EASTERHILL

Returning to the present Dalbeth one finds a field on the eastern part of the property, off London Rd. This is known to local children as the "coosie" and until it was filled in with rubble in 1978-79 it lay at a much lower level than now. It was added to Dalbeth by the Catholic Church to provide a recreational facility for the primary school and was formerly part of the Easterhill estate. The remaining portion of Easterhill lay south of this area to the Clyde and eastwards to Auchenshuggle Wood.

Easterhill was formed on part of Easter Dalbeth and in common with most of that property had been owned by the Wardrops of Dalbeth until the mid - 18th century. Again, it was a Tobacco Lord who acquired the land - Archibald Smellie. However, his business was one of those which did not survive the American War and he was forced to sell. James Hopkirk of neighbouring Dalbeth held it briefly from 1783-84 before passing ownership to the Findlay family which retained it till the latter part of the 19th century.

As with the rest of the district, it was mined for its rich coal deposits. Easterhill colliery was still functioning into the 20th century and provided fuel for the Clyde Iron Works. The waste products from the industrial complex built up, crept westwards and eventually submerged the whole of the remainder of the estate, including Easterhill House. During its ownership by the British Steel Corporation the whole area was basically a dumping ground for waste products.

Until the 1980s the appearance of the site was akin to a lunar landscape; a wasteland of gray slag where weeds struggled to grow. With the closure of the Clydebridge complex, the property was purchased in 1980 by the Scottish Development Agency, and is now the responsibility of Scottish Enterprise. The change since then has been quite remarkable with the land being reclaimed and landscaped. The earth embankment paralleling London Rd was bulldozed and the boundary wall reduced to about a quarter of its previous height.

Although the site is currently zoned for industrial development, it may eventually be used in other ways e.g. housing. The motorway extension from the M74 will pass through the southern portion of this area before crossing over the river.