Explore Strathbungo’s rich past: from Victorian merchants to diesel engines and a crime of the century nanny.
In the 1800s, Strathbungo was also ‘cool’. It drew merchants, industrialists, and tradesmen. They shaped Glasgow’s development. They included a woman linked to a major crime and pioneers who changed lives for millions. Some had businesses that fed the city.
Andrew Downie, a local, studied Strathbungo’s past. His research reveals Glasgow life in Victorian times. He explored old records and archives for his work.
His blog, BungoBlog.com, shows Glasgow life back then. It reflects the city’s love for sports and citizens’ spirit, innovation, and enterprise. Their work, food, and the cars they had are documented. Buildings were influenced by Strathbungo residents.
Downie’s research is like the BBC show “A House Through Time.” He used records to find former occupants’ details. These details revealed how families rose or fell. His work is also like “Who Do You Think You Are?”, untangling family histories.
Norman MacLean lived in Moray Place. He imported esparto grass for rope making. He then aided the start of a Spanish football club. Others include the diesel engine’s creator, a shinty team shaped the Camanachd Association, and a quarry owner used stone to build Glasgow.
Bessie Gow worked as a nanny in America. She got caught up in the “crime of the century.” Strathbungo evolved from village to terraces, lying between Govanhill and Pollokshields.
Alexander “Greek” Thomson designed Moray Place, a street. He liked it so much he lived there until death. William Stevenson, a resident, also helped shape the area. His story would be forgotten without Andrew’s research.
Andrew found the topic after writing about a school. He was amazed by the social history. Stevenson rose from a poor farmer to a top quarry master.
Stevenson managed the Eglinton toll. A quarrier was impressed and offered him a job. By 1855, he ran half the quarries in Scotland. His firm, Baird & Stevenson, built 1-10 Moray Place and dominated construction for four decades.
Most of Glasgow used Stevenson’s stone. Kelvingrove Art Gallery has his stone. Stone from Dunmore built City Chambers. Stevenson bought the Earl of Glasgow’s estate, transitioning from one room to a mansion.
Research on 24 Moray Place connects to sugar refining. Also, Confederate gun-running and diesel engines feature. Even the origin of “Danny Boy” comes up.
Robert Robertson managed a sugar refinery. His firm led the sugar refining market. This reminds us of Glasgow’s colonial past. He also helped develop diesel engines.
Lord Kelvin urged Glaswegians to follow Diesel’s lead. Robertson got rights to Diesel’s invention. Glasgow created the UK’s first diesel engine.
Robertson’s wife, Elizabeth Ritter, came from an interesting home. Her dad refined an old Irish tune. This became “The Londonderry Air” and “Danny Boy.” Their son, Edward, made the first turntable ferry.
Their daughter Muriel became a bacteriologist. She helped start the Society for Microbiology. She found the cause of sleeping sickness in Uganda.
George Herriot oversaw ship trials for Cunard. He ran Union blockades in the Civil War and worked for Cunard and White Star Lines. He testified about the SS Atlantic sinking.
William Buchanan ran a calico business. He lived at 50 Marywood Square. William Wilson’s boiler works made boilers for global use. Robert Gallacher ran a fish curing business.
Strathbungo supported the motor age. It had 24 garages at one point. The area around Titwood Road buzzed with activity. It once had Scotland’s first indoor tennis court and later became a milk depot before demolition.
Moray Park disappeared under housing. It hosted sports and the Glasgow Cowal shinty team. George Morrell managed Arsenal FC. Rangers FC almost played in Strathbungo.
Bessie Gow worked for the Lindberghs. Charles Lindbergh flew non-stop to Paris. Bessie cared for their son, Charles Jr., who was kidnapped, with a ransom of $50,000 demanded.
The case shocked the world. Bessie was the last to see him. She was asked to identify his body. Suspicion fell on her and her boyfriend. They were cleared, but her life was marred. Bessie returned and worked as a dressmaker.
Andrew’s blog receives contributions. People send old photos of Strathbungo. These photos show lost features from the area.
Strathbungo remains a “cool” place to live. It is a middle-class area where people left traces, making research easier.