Bank Top Boys Home

[elaine447]

I hope you get some info from the McLean museum
I will let you know if I find anything else
good luck
Elaine

[Maggiemck]

ah the Bank Street boys home again....I've been trying to find information on this institution to no avail. Can't find anything sadly. I think from memory that it may have had a connection with Quarrier's Homes who were based in Kilmacolm but when I tried to look for my ancestor they couldn't find anything for me.

It may just be worth revisiting that because to be perfectly honest, I can't remember if there was a link or not and if so what records survive. The lady there was very helpful and they do have an e-mail contact if you have a look at it online.

[Maggiemck]

Sorry, should also add, I contacted the Watt Library and although they knew about the home, they couldn't tell me anything about it - don't think the records have been kept. They did say they were going to have a look. I think that there are records in the archives there which are not catalogued. They probably have some stuff there which no-one has looked at for years. If anything has survived it doesn't seem to be catalogued or searchable in any useful way. Perhaps if enough people keep asking Greenock about the records they have there they might get someone to look through them.

I know also that there is a great deal of stuff at Greenock Town Hall also just locked away with no-one making any effort to sort through them.

I'm not really suggesting this would be fruitful, but I happened to be 'lucky' (if you could call it that) in that one of my ancestors had strayed into the Glasgow records because of an illness. They had recieved treatment at the Glasgow poorhouse in Govan which is now the site of the NHS hospital there. I think it's worth just contacting the City Archives there to ask them to search for details relating to your ancestor. You just never know. My ancestor was treated there and Greenock paid for the care because she was in their parish. Records, if they exist, are quite rich in detail.

good luck. And if you find anything please do let me know.

[weemary]

I know also that there is a great deal of stuff at Greenock Town Hall also just locked away with no-one making any effort to sort through them

maggie that is a shame as I am sure there would be people intereted in indexing the information

Elaine that could be a mission for you and I

[Cramond Brig]

I know also that there is a great deal of stuff at Greenock Town Hall also just locked away with no-one making any effort to sort through them

maggie that is a shame as I am sure there would be people intereted in indexing the information

Elaine that could be a mission for you and I

Go for it, ladies. Sounds like a challenge.

Alistair

[elaine447]

Oh I would love to get my hands on some of the stuff they got hidden away
and now that I am not working I've got plenty of time
could even be therapeutic 
I think I know someone I could ask about it too
Elaine

[Maggiemck]

Hey there, that's a great idea. I would love to help too though I'm not based in Scotland now. All that valuable information shouldn't just be left lying around like that when so many people would love to have access to it.

[Maggiemck]

This is something for someone in Greenock to check out also, the Ravenscraig hospital - is it still open, I know it's due to close - if anyone had time to talk to someone there and maybe pay a visit it might be useful.

I know the hospital is what became of the old workhouse and in my search for information I was told that there had been a lot of archive stuff just sitting around out there. It may have just been thrown away but I'm  not sure if that's what happened to it or if anything survives. Some of the archives went to Glasgow University, but that was stuff relating to mental health care, it's an NHS archive. The stuff relating to the poorhouse side of things was just lying around out there, once again not catalogued and nothing being done with it.

If any of it is still there it should really go to the Watt Library before it is thrown away. But then, if they have a whole room full of records at the moment and no one is sorting them out it may just be treated in the same way.

Can't understand Greenock and their attitude to this historical information. Greenock's history is extremely rich, given the fact that it was a significant port of departure for people heading for the 'new world' - why have we just let all that  stuff be destroyed or neglected.

[Cramond Brig]

I got this reply from McLean Museum

"Thank you for your email. I do believe that Bank Top House was an Industrial School. We don't have an awful lot of information about it but we do have an excellent account of one boy's stay there on our Local History Forum. It is by Dan Bonar, under Oral History and can be found at http://mcleanmuseum.proboards99.com"

You do have to create a free account to get access but it is a wonderful story and certainly answers some questions.

Alistair