About On the Prowl
Chapter 29 of James Cowan’s From Glasgow’s Treasure Chest describes a walk the author took from the Kelvin Hall, down Bunhouse Road into Partick. On his travels he passed the Regent Mills and the old Quaker burial ground. Being a West End girl myself, I remembered Rank Hovis had a flour mill in Dunaskin Street (on the other side of the River Kelvin from Bunhouse Road) but I knew nothing of a burial ground and was intrigued to find whether it still existed.
I did the author’s route in reverse, starting at Keith Street in Partick where the burial ground was purported to be. To my amazement, it was still there, at the bottom of Keith Street, nestled among a red brick housing estate. It was a site I’d passed numerous times but had never noticed before.
According to Cowan’s account, “this curious little patch of sacred earth was granted to the Scoiety of Friends of Glasgow by William Purdon of Partick” in 1711. “The Society of Friends ultimately granted the property in perpetuity to the Commissioners of the Barugh of Partick … A condition of the grant was that the remaining part of the ground should be maintained in good order, and that the sum of 1s [one shilling] per annum should be paid to the Society of Friends of Glasgow – which I presume is still being done.” But was it? I was curious to know. A quick internet search revealed that the Society of Friends is a Quaker organisation, so I contacted them to find out. Alas, they haven’t yet replied.
Next stop was the flour mill. The Regent Flour Mill which was located on Bunhouse Road had been long gone, now providing a car park for the Kelvin Hall. However, much to my astonishment, the Rank Hovis Flour Mill in Dunaskin Street was no longer there. Instead, a series of student apartment blocks had been built in it’s place with only the red brick tower and the sand-coloured warehouse remaining (now being used as a transport depot for the University of Glasgow).
River Kelvin with Bunhouse Road car park on left bank and student flats on right bank.
Student flats from the back with the remains of the Rank Hovis Flour Mill on Dunaskin Street.
You can read an account of its demolition here:
http://www.centraldemolition.co.uk/case-studies/urban-commercial/rank-hovis-mill-glasgow
Partick was once the main centre for flour milling in Glasgow. If you’d like more information, there’s a really interesting account of it here:
http://www.glasgowwestend.co.uk/out/partickstory.php
and some more information about the Regent Flour Mill here:
http://glasgowwestaddress.co.uk/1891_Book/Ure_John_&_Sons.htm