Other Industries
The Mill
The mill at River Road was originally built circa 1268, by John Cheyam, Bishop of Glasgow, as a meal and flour mill. There is no documented evidence of ownership after that period, until the early 1900’s, when we know that James (Jimmy) Graham was the miller. His horses were stabled across the road, at the right hand side of the Auld Boat Hoose. Mr Graham went bankrupt in 1926, and the mill was purchased by Giddeon Walker, who converted it into a Sawdust Mill.
The building later became an Electrician’s, owned by R.M. Russell. Then Mr Longmuir bought the premises for use as a ragstore.
Quite a number of local men and women were employed there, in one capacity or another. The site is now a landscaped area and car park.
Willie McPhee, an electrician, worked in Russell’s. He emigrated to Canada and when lie died, his family fulfilled his wish, to be buried in the Clyde at Carmyle, where he had fond memories of his boyhood days. His brother was the beadle in Uddingston Church, and the minister of the church performed a ceremony at the fountain site, when Willie’s ashes were brought from Canada and scattered in the Clyde. It was a lovely service and attended by many local people.
The Power Station
The Clyde’s Mill Power Station provided employment for several local workers. It was located within the largest electrical load centre in Scotland, and stood on the south bank of the River Clyde approximately seven miles east of the City of Glasgow.
The name, Clyde’s Mill, did not originate as commonly believed from the situation of the Station on the river bank, but from the fact that the site was formerly occupied by a mill owned by a Mr Clyde.
The Power Station was the largest in Scotland in the early 20th century. The first installation was commissioned in 1916 and comprised 2-5 M.W. Generating Sets. By 1942 the installed capacity was 157,500 KW., and in 1945 two extensions were added bringing the total capacity to 277,500 KW. and making it the largest in Scotland.
All the buildings were of steel frame and brick construction on mass concrete foundations, resting on boulder clay and sandstone rock. The overall length of the Station along the river front was 1,133 feet and the total area of the site approximately 70 acres. It was a very impressive view, and lit up in the dark it resembled a long cruise ship at sea. Little wonder that it was a bombing target during the war.
Clyde’s Mill Power Station 1953. (Taken from a back garden in Gardenside Crescent)
A considerable number of women and a few men are employed in the United Biscuits factory, Clydeford Drive, Tollcross. Family and friends of employees have visited the factory on several occasions, for conducted tours, and the industry has close links with the village.
Another industry employing local workers, throughout the years, is the Hoover factory in Cambuslang. Today, however, there is a vast amount of unemployment in the area, with the closures of the Coal Mines, Power Station and Steel Works.
