Can anyone identify the location of these photos in West Calder?

[transparu]

Can anyone help me work out where in West Calder these photographs might have been taken please?

They were taken about 1953.  The house (with nearby truck) had belonged to Thomas Clark who died in 1892. He had married Janet Miller in 1833.  The building had been a bakehouse and was converted to a residence.

The other photo has a sign on the building next to the telephone box that reads " Cabinet maker  J O GILVIE Upholsterer"

Any help appreciated.

Thanks
Dave

[Unė kthimi i papenduar]

Dave

There is a little book (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Old-West-Calder-Bellsquarry-Stoneyburn/dp/1840333103) which has a similar picture of 1b which includes a family grocers run by the Gillon family.  Scanning a couple of time does not produce a good image.

"The grocers stood on the corner of Union Street, which branched off Main Street on its south side.  Now only one building in what was formerly Union Street remains standing."   There is a spire in this picture which according the book was the United Presbyterian Church at Harburn to the south,  but I could not find this and it does look very much like the West Church.

1901 census has a James Ogilvie, Apr. Cabinetmaker in Hartwood Road. 

 Look in at www.old-maps.co.uk for West Calder and go to 1938  Linlithgowshire and zoom in to the Manse or later versions.  Union Street is marked linking with Kirkgate.  Modern version Google Maps - Main Street and focus on "Hamilton" , the old Church/graveyard and Union Square.

Gordon

[transparu]

Gordon,
This is great.  Thanks so much.

I have just overnight also received an email with some Clark death details from a lady (a helpful Meg Stenhouse) who just transcribed entries for the Burngrange Cemetery.  The Clark home address (so presumably the photo) is 40 Main St (though Janet Miller Clark lived/died at King St).  Of course that (North) side of the road was 'beautified' in the 60s or 70s so older buildings are not there.  The thing that doesn't seem to fit is that toward the back of my photo the houses facing the street are at an angle compared with the direction of the street in the foreground.  This implies a fairly definite bend in the street which doesn't seem to be the case on the maps.  Certainly the present Google map shows Main Street as being straighter than early maps.

The old maps site looks to be very useful, not only for this area.  I have bookmarked it.

I have other things to do over the next few days so you may not hear of me for a while.

Thanks again.
Dave

[AmyRankine]

Hi,

I appreciate this is quite an old post however the first photo is of my great-grandfather's shop.  As my dad's 65th is approaching I am trying to source a good photo of the shop ideally during the early 50s when he was a young lad (apparently used to walk from the allotments at the bottom of West Calder right up to his grandfathers carpentry shop in the ditch of the main road wheeling a tiny wheelbarrow his grandfather had made him).  I stumbled across this accidentally so could probably give you some further information if you are interested!
Otherwise if you have, or know of any other pictures please let me know.
Thanks
Amy

[Templar75]

Hi Amy,

           I could be wrong but I think the photo is Mid-Calder as at the bottom there is a bend.

Cheers.

Archie.

[Templar75]

Hi All I was wrong again,

                 Dave go to YouTube a wonderful old film of the West Calder and Mid Calder Gala Day about the 1910/20 period.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vyQo9LxQHI

Cheers.

Archie.

[MonicaL]

That is a great find Archie 

Another Calder film from the 1940s here:

LOCAL EVENTS IN WEST CALDER [4484]

Mixture of events in West Calder. School sport day, parade, the road race between West Calder and Edinburgh, and an Orange March. Extreme examples of weather are also shown with a lightening damaged tree, and gravity defying icicle.
http://ssa.nls.uk/search.cfm?search_mode=Browse&sid=03.01&location=27

Monica