Viewing the whole village from a higher slope gives an interesting impression. The many big mature trees, thick with leaves in summer, are clearly happy on this ground fed by its numerous springs and sheltered from the north and east. It shows itself as a natural spot where from the beginning a community could settle, survive and continue through the centuries. It tells by its age-long established look that there was never need to abandon the place, and now, by its prosperous appearance, plainly it has no intention of doing so!
Coming down into the village again, anyone can see that gardens in Carmunnock are lovelier than ever. Roses still grow round some of its doors, flowers and neat rows of vegetables are carefully tended and fruit bushes or trees yield their harvest just as in those nostalgic days of the 1930s. Although disease has forced the felling of Elm trees in the churchyard and several varieties in the Glebe, wild flowers still bloom modestly along waysides, burn and river banks and in woodlands if you look for them. Happily too, there is a whole variety of bird and animal life in and around Carmunnock. If we are careful about conservation, they will continue.
“O blithely lilt the sang birds,
In the lichtsome simmer time;
And gaily bloom the wild flowers,
In the rosy simmer time.”
wrote the poet of “Kittoch Glen”.
People have come to live in Carmunnock and gone and others have come in their place, and the same families native to this old village continue. A good healthy number of elderly folk belonging to these families are prominent in Carmunnock’s daily life. It is their village. Even now they like to reminisce about those early days of their childhood. Telling countless stories of happenings long ago, they sometimes remind us a little ruefully that we of today know little of what life was like then. But sadly, some older villagers have died and changes have taken place in recent years.
Carmunnock won’t forget its well-known personalities. For example, accompanied always by his guide dog, there was blind Mr Bob MacGregor (of Viewfield), a tall erect familiar figure with confident step, his black beret on his head, out and about daily in the village streets conversing cheerfully, knowledgeably and wittily with his many friends until his death at the end of the 1970s.
And the late Mr. Johnnie Crawford (of Greenside), a central figure in many organisations, is remembered notably for his forthright voice on village affairs as chairman, committee member or opinionated participant in public discussions. Following his days as a joiner, Mr. Crawford became Carmunnock’s bookie, his shop at 10 Busby Road for a few years before his death in 1982.
Mr. John Crawford (at the microphone) is Master of Ceremonies at the Crowning of the Gala Queen in 1975. On the platform in front of the Crawfords’ house on the Green, the royal party includes, left to right: Queen Karen Anderson, Pageboy Alok Nagpal, Lady-in-waiting Jane McCallum, Retiring Queen Marjorie Edwards and Ian Sharp. In the background, left to right: Gregor MacKenzie MP, Mrs Hazel Crawford, Councillor Derek Taylor, Mrs Sheila Murray, Dr and Mrs Jarvie, Mr. Eric Smeeth, Mr. Clifford Delaney and Mr Bob Crawford.
New life in numerous good and strengthening ways has come with the incoming families, and church and village activities flourish as a result. These people who have settled here are now Carmunnock folk too.
The Rev James Reid followed the Rev Henry M. Gibson in 1971, and it was he who tried, not very successfully, to introduce a May 1st dawn service on Trummle Hill where he had been told Druids once worshipped. In 1977, the Rev Dr Henry Hutchison came to the new Manse, a bungalow on Waterside Road, and when he retired the Rev Robert Anderson BD became our minister in 1993, continuing the work of this ancient parish which was established when Henricus de Cormanoc gave his lands to the powerful Abbey at Paisley in 1189. The population at the 1991 Census for the G76 9 sector was 1,325 (1,152 in the Glasgow section and 173 in the East Kilbride section), with approximately 1,200 of that number living in the village.
Carmunnock’s programme of celebrations for Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, under the chairmanship of Mr. John Crawford, included many names still well-known along with the more recent ones in today’s running of village affairs. For instance Mrs Evelyn Eason, Mrs Joanne Murdoch, Mrs Sandra Hawkins, Mrs Anne Green, Mr. Fred Hearle and Mrs Flora Steele and their assistants are in charge of the Guides, Brownies, Rainbows, Beavers, Boys Brigade and Anchor Boys.
A whole number of people - too many to mention - lead the adults’ organisations, including the church’s, the Community Council, the Preservation Society (35 years old in 1999), Horticultural Society, Royal British Legion, Autumn Club, Old Folk’s Luncheon Club, the Recreation Club’s activities and the Scottish Country Dancing Class. There is also the Drama Club who regularly produce good plays or concerts, the Badminton Club, Carpet Bowls, the Art and Hand-Crafts Clubs and there is the Toddlers’ Group and Playschool. The Primary School’s activities are in the charge of headmistress Mrs Fleming. The folk here also convene annual events such as the Crowning of the Gala Queen in early June with sports and stalls on the Glebe, teas in the Clason Hall, followed in the evening by a Whist Drive or a Disco or Dance in the Castlemilk Hall.
In December 1985 Madam Helen Stuart Stevenson, daughter of the last Laird Stuart of Castlemilk, died in her 90th year and a memorial service was held for her in the church. Although her father was buried in the Stuarts’ family vault here, Madam was interred beside her husband in Lanark Cemetery. Her married daughter lives with her family in England and her son James and his son James - Madam’s grandson whose marriage abroad was blessed at a service in Carmunnock church when the couple visited Scotland in 1983 - both live overseas.
Carmunnock’s old days and the style of life of those times are long since over. Only some of its buildings help to tell a little of the district’s history. Throughout the village good use with careful planning has been made of vacant ground for new building and at the same time we have ensured that our old ones continue to serve us in these modern days and into the future. Even today Carmunnock has its independence, surrounded by a green belt of fields.
The Police Station, at one time at 3 Greenside, then at 7 Hillcrest and 7 Windlaw, was latterly at 19-23 Windlaw Road. These days Carmunnock is looked after by Dougrie Road Police Station in Castlemilk and the village has its own officer to deal with local problems.
Proportionally a car-owning community, Carmunnock’s only public transport out of the village in recent years was the no. 31 Strathclyde Transport double-decker to Glasgow, lifting and leaving its passengers in Hillcrest Square, turning and going back down to the city. Early in the 1980s, however, there was a big change. Carmunnock became a mere fare-stage and the buses continue through the village to Waterside Road en route for East Kilbride and back. At first, the sight of big Glasgow City Transport double-deckers proceeding along the main street beyond their usual bus-stance and trying to turn the sharp corners, just didn’t look right at all. And to see them continuing out into the countryside, gliding between the hedgerows past the fields in Waterside Road, looked even more incongruous! But we have become accustomed to them - although quite clearly our village streets were never meant to take such sizeable vehicles, nor the number of huge commercial lorries and heavy transports that for years had to come through the village to reach other districts.
The new road, nearly two miles long, awaited for more than 20 years, finally went through. Started in April 1987, going westwards from close to Mid Netherton Farm at the top of the Castlemilk housing estate, cutting across fields parts of which, regretfully, were lost, crossing Carnbooth’s old drive and then Busby Road, it reaches Waterside Road and the Busby-East Kilbride A726 at The Peel.
Opened to traffic on 21st September 1988, the ceremony was performed by Councillor Malcolm Waugh, chairman of Strathclyde’s Highways and Transportation Committee, and among the spectators were the children of Carmunnock Primary School. In addition, the section of Busby Road west of the new round-about and down to the Kittoch Bridge (of 1884) was re-aligned and this stretch now passes several yards out from Brier Cottage’s gable-end and Millhill at the top of the Mill’s lane. The cost of it all - £4 million!
At last the village was by-passed, thus considerably helping to preserve our old buildings in the narrow streets from heavy traffic’s vibration. This results in Carmunnock being a safer and much more peaceful place to live, and perhaps even incites some of us to imagine a little of what it was like long ago.