article by Janet Strang

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Janet Strang is an adult learner in Hamilton.  This is the first two pages of a written project about her early life in Burnbank/Hillhouse, Hamilton, destined for her grand children and great grand children when they are a bit older.

 Nana’s letter to her descendants

Dear Cleo and great grandchildren or whoever reads this. 

I’m going to try and tell you about myself and my life.

I was born in Burnbank in a single end: it was one room with a kitchen to the side of the building.  In the room were two beds in the wall and a little furniture.

There was my mum and dad and three brothers, two big brothers and a wee one.

Their names were Jim, Alec and John.

Life in Burnbank for mum and dad was hard, but for me it was a good life.

I shall try to tell you about things that happened to me when I lived in Burnbank up to the age of six when I moved to Hillhouse.

One memory of Burnbank was my grandparents.  My dad’s parents lived in Hunthill Road, Blantyre.  I remember going there on a Sunday and going for walks with my grandfather along the “Cauder” (posh people called it the Calder) and I remember a big house where the toffs lived.  We crossed over the river and went along the path and under the viaduct.

My mum’s parent, my grandfather, was Irish and came to Scotland when he was one. He and his family lived in Glasgow.

I did not know my gran because she died before I was born.

Here are some off the things I got up to in Burnbank and can remember. I went to school, played in the big back door. My mum washed her washing in the washhouse down the back of the garden.

Today I go to adult learning classes at this centre in Hillhouse.

Webmaster replies

Janet, this is a great idea and a great piece of writing that I hope your whole family will be proud of.   Just think in a hundred years time your descendents will be looking at this and researching further to try and learn more about you.  Great!

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