The Giffnock quarry. Astonishing Glasgow. Ep12

[@papapiers1588]

Fascinating. Never heard this story before. Giffnock stone. We just called it blonde sandstone. Shame about the pollution left at Huntley. Well done you. I enjoyed that.

[@Clivestravelandtrains]

I've stayed in Glasgow since 1992 and these have been the best years of my life! Thanks for the video, which popped up on my playlist and I realised it filled a gap in my knowledge.

[@peterpaszczak4013]

Bit late getting to your vids, really enjoying them, was once told by a descendent ( a long term G-nock resident) of (one?) the builders of The Kelvin Hall that stone from Giffnock Quarry was used as ballast on ships going to Australia and was then used to build some of the municipal buildings in Melbourne. They seemed very knowledgeable about their family and local history so seems plausible.

[@taxidude]

We used to cycle through the rugby club car park to the quarry in either the late 60s as children as one of our many adventures. Then I could never find it again and only now, you show me what happened to it. I had assumed they built houses on it. There were plenty areas like this as kids. The field off Brunton Street, a huge area next to my Grannie’s in Ashgil Road in High Possil and what they called the 7 hills off Haggs Road. And this was long before BMX bikes.

[@margaretcarroll258]

Fantastic video. Loved hearing the Giffnock Stone story. I never knew there was such a thing and I live so near it.

[@HughDWallace]

Very interesting! My wife is from Giffnock and I must have driven past that old quarry a million times but never even knew it was there. I will be granite spotting from now on!

[@phillbt]

can't wait for an episode on Springhill Gardens!

[@helenjohnston3133]

I just love to hear your clear G look ashier accent and see my belovedCity; I spent many years abroad and now am home. Good on ye Do ivlie

[@dickiegreenleaf750]

I can’t wait to visit Glasgow. My love started from Taggart on Britbox in the US here.

[@AstonishingGlasgow]

You need to look back through my channel where you will find my Taggart filming locations then and now video.

[@dickiegreenleaf750]

@@AstonishingGlasgow will do

[@AstonishingGlasgow]

Hi Dickie, sorry for not getting back to you with an actual link. I replied on my phone the other day while at work and was going to be more helpful when I got home but forgot. The direct link to my Taggart video is here; kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJqrg4WljcedZpo

[@DeltaV3]

I grew up in the 90s playing in the now fenced off part of the quarry.

[@johnbrown3951]

Another brilliant watch. Thanks

[@andrewmccairns6915]

Good video I stumbled across. Look forward to seeing the rest. Well done

[@AstonishingGlasgow]

Thaks Andrew. I'm just working on episode 21 just now so hit subscribe and stay tuned.

[@davidvallance852]

Loved the video . I can remember seeing the trains going along the tracks along May Terrace in the early 60’s . They ran near my house at the bottom of Lonsdale avenue . The old quarry site was my childhood playground !

[@stevenmcfarlane8831]

Interesting as usual , 👍

[@WhiteinchPark]

Parts of Whiteinch have buildings which used Giffnock Stone, such as Victoria Park Drive, Victoria Park Street and Medwyn Street - in VPDS and Medwyn St you can see red and blonde together. Great video and very informative! Well done!

[@ZenoWatson]

Another fantastic episode

[@nikstar83]

Me and my pals played in the quarry in the 90's.

[@alisonlee3314]

Really interesting!

[@stephenlemon8270]

Excellent video

[@jamesmenzies9932]

Many buildings in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, are from Giffnock stone. These include three churches - Trinity, the West (now demolished I believe) and St. John’s. There are also residential flats and the reconstruction of the old outdoor baths.

[@GMGLASGOWLTD]

Hello 👋🏻 I’m the contractor that looks after Giffnock North FC and came across your channel. Great videos! I have a history book for the now defunct cricket and the only Royal & Ancient recognised 6 hole golf course in pollok park if you are interested?

[@AstonishingGlasgow]

That would be very interesting. Can you drop me a message at [e-mail] please?

[@foz775]

My old local!!

[@binflynn1]

Interesting indeed

[@CalvinsWorldNews]

two questions that come to mind: 1) Given all the buildings, that is a truly insane amount of stone. Do we have an idea of the total volume cut out (or thus what sort of depth they had to fill in with the waste slag to level it)? 2) Did the red sandstone run out or is it just not quarried these days? When I was a kid a car knocked over our garden wall and it was going to very expensive to repair so my dad agreed to make the driveway a few yards wider and get a cheque from the insurance company in return.

[@AstonishingGlasgow]

From reading about the quarry the size of the operation was mind blowing. Not only was there a large open cast pit but the mined sections were said to have caverns bigger than cathedrals. Whats more, the blond sandstone didnt run out, it just became too expensive to hold back the ground water that was flooding the deeper parts of the quarry. I dont think the red stone ran out, it just became expensive and unfashionable so the skill base for cutting and dressing the stone reduced making it an expensive building material.

[@AlanM20244]

Mabye do a video on the near by eastwood park \ house area

[@Olafandlafandlaf]

That protective fence hasn't been there that long, I lived in Giffnock and as a child and teenager we use to run about the Quarry all the time, there were even we paths leading up to it built by the counciL, people walked their dogs up there, the cubs and scouts would take us up there too. So, despite the dangers, I don't think they put that fence up until recently maybe over the last 10 years.

[@borderlands6606]

It seemed unlikely that a derelict site with a dangerous reputation, so close to a residential area, could keep the local kids out for very long.

[@neilbain8736]

The sand in Kames Bay, Millport, is the darker red, but round the corner, literally, from Crocodile Rock, the beach is the lighter colour of Giffnock stone. I've always wondered why.

[@bam-skater]

The quality of the stone coming out of Giffnock had dropped as well which is probably why the quarry became financially unviable. Curiously, the houses on Penrith Av. have the higher quality Dumfries redstone around the windows and doors (i.e. the supporting bits) with the now poorer quality Giffnock blonde being used for the rest of the building.

[@robertwillis4061]

Also dumped into the quarry after WW2 were old Aircraft engines, burnt out building wood and interiors and Aircraft bodies along with the instrument panels that contain radioactive materials from the night time illuminating panels ( low level stuff, but still toxic)

[@AstonishingGlasgow]

Brilliant bit of information, thanks for sharing.

[@steveedl]

Used to fish in the early 60's for tadpoles and newts in the water left by the filled in quarry: known as dead man's lake.

[@brendangillespie9881]

Yes indeed - myself and the Eastwood Avenue / Church Road massive were there in the '70's and I remember all of that!! there was also an abandoned (dairy?) farm on the higher ground to the north-west near Forres Ave. Hours/days/weeks of simple fun and no admission charge!!

[@sweetsoulmusic]

Great information!. Thank you.

[@charliefulton4264]

Good wee video but Giffnock is within the city of Glasgow, council run areas do not define the city of Glasgow #imho

[@bam-skater]

No it's not. The border is at Merrylee follows the wee burn in the middle of Tinto Rd/Kilmarnock Rd then along Burnfield Rd.

[@BillyBobDingo1971]

That mess needs cleaned up. Can't have industrial waste near all those houses.

[@AstonishingGlasgow]

Problem is, if it was an issue they shouldn't have built all those houses near the industrial waste.

[@BillyBobDingo1971]

@@AstonishingGlasgow They build houses anywhere. Look at Dargavel at Bishopton on the old ROF Bishopton. Folk can't eat garden grown food for at least ten years because of the toxic waste in the ground. Keep up the good videos.

[@janetmackinnon3411]

I take it that Gifnock stone was sandstone?

[@AstonishingGlasgow]

Yes. A very high quality hard wearing blond colour sandstone.

[@janetmackinnon3411]

@@AstonishingGlasgow Thank you.

[@LanarkshireRailfan]

ma auld hoose wis built fae giffnock stone

[@gary0768]

That's cleared that up, I thought Giffnock stone was strain of cannabis

[@coderider3022]

Where is your proof for any of this ? Claiming all blond sandstone is Giffnock, bit wild. Blond sandstone was seen as old fashioned in 1900 so when stocks ran out, red was plentiful and in fashion.

[@AstonishingGlasgow]

I dont at any point claim that "all" blond sandstone came from Giffnock. Giffnock quarry was the major producer of blond sandstone and supplied it in plentiful amounts to Glasgow for the building of the city. The examples of the interior of Kelvin grove and the Calder fountain in Belfast are well documented as being made of Giffnock stone. I could also have added Duncairn church in Dublin or the Merchant hotel in Belfast, both are made of Giffnock stone.