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Lanarkshire / Re: Carstairs House
« on: Saturday 23 January 16 00:36 GMT (UK) »
Hello Caroline,
My family moved there about 1946 and my father worked as the gardener. He was really a tailor by trade and used to make the boys' trousers in the winter. There was a mixture of children there, some with mental health problems, some disabled, downs syndrome, some orphans and one blind lady. There was one lad who had shell shock from the Clyde bank bombings. In addition to that
there were a few children who were sent there from the courts in Glasgow. When they were about 15 some of the lads worked on the farm. Others who could went back to their families.
The walled garden provided all the vegetables for the big house and the butcher came once a week
and killed an animal or two for the meat. Monteith House ( St. Charles Institution) is not to be
confused with the penitentiary which was a few miles away. Hope this helps. My family name was
Horsfield. It was a wonderful place to be brought up but very cold in the winter and a long way from
school at St. Mary's Lanark.
My family moved there about 1946 and my father worked as the gardener. He was really a tailor by trade and used to make the boys' trousers in the winter. There was a mixture of children there, some with mental health problems, some disabled, downs syndrome, some orphans and one blind lady. There was one lad who had shell shock from the Clyde bank bombings. In addition to that
there were a few children who were sent there from the courts in Glasgow. When they were about 15 some of the lads worked on the farm. Others who could went back to their families.
The walled garden provided all the vegetables for the big house and the butcher came once a week
and killed an animal or two for the meat. Monteith House ( St. Charles Institution) is not to be
confused with the penitentiary which was a few miles away. Hope this helps. My family name was
Horsfield. It was a wonderful place to be brought up but very cold in the winter and a long way from
school at St. Mary's Lanark.