The Following detailed history of Douglas Water & Rigside was sent to me by Archie Clark.  This seems to confirm that the chapel which I have posted pictures of in the new pics page was not as I thought a chapel but a farm named "Chapel".  I am extremely grateful to Archie for this information and the attention to detail within the following text is amazing. 

Detailed History Of Douglas Water & Rigside by Archie Clark

1. PONFEIGH

While the names of Ponfeigh and Douglas Water have been loosely used locally in relation to the village it is important to recognise that the name Douglas Water did not exist until the beginning of the twentieth century, other than as the name of the river. Ponfeigh, on the other hand, has a much earlier origin. The name is derived from the Welsh poll an fhéidh (meaning “stag’s water” or “the watering place of the deer”) thus relating to the ancient Celtic kingdom which stretched from Wales through Cumbria as far as Dumbarton. The first recorded reference occurs in 1350 in a charter granting the lands of Ponfeigh to William de Carmichael, a vassal of the Earl of Douglas.
In the 19th century the village, or possibly more accurately, hamlet of Ponfeigh consisted of a number of stone built houses which clustered around Townhead Farm (which is still a working farm) and included a stone built row stretching from there to Townfoot Farm. (No longer in existence as a farm) According to the earliest census in 1841 33 families, consisting mainly of weavers, miners and general agricultural workers, occupied it.
When the Caledonian Railway opened its Lanark to Muirkirk Branch for passengers in 1864 it terminated at Douglas Station (later renamed Happendon Station when the railway was further extended - now adjacent to the M74) with one intermediate station at Sandilands. While the Company had made suitable arrangements for mineral and goods traffic, the villages of Rigside and Ponfeigh were not provided with passenger facilities and, accordingly, made suitable representations to the Company. The Company acceded to this request and the resulting passenger station was named Ponfeigh. [Photographs of all three stations show that the buildings associated with Happendon and Sandilands were of dressed stone construction while Ponfeigh consisted of a wooden building - it was erected as an afterthought.]
The relatively large village adjacent to the railway, which was erected by Coltness Iron Company Ltd. at the beginning of the twentieth century and christened Douglas Water, obviously created an anomaly for the Caledonian Railway Company and they consequently amended their description of the station to “Ponfeigh for Douglas Water.”
Since that date the names of Douglas Water and Ponfeigh have been locally loosely used synonymously.

2. MINING

Small scale coal mining had been carried on in the Rigside and Ponfeigh areas for centuries, the minerals being leased by the Douglas and the Carmichael estates respectively. The earliest reference which has been recorded concerns the hiring of a collier from Ponfeigh for a day by the authorities in Lanark in 1503, in an attempt to locate a “coal hewch” around the town of Lanark.
In 1881 Coltness Iron Company Ltd. opened their first mine in the area. It was a small drift mine (an “ingaunee”) located in the Howgill below Newtonhead Farm. By driving a level cross-measures drift most of the coal seams could be accessed and worked in sequence.
In 1890 the Rigside Mining Company renounced their lease of the minerals and the Coltness Company was invited to extend their interests to the whole field. Agreement was reached and the initial exploratory boring of the shaft area commenced in 1892. A number of difficulties were encountered with this phase of operation on passing through the wastes of the old Gas Coal workings previously wrought in the area, which delayed shaft sinking and production did not commence until 1902.
The Mining Industry Act of 1920 established the Miners’ Welfare Fund with the stated objectives of improving the miners lot locally and nationally in the fields of education, health and general social welfare. It was funded by a levy of 1d. per ton annually paid by the coalowners. The Mining Industry Act of 1926 amended the original Act to include a contribution from the mineral owners of 1/- per £ rental on mining royalties. One immediate national priority was obviously the provision of pithead baths at every colliery. The erection of baths at Douglas Colliery took place under the Miners’ Welfare Scheme and were opened in February 1932 by Wm. H. Telfer, Managing Director of Coltness Iron Company Ltd.
As Managing Director of his previous company, Wilsons & Clyde Coal Company Ltd., W.H. Telfer had been responsible in 1916 for the erection, at the expense of the Company, of the first pithead baths in Scotland at Douglas Castle Colliery located at Douglas West – a village now largely demolished.
During the 1930s Shotts Iron Company carried out an exploratory boring programme to ascertain the mineral field towards the Eastertown and Broken Cross areas proving that the seams thinned appreciably and that strata conditions would be generally wet. Agreement was reached between the Coltness and the Shotts Companies to work these reserves from Douglas Colliery. The ensuing wet conditions (3,200 gallons per minute pumping capacity was installed at the pit bottom of Douglas Colliery) required the use of “skins” (oilskins) but other than in extreme circumstances, usually associated with very temporary breakdown of mechanical equipment, it is a gross exaggeration to suggest that miners generally worked “up to their waist in water.”
The colliery depicted in the view of a group of workmen with the headgear in the background is of one of the Garriongill pits near Overtown NOT Douglas Colliery. The sole connecting feature is that one of the group viz. Robert Hutchison was transferred from there to Douglas Colliery as manager. It is noted that this photograph has been utilised frequently in relation to publications on the history of mining in the Douglas Water area.

3. PARISHES

The Rigside/Douglas Water area falls around the junctions of three
Parishes viz. Lesmahagow, Douglas and Carmichael. Lesmahagow Parish, to the north, is bounded on its south side by Poneil Water, Douglas Water and eventually the Clyde around the Kirkfieldbank and Crossford areas. Ponfeigh Burn forms the boundary between Douglas and Carmichael Parishes.
Thus Rigside lies in Douglas Parish, while, in the original Douglas Water village, part lay in Douglas and part in Carmichael Parish. Obviously now virtually the entire village relates to Carmichael Parish.

4. RELIGION

In the earliest times churches had a much bigger role in the social life of the community and this devolved mainly on the original parish churches of Lesmahagow, Douglas and Carmichael which were attended by the small and dispersed local population.
There is no doubt that, in common with Douglas and Lesmahagow, many of the local population would have Covenanting sympathies and possibly some activity towards the attendance at conventicles. After the death of Cameron and Cargill, the Society men or Cameronians, who refused to join the Kirk of Scotland because of their adherence to the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643, formed themselves into corresponding Societies from about the year 1680. Rev. John McMillan, of Balmaghie Church of Scotland near Kirkcudbright, had taken exception to the lack of regard paid by the authorities to the Solemn League and Covenant. Since the Societies were at that time without an ordained minister, they came to an understanding with Mr McMillan and, accordingly, in December 1706 he accepted the offer of a post with the Societies, and delivered his first sermon to the Cameronians at Crawfordjohn. Thus he was the founder minister of what became in 1743 the Reformed Presbyterian Church (the Cameronian Kirk).
Eventually the church expanded and was split into two congregations: the southern and the northern. In December 1763 Rev. John Fairley accepted the call from the southern congregation, covering all of the country down to Galloway, and was ordained at Leadhills. In 1776 Mr Fairley moved to a small house at Howgill, near Newtonhead Farm, overlooking the Douglas Water, where he spent the next thirty years of his life. At that time there were no church buildings, all of the church services having to be performed either in tents or outdoors.
The Five Mile Act of the Clarendon Code was intended to prevent non-conformist clergy from coming within five miles of any corporate town. Thus, at Rigside, the worshippers were over five miles from Douglas and from Lanark and consequently were able to worship without breach of the statute.
Little is known about the first church building but about the year 1789 it was rebuilt as a substantial plain building, incorporating a gallery, in a corner of the wood opposite Collierhall Farm.
In 1843, the church being seriously damaged by mining subsidence, a site was obtained from Douglas Estate for the erection of a new church on the north side of the Douglas Water near to the present site of Alpha House, again associated with the Reformed Presbyterian Church.
In 1863 the Reformed Presbyterian Church as a body split on the question of the franchise into “The Church of the Majority” and “The Church of the Minority.” Douglas Water Church joined the former group.
In 1876 “The Church of the Majority” sought union with the Free Church of Scotland. However, at Douglas Water, while the local minister, the Kirk Session and the majority of the congregation favoured the union, a number of members considered that they should remain with the Reformed Presbyterian Church and, following an animated discussion, the church and building joined up with “The Church of the Minority.” The minister and Kirk Session were now left without a place of worship and, despite approach to the Court of Session, the building remained in the hands of the Reformed Presbyterian Church.
In 1892 the church failed through lack of members and joined with the established Church of Scotland as Douglas Water Church a quoad sacra parish church.
The Free Church of Scotland (the ousted members of “The Church of the Majority”) were granted a site in 1886 at Rigside, (the present church) and eventually joined the Church of Scotland in 1929 on the amalgamation of the United Free Church and the Established Church.

The above represents the complete chronology of the local churches. There is no record of any Covenanting chapel in the vicinity other than the association with the origins of the Reformed Presbyterian Church as outlined.

Despite the name, the farm named Chapel has no record of any kind of religious activity. The RCAHMS have carried out several investigations at the farm and can find no information, either on site or in historical records suggesting any religious background. While it is shown in the Douglas Estate farm leases of 1770-1772 as a farm of 159 acres arable and 200 of hill moor, throughout the following century it was utilised principally for the accommodation of a shepherd associated with Parkhall Farm at Uddington.

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Welcome to the History Page.  Click on a village name below to view the History for that village.

RIGSIDEDOUGLAS WATER

For a more detailed History of both villages click here.

 

Spring clean (28/02/08)

I have been asked to promote a local business.  Country Cleaners are a cleaning and domestic services business offering a wide range of services such as home cleaning, dog walking, ironing, garden maintenance, basic DIY and more.  Visit theyre website for more information by clicking here.

New Houses (29/11/07)

News released by the council today states the planning application for the creation of 100 new houses in Rigside has been given the green light.  Building will now commence asap with groundworks already underway.  The new housing estate will be situated in vacant fields southwest of Muirfoot Road and will consist of 94 detached and 18 semi detached homes.  It will also include a number of footpath links, areas of open space, a play area, landscaping and tree planting.  Access to the site will be via a new roundabout to be constructed on Ayr road at the junction with the road leading to Douglas Water.  Looks like Rigside is going to double in size, is this good or bad?  Feel free to discuss it in the forum!

New Memory (01/10/07)

A new memory has been added to the memories page today from Evelyn Graham.  Click here to read Evelyn's memories of Rigside & Douglas Water.

Douglas Water School (09/09/07)

I recently visited Douglas Water and was shocked to find the old school has been demolished.  All  that stands there now is empty ground.  I thought this building would have some sort of historic rights but it seems the council thought nothing of knocking it down.  Now there is very little left of the original village and its history another part of Douglas Water disappears. 

NEWS & SITE UPDATE (07/0707)

Hi folks, I know it has been a while since the site as had any news or updates.  I have been way busy with other projects.  There has been recent news concerning the news below.  3 men have been arrested for the shooting of Victor Yule.  None of them were local men (2 from Glasgow).  Other news is I (Ash) no longer reside in Rigside and therefore find it difficult to keep up to date with any village news, I would appreciate any help from website users who know of any news.  Please contact me with any village news.

 

LOCAL MAN SHOT DEAD (18/04/07)

 Detectives have launched a murder enquiry following the death of 47-year-old Victor Yuill of Lanark.  Around 7.15pm on Sunday 28 January 2007, a member of the public discovered the body of Victor within his business premises, namely Woodside Garage, Ayr Road, Rigside, Lanark.  The premises were immediately sealed off and detailed forensic examination undertaken. Following a post mortem examination on Tuesday 30 January, detectives can now reveal that Mr Yuill was shot and his death is being treated as murder.
Speaking today, Detective Superintendent George Lambie, who will be leading this investigation said: "Our enquiries are at a very early stage and we have yet to establish a motive for this murder. However, there is no reason, at this time, to believe that it was mistaken identity. Mr Yuill was a married man with three children and he owned the timber premises where his body was found.

"It is believed that he left his home in Lanark around 1pm on Sunday afternoon and headed for the garage. Around 7.15pm on Sunday, a member of the public noticed that the doors to the premises were lying open and discovered Mr Yuill's body inside.

"I am anxious to speak to anyone who was in the area of Ayr Road between 1pm and 7.15pm on Sunday afternoon to come forward. It is a relatively quiet road however it is situated between Lanark and the M74 at Happendon Service Station. Drivers who were travelling on this stretch of road on Sunday are asked to come forward.

"A mobile police caravan has been set up at the scene and I would encourage members of the public to speak to the officers, they may, unwittingly, have seen or heard something of relevance.

"Any person with information is asked to contact the Incident Room at Larkhall Police Office on telephone number 01698 202326. Alternatively telephone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity can be maintained."

RISE IN LOCAL CRIME (09/01/07)

The village of Rigside over the past 6 months or so has been subject to an extreme rise in the number of houses being broken into.  The thieves are targeting both empty and occupied houses in the village.  One house has being broken into and a number of goods stolen then the thieves returned 5 months later to try again although this time unsuccessful.  This along with the rise in youth crime/vandalism is such a sad state of affairs for the village to find itself in.  Over the past few years the village has been on the up with very little if any empty houses, the council & police have to clamp down on these incidents before they get out of control.  In the meantime be extra vigilant and ALWAYS report anything unusual to the police/council (you can find the tel number for lanark police and council on the information page).  Feel free to discuss this in more detail on the forum.

CLASS OF 62 REUNION (20/12/06)

I have been contacted by Les Moan who is looking to organise a reunion for Douglas Water school class of 62 (pupils born in 1957).  Some names from that time are Nancy Alexander, Peter Gladstone, Tom Prentice, Lynn Hay, Grace Hogg.  For more details please contact Les direct via lesmoan@hotmail.com

MEMBER ONLY FORUM (20/12/06)

Unfortunately due to the high amount of spam in the forum it is now required that only registered members make or reply to posts.  Anyone can view posts but to actually make or reply to a post you now have to register as a member.  Its free and easy to register just click the register button on the forum!

Shoutbox (15/11/06)

A shoutbox has been added to the forum today.  Now you can chat with other site visitors, its easy and simple to use.  You just enter a name (a nickname if u like) and a message then hit the "Say" button, its as easy as that.  You dont have to register or anything!  Check it out on the forum, Click here.

VIDEO SLIDESHOW 2 (9/11/06)

I have created another slideshow for the site today.  This slideshow uses pictures of past and present Douglas Water to show in better detail how much the village has changed.  You can watch the video on the homepage, New or old pics pages.

VIDEO SLIDESHOW (7/11/06)

I created a slide show with music of all the pics on the site.  You can watch the video on the homepage, New or old pics pages.  I would like to create a video slideshow with photographs of past and present residents, If you would like to be included in the slideshow please email your pic to rigsidedw@yahoo.com

FAQ RETURNS (3/11/06)

I have created an FAQ for the site again.  You will find answers to questions you may have in the FAQ as well as the ability to ask questions.  So if you want to know who created the site, how to get to Rigside or DW and more then check out the FAQ.  I will be adding more to the FAQ over the next few days.  Click here to view the FAQ.

CRIME RATE (2/11/06)

I received a very good question via email from a Tracey muir.  She was thinking of buying a house in Douglas Water and wanted to know what the local crime rate was like as well as how well received outsiders are by local people.  For more info and to voice your opinion check out the forum.  I have posted her question and my opnion in the Rigside & DW part of the forum.

HOME HAPPENING (2/11/06)

The Home happening program by the council has been active in Rigside & Douglas Water over the past few days.  Risgide council houses are currently being renovated with new Kitchens and bathrooms.  Muirfoot Road, Newtonhead Rd and others in Rigside have been getting visits from the Home happening team to make theyre choices of Kitchen and bathroom types.

 

ANTI-SOCIAL (5/10/06)

Rigside residents have received letters from the council telling them about a rise in Anti-Social behaviour and vandalism at the Rigside shop.  It informs residents that a security fence has been erected by the council & shop owners at the rear of the shop to try and prevent further damage.  The vandalism highlighted is racist graffiti and damage to shop premises and states that "the culprits are young people living in Rigside".  The letter goes on to say that the council & shop owners will be taking measures to catch the vandals and have them prosecuted by the police.  One of these measures is installing CCTV on the site.  It ends by saying that elderly residents homes behind the shop are also being targeted and asks parents to have a word with theyre children about the matter to try and stop the problems and improve village esteem.  It provides a telephone number for residents to report the vandals 0800 389 1105.

NEW HOUSES (5/10/06)

Notices have been put through Rigside residents doors as a planning application has been lodged with the council for the new housing development which is going to be built in the fields behind Muirfoot rd.  the notice does not have any details about how many houses will be built or theyre designs but does feature a map of the site showing which fields will be used.  It shows that 3 fields will be used, the 2 fields opposite the Douglas Water road and the field at the top between the village and golf club are highlighted.  It states the developers are Grantly Developments (Rigside Ltd).  click here to view the forum topic.

GUESTBOOK POLL (5/10/06)

The website poll is back!  The website poll is now featured on the guestbook, go to the guestbook to check out the poll.  The poll is on a rotation of 3 different polls so to view the different polls just hit the refresh page.

DOG LOST (22/9/06)

Has anyone seen this dog.  Monty went missing between 20:00 & 00:00 on 21st July. He is black with a very small white patch on his chest and grey hairs around his muzzle.  Often wanders around Tinto Hill, Nr. Symington.No Tag.  For more details and owners contact details click here!.  £500 REWARD

DO YOU HAVE A VIDEO OF RIGSIDE OR DW? (13/9/06)

Do you have a video of Rigside or Douglas Water?  I am looking to add videos of the villages to the website.  The video's must be in avi or mpeg format.  To find out how to add your video's to this site email me at rigsidedw@yahoo.com or use the contact page to contact me for more information.

HISTORY IN DETAIL (8/9/06)

I received an email from an Archie Clarke with a long and detailed history of the villages.  I have added it to the History page today.  Go to the History page to view it or click here.

TWO BECOMES ONE (5/9/06)

It has been a long time in the making but I have finally combined the Douglas Water Website and the Rigside site into one site. I did this for a number of reasons but mainly to make it easier for me to maintain the websites and for you to use the website.  It wasnt easy to combine both websites considering the Douglas Water Website contained 5 years of stuff and the Rigside Site around 3 years.  However I think it has been worth it and I hope you agree.  If You don't then let me know via the Contact page. I have made quite a few changes to the website such as:  I havent included as much of an introduction on the homepage, this is mainly because It has taken long enough to put the new site together I will add a more detailed introduction at a later date.  I have also used the Douglas Water Guestbook as the main guestbook for this site (mainly because it had 75 entries as to the Rigside guestbook which had 42).  You can still view the old Rigside Guestbook (there is a link in the current guestbook) also if you signed the Rigside Guestbook but not the Douglas Water guestbook then feel free to make a new entry in this sites guestbook.  Another big change is I have changed hosting companies from Bravenet to 50webs.  The biggest reason for this was 50webs offer free hosting without forcing adverts or popups on your site.  SO the site address has changed to http://rigsidedw.50webs.com.I have also changed the website email address to rigsidedw@yahoo.com, I still have access to the old email addresses so if you want you can still email me using the old addresses.  The new website also has a new forum which looks good and is easy to use, check it out.  The website should now be 80% popup free, the only place you could get popups is in the guestbook and the links page.  I have had to continue using Bravenet for the guestbook and links basically because it would be too time consuming to transfer all the guestbook entries to a new guestbook elsewhere.  The website poll, survey, chatroom and toolbar are gone for now.  I may add these again to the site at a later date.  There is also no longer a news page, any news will be put here and is also included in every page.  Thats about it for now, hope you like the new look site.

DONATION PROJECT (13/08/06)

I have been thinking of starting a Donation scheme on the website which would make it possible to make the website even better.

DOUGLAS WATER SCHOOL REUNION (01/05/06)

A reunion has been organised for former pupils of Douglas Water School.  I was contacted via email by regular site user Roy Bartie who informed me that a reunion the class of 1940 - 1956.  It is due to take place on the 27th May 2006 and will be held at the Masonic Hall in Douglas Water.  Times are from 6pm till late with a small buffet being provided for a reasonable fee.  There will also be excellent bar facilities within the venue.  Further information can be found on the friendsreunited website or contacting locally Jim Forrest or Catherine Cowan.  The event itself is being organised by a John (Chester) Morris.  Anyone who attends this event it would be appreciated by me and I am sure site visitors if they would share they're experience and any photographs with the Rigside & Douglas water website, you can do this by using the contact me page.

THE OLD RIGSIDE CHAPEL UPDATE (15/03/06)

I recently received an email from website regular Roy Bartie which told me the photographs I featured on the new pics page were not the old chapel but were in fact the ruins of an old farm called Broomfield.  Roy also kindly sent me maps to help me find the chapel.  Following Roy's maps I braced the cold and wet in search for the chapel and was amazed to actually find it.  There isn't much left of the chapel but I wasn't disappointed at what I found.  I have added the photo's to the New pics page

THE OLD RIGSIDE CHAPEL (13/03/06)

When I originally designed the Rigside website I did some research on the village and found information on an old chapel used by villagers hundreds of years ago.  It had brief details on its location and I have been looking for it since.  years ago I went to view old ruins on the hillside above and behind the village.  This area matches the description of where the chapel was however I am not totally convinced this is the chapel ruins.  I have put new photographs of the ruins on the new pics page of the website so hopefully website visitors can help me out with this one.  Do you know anything about the ruins in the photographs?  If you know anything use the contact me page or you could discuss the old chapel or these ruins in our forum.

ROY BARTIE COLLECTION (05/03/06)

A new page has been added to the Rigside website today.  Recently I recieved a lot of new Photographs from a regular website user Roy Bartie.  I have created a page to display these new photographs

Vandals (17/02/06)

Recent vandalism of the shop in rigside has resulted in the shop owners currently banning all children from entering the shop without a responsible adult.  Apparently the damage which resulted in the ban will cost the owners a considerable sum to repair.

Not Again (17/02/06)

It appears that the Indian takeaway on the site of the old petrol station in Rigside which opened late last year has now closed down.  However there has been news that a Chinese takeaway may open soon on the site.  The Sandwich shop still remains open at present.

BROADBAND ENABLED (24/6/05)

This is a little old news as I havent really had the chance to put it in here.  The villages are now broadband enabled with speeds up to 2mb available.  If you can recommend any broadband suppliers why not add a link to the links page.

BROADBAND COMING TO DW & Rigside (29/5/05)

Great news for the villages, the villages will have broadband by the 13th July 2005.  As part of the governments plans to have the whole country enabled to broadband the local exchange will definitely have it on or before the above date.  This will hopefully encourage more villagers to get connected.

PLANNING APPLICATION SUBMITTED 4/5/05

Another article has appeared in the Lanark Advertiser this week relating to the proposed new houses to be built behind Muirfoot road in Rigside.  Apparently a planning application has been submitted to South Lanarkshire council for 100 new houses consisting of both houses and flats.  The application also states a new roundabout would be built at the Douglas Water access road and another access road built off the roundabout for access to the new development.  This is the biggest housing development to have taken place locally since the council built houses in the 30's to house the miners.  Arguments against the proposal are that it would cause traffic problems on an already busy main road and also that it is difficult enough already to find people willing to live in Rigside.  For my view on the matter check out the forum.

PONFIEGH STATION GETS A CLEAN UP 10/3/05

I Was reading the Lanark and Carluke Advertiser this morning and seen an article about Ponfiegh Railway Station.  The station is now nothing more than a ruin used by travellers who visit Douglas Water every year and park they're Caravans there and also by local villagers who graze horses on the site.  According to the advertiser Other local residents have grouped together and decided to clean up the site.  The group claims the old station is a dangerous and hazardous place for the children of the village as well as an eyesore.  It is also pointed out by the group that the site is being unused as a rubbish dump.  A spokesman for the group explained "The state of the old platform and derelict area round about were really causing us some concern.  There are lots of hazards there, especially for local children.  People seem to use it as a dump for their rubbish and it is also used illegally by others.  Axles and tin boxes dumped by travellers are just some of the eyesores locals have had to put up with, as well as people using it illegally to graze horses".  The Group have contacted the landowner, UK Coal Mining Ltd and have agreed to lease the land.  The plan to initially fence off the area to make it more difficult for people to dump they're rubbish.  The Spokesperson continued "This could be a nice area, and the station site is next to the recreation ground and swing park, as well as next to a site where work is about to start on new bungalows as part of the councils redevelopment plans for the village.  Douglas Water is a pretty village and our project will help get some more pride back into it.  This site is now the only thing that is pulling it down".  The group also claim some pet dogs have cut they're paws on broken glass from the site.  They claim they will make the area traffic free and safe for kids and local families.

New Houses Development 15/2/05

An article in the Lanark and Carluke Advertiser last week claimed a development company has received planning permission to build approx 60 new houses in Rigside consisting of both houses and flats.  The article claimed these new houses would be built on land adjacent to Muirfoot road.  I have since lost the article and cannot therefore put the full details of the article here.  If anyone knows more about this please email me the details to

New Burger Bar and Indians 15/2/05

This could be considered old news now as for the past few months the old Rigside petrol station has been re-opened as a Burger bar on one side and an Indians on the other.  I really wish the new proprietors all the best in Rigside.  Its about time a successful business operated on this site.

WORK ON PLACE BRIDGE BEGINS (6/8/02)

Work begins on Place Bridge in Douglas water Today (this is the bridge next to the old post office) as access over the bridge was closed yesterday.  Diversions have been set up.  coming from Rigside you will be diverted back up the Rigside road onto ayr road (A70) and out onto the B7078 dual carriageway and back onto the Lanark road just before the Cairn Lodge services which brings you out to the old church.  Coming from the Lanark direction you are diverted in the opposite direction to the above.

RIGSIDE POST OFFICE UPDATE (6/8/02)

Right people I may be a little slow on this one but Rigside Post Office has finally moved from the small building in Douglasdale Street to the Rigside shop across the road also in Douglasdale Street.  This has happened within the last week. 

BRIDGE CHAOS AHEAD (1/8/02)

The Douglas Water villagers recently received a notice letter from the council detailing plans to close both the Ponfiegh Bridge which stretches over the river and Place bridge at the other end of the village.  It is stated in the letter that both bridges will be replaced as part of the councils ongoing  programme of bridge improvement.  The work is to commence on 5th August on the Ponfiegh Bridge and once this is completed it will be Place bridge turn.  They state work is programmed to take no longer than 14 weeks.  Roads will be closed and diversions up and running during the work.  Contact Philippa Ayton at the council who will be supervising the site during the work on 01698 453666. 

WELSH STREET FINALLY TO BE COMPLETED (31/7/02)

The scaffolding has been put up around the last block in Welsh Street, Douglas Water to be upgraded by the council.  This will mean the remaining 2 empty houses in Welsh street will be rented out on completion meaning the street will be full for the first time in years.  The village as a whole is virtually full apart from the 2 empty blocks bought recently by a private buyer said to be a local farmer.  It is also rumoured these empty blocks are going to be converted to 2 floor houses, turning 4 houses into 2.

MORRISON STREET GOSSIP (31/7/02)

I was recently told that the old Morrison street site in Douglas Water had been bought by the same local farmer who has bought the 2 empty blocks in McAuslin Terrace.  I was also informed that the buyer plans to develop the site in Morrison Street into brand new bungalows or houses.  Although this is unconfirmed rumours, we hope it is true as this is exactly what the village has been looking for.  Its time for growth to replace decay.

NEW DW PICS (21/6/02)

We are pleased to say new photographs have been added to the site on our new pics page.  I know we having been waiting a while for some new pics but I think you will be pleased with these.  Included are exclusive pictures of within the decaying primary school and playground.  Also an excellent photo showing the state of the former railway station.  While the quality isnt excellent I have to keep the file sizes low as my webspace is limited due to it being free and low file size results in loss of quality, I hope you enjoy them regardless.

Douglas Water Residents Association Newsletter (8/5/02)

The recent newsletter from the association states that phase 3 of the council redevelopment will hopefully start in July, the reason for this seems to be that the association requested that the work was carried out in the summer months rather than the winter.  The newsletter then goes on to express thanks to all the residents in the village for they're support over the past year.  It follows with news that membership is now due and states it costs £1.  It claims 2 blocks in the village are up for sale and are waiting for planning permission.  It is hoped that this will go ahead in the next few weeks and promises that we will then see the village begin to take shape.  The newsletter goes on to say that a quiz sheet will be out later in the year.  It finishes with an appeal for suggestions and ideas to be expressed as to what you would like seen to happen to the village and urges us to join the association.  Douglas water residents association committee members are as follows - Chairperson:  Ann Dobie,  Secretary:  Jenny Muir,  Treasurer:  I Abernethy,  Other members:  M McEwan, Alan Dobie, A McEwan, Mary McCabe, D, McCabe, Maude McCabe, P McCabe.

BACK TO WORK (1/5/02)

The latest news is that the council are to begin renovations in Douglas Water on the remaining block on Welsh Street and are going to begin work on the 1st block in McAuslin Terrace.  With most of Welsh St looking brand new it will good to see the rest of the village brought into line with Welsh Street.

RIGSIDE POST OFFICE (13/4/02)

The Rigside post office will be moving out of its current premises at the end of the month.  The small concrete building it is in at the moment has been its home for many a years but this is to come to an end.  The owner of the village shop, Mr Atwel has bought the post office and has upgraded his shop to accommodate the post office which will work alongside the shops current facilities.  Not everyone is happy with this as they are concerned at the lack of privacy.

POPULATION BOOM (01/04/02)

There has recently been a rise in the number of people moving into Douglas Water.  It would seem the council have decided to fill the empty houses as quickly as they can which I presume is the result of they're decision to renovate the houses, no point in having good looking house with boarded windows.  This a welcome event with most villagers with some villagers a little weary of what type of people the council are going to be moving in as the village has been filled with troublesome neighbours by the council in the past.  It cannot be denied however that the sight of children once again occupying the village park and play areas is excellent sign of growth rather than the decay the village has seen over the past few years.  For too long now the village has been without the laughter of children.  It is pleasing to say that all the new residents seem to be pleasant people with quite a few being families with children. 

The Rigside & Douglas Water Website History page was last updated:  5th October 2006

The Douglas Water Website was first created Jan 2001.  The Douglas Water Website and the Rigside site were were combined to become the Rigside & Douglas Water Website on 5th September 2006.

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Douglas Water Began life as a small mining village in the county of Lanark.  Also known as Ponfiegh, there were only a few cottages provided by the local drift mine owners to the miners as tied accommodation.  However the miners were worked hard with long hours underground in waist deep water.  This prompted the miners to strike in 1837 for more pay.  This request was rejected and the miners & they're families were evicted.  The mine owners advertised for people to replace them and the adverts were answered by weavers from Lanark and Irish labourers but when they saw they were taking work from people who were also losing they're homes they packed up and left. 

Years later the village was to prosper from a large mine being opened by the Coltness iron & coal company which became known as the Douglas colliery where due to the excellent quality of coal jobs were assured for many years.  The first pit head baths were opened at Douglas colliery where men could have a hot shower and leave they're working clothes behind in lockers going home clean.  Through the colliery the village progressed into an extremely happy and thriving community.  The village built up a lot of amenities to provide for the growing population.  There was a miners welfare institute which provided a library, billiard room, confectionary shop plus a cinema three times a week, a badminton club, dance hall and a concert hall.  The village also had its own band and football club, both of which went on many competitions.  Many football players who played for Douglas water thistle went onto play for Rangers and Celtic.  There was also the railway station taking you to Lanark in one direction and Ayr or Glasgow the other.  There were three haulage companies in the village, Mitchell brothers with the motto "any road, any load", Ramage & sons were mainly short distance runners and got themselves a huge contract with the Scottish milk marketing board scheme, uplifting and delivering milk from the farms to the dairy processing units in Glasgow, Edinburgh & Wishaw.  This close contact with the farming community meant they also got the job of taking the live stock to and from the market.  The third was Richard Tinto who had the contract to deliver the miners concessionary coal.  These haulage companies saved a lot of young men from the pit by being one of the biggest employer in the village.  There were many houses in the village but the village was growing at such a rate that they began developing housing in Rigside.  The first school in the village was called Blinkie but not much is known of this school only that the pupils were transferred to Rigside 1860 & 1870 due to the decaying of the Blinkie.  In 1900 work began on the primary school in the village and was completed in 1901, being upgraded in 1923 extending the school for a further 5 class rooms.  The first Gala day, known then as May day was held in 1937.  Many villages throughout Britain introduced May queens in celebration of the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.  The May day was enjoyed by everyone in the village and involved sports for children and adults.

All in all over the years the village was host to a bowling green, tennis courts, a village green,  swing park, quoiting green, butchers, bakers, co-operation, grocery store, drapers, cobblers, abattoir, hairdressers, pub and other small shops.  Sadly all this is long gone and the village is now just surviving in no more.  All those houses and all those streets are gone, only a handful of houses left and a lot empty.  When the pit closed in 1967 the bands, clubs, football teams, shops and railway disappeared as people scattered to Ayrshire, Fife, Lothian and England seeking work.  The railway platform still stands to this day as a monument to a village that once was, where we can stand and imagine the platform on a Friday or Saturday night when the night time train puffed in to the station and crowds piled off the train coming from a night out in Lanark, laughing loudly as they made they're way to the smoking chimneys at the other side of the track.  Standing on the broken platform and looking over towards the village its easy to imagine the signal box which once stood tall above the track with its small warm glow from the signal mans lamp and the village beyond with its own warm glow in each window.  Then reality quietly slips back and there lies a village which is just a ghost of its former self.  As the council began demolishing the houses in Douglas Water and developing more houses in Rigside the village began slowly disappearing.  The school children were moved to a newly built school in Rigside.  The Gala day came to a stop in 1968 due to the dwindling population and lack of funds but was started again at Rigside in 1979 but sadly this has also came to an end.  The last one was held in 2000 due to a lack of volunteers to run it.  The Louden pond was once the place where the village held the May day celebrations and football games but due to subsidence through mine works underneath it they moved the gatherings to the new football ground at the other end of the village.  The Louden pond is now a great place to watch wildlife flourish and has a growing family of swans.  The new football ground had its own pavilion and terrace, now the pavilion is used by the cattle who also inhabit the football ground.  The terrace still stands but is no more than a ruin.  It is strange to think that the village we know today was once such a success, this seems not like fact but more like fiction. For those of us not fortunate enough to have witnessed the village in its former glory only through photographs and village residents like Johnny McCabe & Archie can we even attempt to see the village as it once was. 

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Rigside & Douglas Water Website

A view of Rigside

Rigside & Douglas Water Website

Rigside like Douglas water grew up as a mining community along a stretch of the A70, the main road which runs from Edinburgh to Ayr.  This road was originally constructed as a turnpike road with a house (now demolished) standing at moorfoot for collecting tolls.  Moorfoot toll house also served as an Inn in its time, as was the custom with most toll houses.  There is a tale which has circulated the village of Rigside since the days of the Moorfoot Inn house and which could possibly be a claim to fame for the small village.  The story goes that a coach arrived at the Inn one evening and two men entered the house for some refreshment.  The innkeeper noticed a man sitting motionless on the coach and possibly touting for more business asked the two men if the man on the coach would like a refreshment to which they replied "I don't think he would be interested".  The story then dictates that these two men were the infamous body snatchers, Burke & Hare.  The third man was said to be one of they're corpses they were transporting to Edinburgh to sell for medical research.

The Village was originally situated around where the church now stands with the modern housing estate which now makes up most of the village being mostly farming fields.  Once the coalfield was opened and a pit sunk there was an increase in population and a desperate need for housing.  'Rows' were built in Douglas Water, 'rows' of the old fashioned kind with the minimum of conveniences and the smallest accommodation.  The coal board was shouting for workers but workers were hard to come by due to the lack of housing.  It was through this that Rigside was favoured for housing developments.  Here was easy access to the public road, a church and certain other advantages.  It was also not too far from the pit-head.  The county council answered the cry for housing by building 84 houses in Rigside from 1920-39 as well as 94 in Ponfiegh, the majority of which have since been demolished.  From 1939-51 another 32 houses were built as well as the Scottish Housing Association erecting an additional 18.  The population in the parish of Carmichael within which Rigside lies was estimated at 832 in 1801.  After the introduction of the colliery and the railway the parish population increased by almost 50% to 1198 in the 1901 census.  In 1951 this grew to 1810 with males always outnumbering females in the parish throughout the years. 

The introduction of Douglas Water Golf Club which actually lies within Rigside was taken at a meeting in 1921 attended by about 20 people.  Land at Collierhall farm was chosen and the tenant farmer, Mrs Smart, approved of the proposal as did her landlord, the Earl of Home.  A rent of £15 was agreed for the use of the land in addition to a lawn mower, nine cups, pins for the greens and fencing to keep the cattle of the green.  The Greenkeeper at Lanark golf course, a Mr Charles Christie, laid out the course and the construction work done by volunteers.  In March 1922 the first ball was driven by Mr McLaren, Factor to the earl of Home.  In its first year the nine hole course had 48 male, 14 female and 3 junior members.  When the pits closed in the 1960's the golf clubs suffered a bad period but was healthy again by 1981 when a refurbished clubhouse and course extension was opened.  In 1993 the club was able to buy the course. 

The A70 originally ran past the side of the church until heavy traffic forced the authorities to build a by-pass which is the road layout today.  The church was once the proud owner of a steeple which was badly damaged in a storm and had to be dismantled.  The bell from the steeple has been kept and stands beside the church today. 

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