The Carson Archive
Carbeth Children
Eileen Carson kindly gifted her mother's archive to the Hutters Community Company. It is an important collection of 45 photographs that shows images from our community's beginnings.
Eileen’s gran, Minnie, was a formidable lady, dedicated to the youth hostel movement and the fellowship camps that pre-dated Carbeth as a hutting organisation. At one point 40 camps coexisted at the same time.
The camps were important and active organisations serving a diverse range of purposes. Political, religious and health issues were very much part of these camps. The socialist-inspired ‘Clarion Holiday Fellowship Camp’, created to help working class people escape the grim conditions of working and living in an industrial city was dominant. Many clubs grew out of this organisation. Cycling was encouraged and the collection has photographs reflecting this.
Carbeth Cyclists
Woman’s issues were also high on the agenda. Jane Ray one of Clydesides most formidable suffragettes was deeply involved as was Ruth Kerrigan, Red Clydesider, who organised pre-natal classes for expectant mothers. There is a nice photograph of an assembly of women on a rain soaked ramble.
Eileen’s grandmother Minnie spoke to her often about ‘sad campfires’ where young men bid fairwell to wives and girlfriends before leaving to fight with the international brigades in the Spanish Civil War. Many died and many others disappeared. There is a pine tree, (The Soldiers Tree) on the hilltop of Carbeth, planted by his family, in the memory of a hutter who died fighting for this cause. Sympathies and association with these brigades was symbolised by the wearing of a beret. There is a lovely image of such a group in the collection.
The Carbeth Lido features much. Eileen’s mother Mary was a swimming champion and spent many hours at the Lido. The Carbeth Swimming Association was formed in 1930 and by 1933 had 300 members. 4300 visits were recorded in that year. Gala’s were held annually up to the beginning of WW 2. They were restarted for a time in the 60’s. The pool closed in 1969. Photographs already exist in our main archive of Eileen’s mother at gala prize presentations.
The hill as you enter the Carbeth valley from Glasgow was known as ‘The Sunny Brae’. (Perhaps a reflection of the sentiment on entering Carbeth) There are two nice images of this. Interestingly one shows the Inn Field. Close examination shows that there are perhaps two huts, indicating it must have been very early in Carbeth’s history.
The images are difficult to date exactly. However women tend to reflect the age in which they lived through current fashion. There are easily identifiable 20’s and 30’s photographs. There is also a photograph sporting men’s swimwear which belongs to a long gone era.
Eileen ‘s family owned a hut that sat behind the Auldmurroch Farm. There is a charming photograph of her as a small child with 3 Collie puppies, the family hut just visible to the left in the far background.