008


Never to return

I recently visited Craigends while on holiday in the UK. I was hoping to see some of the ruins of the house - I was not expecting to see much. "Are we in ... read more.
25th June 2008


The ghostly monk who was said to haunt the grounds

I had wonderful times as a child playing hide and seek with friends at the house and swimming in the river at the bridge into the grounds from the oilfields estate. I used to ... read more.
25th June 2008


I was quite adventurous at that age

I visited Craigends a few times by pushbike from Johnstone must be in the early to mid 60s

I remember the entrance was a big archway with large ornate gates that led you through ... read more.
25th June 2008


Afternoon tea with Mrs Cunningham

I was brought up at Woodend until I joined the Army in 1969. I remember being sent round to Craigends as a child dressed in my kilt, for tea on a Sunday with Mrs ... read more.
19th February 2009


The last Laird's final journey

When my father was just a young boy he and his cousins climbed a nearby hill to watch as the Laird's coffin was carried on it's final journey from Craigends to Kilbarchan New Cemetery. ... read more.
19th February 2009


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Get in touch

Hello, I'm Michael Hopcroft.

I grew up in Craigends (1982-2001).

Please get in touch if you have any memories, stories or photos of Craigends that you'd be willing to share.

I look forward to hearing from you!