Ayrshire Housing Part 2

13. Grougar Row, near Galston

This row contains eighteen houses, and is situated on the back road from Galston to Kilmarnock, about 1 1/2 miles from Galston. Each house contains a kitchen, measuring approximately 14 feet by 13 feet, and two small rooms not much larger than cupboards. They measure approximately 8 feet by 6 feet. The houses are built of brick and face the main road. The row is formed of three blocks of houses, with six houses in each block. The windows are permanently fastened. The rent is 2s. 3d. per week. The floors are made of cement, and the walls are so damp that in one house we saw the wood of the set-in bed in the room had completely rotted and the mattress on the bed was completely destroyed. The pathways are unpaved and muddy. There are neither washing-houses nor coal-houses, and the people keep then coals below their kitchen beds. The closets and ash-pits are placed at the back of the houses. There are doors on the closets, but in one case the door had been broken off and the floor of the closet was littered with filth. There is one closet for every three tenants. The row is supplied with gravitation water. The houses have been leased by Messrs Kyle, coalmasters, Burnbank Colliery, Galston, and are mostly inhabited by their workers and families.

14. Kirkland Rows, Springside, Parish of Dreghorn

(Messrs A. Finnie & sons.)
Row No. 1. - There are three rows here. Row No. 1 is built in three blocks of houses. The first block contains 6 two-apartment houses and one single-apartment house. The houses are built of an inferior-looking yellowish brick, and the walls are neither whitewashed nor cemented. The rent of the one-apartment house is 1s. 6d. per week, and the two-apartment house 1s. 11d. per week. The second block contains 10 single-apartment houses. The third block also contains 10 single-apartment houses. The rent is 1s. 6s. per week, including rates, with the exception of the poor rate, which is paid in addition. This row, therefore, consists in all of 21 single-apartment houses and 6 two-apartment houses. In a few cases tenants with large families have rented 2 single-apartment houses, and by means of getting a door put through have made their houses into two-apartment ones. Where this has been done the rent is double, viz. 3s. per week. The single-apartment houses measure approximately 16 feet by 12 feet. the house consists only of four square walls, and no presses or any other conveniences are provided in the inside of the house, with the exception of two inset beds. the floors are made of brick tiles, which have become so uneven that if linoleum is put down on the floor it is cut to pieces in a very short time. Many of the floor tiles have sunk and form holes inches deep on the floor. There is one washing-house for every six tenants, and one water-closet for every four tenants. A disagreeable feature of the closets is that they are all placed together at the back of one of the spaces of the blocks, and owing to the size of the row (twenty-seven houses being built in a line) many of the tenants have long distances to travel in order to use them. The walls of the houses are said by the tenants to be very damp. Coal-houses are provided. There are two ash-pits for this row, but they have no roofs over them, and a considerable amount of kitchen ashes and refuse is strewn about the back of the houses. The houses have no back doors. One of the most disagreeable features of this row is the condition of the roadway in front of the houses. At the date of our visit (25th November 1913) the pathways at the doors of the houses were covered with mud, and pools of water inches deep at the doorsteps were quite common. Owing to the condition of the paths, the women have the utmost difficulty in keeping their kitchen floors clean, as the children carry the thick mud with them on their feet into the houses. This row is said to be forty-two years old.

Row No. 2. - This row contains twenty-two houses. They are supposed to be two-apartment houses, but the room is not much larger than a decent-sized cupboard. It measures approximately 9 feet by 6 feet, while the kitchen is about 12 feet by 12 feet. The rent is 1s. 6d. per week. The floors, made of brick tiles, are very uneven, and in many cases the tiles have sunk and left holes in the floor of varying depth. There is not a break in this row, the twenty-two houses being joined together. There is one water-closet provided for every five tenants. These closets are all built together and placed in front of the doors, so that many tenants have to travel long distances in order to use them. The houses are very damp, and in wet weather, we are informed, the water runs down the walls in the inside of the houses. There are washing-houses provided - one for every four tenants - and a coal-house for every tenant. There is only one ash-pit for this row, and it seems to be overworked. The pathways are unpaved, and the "muck " at the very doors of the houses is disgusting. In order to keep from going up to the ankles in "glaur" one him to walk on his heels.

Row No. 3. - This row is built of stone, and contains 20 single-apartment houses. The rent is 1s. 6d. a week. The whole house measures approximately 16 feet by 12 feet, and it consists only of four square walls, with two set-in beds. There is one closet for every four tenants, and one washing-house for every five. The closets are all built together in the centre of the row, with the doors facing the doors of the dwelling-houses, and only about 6 yards from the doorsteps. The pathways are unpaved, and although not so bad as the other two rows (owing to a slight elevation) they are yet in a deplorable condition with mud. This row is said to be over sixty years old.

Summary. - These three rows contain in all sixty-nine houses, forty-one of them single apartments and twenty-eight of them two apartments, and of the latter twenty-two have rooms not much larger than a cupboard, and they can hardly be called two-apartment houses. The houses have gardens in front, and in many cases they are cultivated. Each row is provided with two wells for the supply of gravitation water. The roadways in front of all the rows are in a horrible condition with mud, and nearly all the houses are damp, and tenants complain that their carpets rot in a short time. The houses are owned by Messrs A. Finnie & Sons, coalmasters, Springhill, and they are inhabited by their workmen and families.

15. Springside Square, Springside, Parish of Dreghorn

These houses formerly belonged to Messrs A. Kenneth & Sons, coalmasters, Dreghorn, but they have recently been acquired by Mr John Herd, publican, Springside. The bottom row of the square became so dilapidated that a number of houses have been allowed to go to ruin. There are now thirty houses in the square, and the walls are rough-cast. Thirteen of the houses are of one apartment and seventeen of two apartments. The rent of the one-apartment house is 1s. 3d. per week, and the two-apartment is usually 1s. 9d. a week, but in three cases the two-apartment house is 2s. 1d. per week. The single-apartment houses measures approximately 16 feet by 14 feet. No presses or any other convenience is supplied inside, with the exception of two set-in beds. No coal-houses are provided, and in the single-apartment house the people have to keep their coals below the bed. In the two-apartment house there is a cupboard at the door, in the inside of the house, which may serve as a coal-house. There are four earth-closets for the thirty houses, with doors on them, and four washing-houses. There are two ash-pits. There are two erections placed in the square, which contain the washing-houses, closets, and ash-pits, all built together. There are filthy cesspools in front of the houses, and at the date of our visit several of them were choked and the filth lying all around. Human filth was littered all around the closet doors. There are no pavements, and pools of mud and water were to be seen everywhere. The aspect of this square is one of the most miserable we have seen. The measurement of the houses designated two-apartment houses is, kitchen (approximately) 12 feet by 12 feet and room 9 feet by 6 feet. One feels that it is a pity that all the houses here were not allowed to fall into ruin like several we saw in that condition at the bottom end of the square.

16. Springhill Row, Parish of Dreghorn

(A. Finnie & sons.)
This row contains 14 two-apartment houses, and is situated on the main road between Kilmarnock and Dreghorn, about 4 miles from Kilmarnock. It is in a much superior condition to the rows previously described. It is built of brick, and although the row was built forty-three years ago the bricks look so fresh that one would believe the row had been built only a few years ago. The appearance of the row is greatly enhanced by each house having a flower-plot of ground in front and laid off with a wooden railing, while a brick wall runs right along the extent of the row. The outhouses are placed at the back, and each house has also a garden. The gardens are all cultivated. There are four dry-closets provided for the row and four washing-houses, and every tenant has a coal-house. The kitchen measures approximately 16 feet by 14 feet and the room 12 feet by 10 feet. The kitchen has, in addition, two set-in beds and the room one. The room is provided with a fireplace.

17. Corsehill Row, Parish of Dreghorn

(A. Kenneth & Sons.)
This row contains 48 two-apartment houses built in five blocks of six houses, one of ten, and one of eight houses. It is situated on the main road. The kitchen measures approximately 16 feet by 14 feet and the room 10 feet by 9 feet. The rent is 2s. 3d. a week, including rates, with the exception of the poor rate. The houses are built of a yellowish brick, and the walls are neither whitewashed or cemented. The floor is of brick tiles, which in many cases has been so worn and sunk that there are holes inches deep on the floors. The pathways are unpaved and littered with mud. The outhouses are situated at the back of the houses, and one water-closet has been provided for every three tenants and one washing-house for every six. In one case the roof of the washing-house was blown off a year ago, and as it has never been repaired, the women have to do their washing in the house. There is one ash-pit for every six tenants, and several of these places were in a very filthy condition. Each tenant has a coal-house. The row was built about thirty years ago. It belongs to Messrs A. Kenneth & Sons, coalmasters, Dreghorn, and is inhabited mostly by their workmen and families.

18. Six Rows, parish of Dreghorn.

(A. Finnie & Sons.)
This place contains six rows running parallel to each other. The first row contains ten houses of two apartments, the second nine houses of two apartments, the third eight houses of two apartments, and the other three rows contain eight houses each, but the rooms are so small that they are spoken of as the "single houses." There are fifty-one houses in these rows altogether. They are built of brick and rough-cast. The rent of the first three rows is 2s. 1d. per week, and the second three rows 1s. 7d. per week. The kitchens in the first three rows measure approximately 14 feet by 12 feet, and the room 10 feet by 9 feet, excluding two set-in beds in the kitchen and one in the room. In the second three rows the kitchen measures approximately 16 feet by 12 feet, and the room (about the size of a cupboard), excluding the set-in bed, measures 6 feet by 5 feet. There are two water-closets for each row placed immediately in front of the houses and two washing-houses. There are also very filthy cesspools in front of the doors. The brick tiles on the floors are very much broken up, and holes inches deep are to observed everywhere. The walls of the houses are very damp, and the partitions do not appear to have been plastered. There is one ash-pit for every two rows. A well with gravitation water is placed in each row. There are two washing-houses for each row, but the floors are so sunken and broken up that the women complain that they have to stand to the ankles in water when doing their washing. The condition of the roads into these rows is abominable. The road down the end of the roads is worse than a ploughed field, and pools of water and mud are to be found at every doorstep. The houses are owned by Messrs A. Finnie & Sons, coalmasters, Springhill, and are inhabited by their work people.

19. Corsehill Square, Parish of Dreghorn

This square is situated at the end of Corsehill Row, and consists of thirty houses - 18 two-apartment houses and 12 single-apartment houses. They are leased by the Bourtreehill Coal Company, Dreghorn, and inhabited by the miners who work in the pits in the immediate neighbourhood. The houses are built of stone and are over sixty years old. The side rows of the square contain 6 two-apartment houses each. The middle row consists of 6 two-apartment houses and 12 single-apartment houses. The rent of the two-apartment houses in the side rows is 1s. 11d. per week, and the two-apartment houses in the middle row 1s. 9d. per week. The single-apartment is let at 1s. 7d. per week. The kitchen in the side rows measures approximately 14 feet by 14 feet and the room 13 feet by 13 feet. The kitchen in the middle row measures approximately 12 feet by 12 feet and the room 10 feet by 9 feet. There are eight water-closets for the whole square, and four are built together at each side of the two side rows. Some of the closets are out of repair, and in one case the water is flushed on to the floor of the water-closet, and the filth runs through the door and out on to the road. Each tenant has a coal-house, but there is only one washing-house for each six tenants. One of the washing-houses is in a very bad state of repair. The boiler has been broken down, the lock is off the door, and the children have turned the washing-house into a closet. At the date of our visit (25th November 1913) the floor of the washing-house was literally covered with human excrement and the stench was overpowering. That washing-house will not be more than 5 yards from the doors of the dwelling-houses. There is only one ash-pit for the square, and it was surrounded by human and other kinds of filth. The floors of the houses in the middle row are about a foot below the ground, and we were informed that in wet weather the water comes into the houses and lies inches deep until the people bale it out. The whole property is in a bad state of repair, and the roads in front of the houses, especially at the middle row, is inches deep with mud. It is altogether a miserable place, and ought, in the interests of the inhabitants, to be destroyed.

20. Plann Row, Parish of Kilmaurs

(Messrs J. & R. Howie.)
This row consists of 21 two-apartment houses built of brick. The kitchen measures approximately 12 foot by 12 feet and the room 12 foot by 10 foot. There are six dry-closets with doors on them for the whole row and two ash-pits. Coal-houses are provided for every tenant, and there are three washing-houses. The closets, ash-pits, and washing-houses are placed in front of the houses. The rent is 2s. per week. Gravitation water is supplied. The roadways in front of the houses are unpaved, but owing to a plentiful supply of red "blaes ", they are free from water or mud.

21. Hayside Row, Parish of Kilmaurs

(Robert Marshall, Knockentiber.)
This row consists of 19 two-apartment houses. Twelve are built of stone, and seven houses of a newer type are built of brick. The rent of the stone houses is 2s. per week and of the brick houses 2s. 6d. per week. The kitchen measures approximately 12 feet by 12 feet and the room 12 feet by 9 feet. There are five dry-closets for the row with doors, three washing-houses, and each tenant has a coal-house. There are two ash-pits in the row. The kitchen floors are brick tiles, and the room floors are wooden in the stone houses, while in the brick houses the floors of both apartments are made of wood. The roadway in front of the houses is unpaved and is in a very muddy condition, and pools of dirty water are lying outside nearly every door. There is a syvor running down the front of the houses, 10 feet from the doors. Owing to want of a proper flow it is in a very filthy condition, and several cesspools, on the date of our visit (26th November 1913), were choked and evil smelling.

22. Wee South Hook Row, Parish of Kilmaurs

This row was originally made up of 9 single-apartment houses, but in two cases the tenants have rented two houses each. The row is built of stone. There are two dry-closets with doors, but there are no washing-houses nor coal-houses. Several people have built wooden coal-houses for themselves. The kitchen measures approximately 15 feet by 12 feet, and the rent is 1s. per week. Where the people have rented two houses the rent is 2s. per week, including rates. The houses belong to the South Hook Coal and Fireclay Company, and are inhabited by their work people. The roadway is unpaved, but owing to being properly covered with ashes, is quite dry, and the syvor, which runs the length of the row, is made of white glazed bricks, and it is kept very clean by the tenants. There are gardens in front of the houses, and they are well cultivated. The houses are said to be about eighty years old.

23. High South Hook Row, Parish of Kilmaurs

This row consists of 20 two-apartment houses built of brick. The kitchen measures approximately 12 feet by 12 feet and the room 10 feet by 9 feet. The kitchen has a brick floor, and the room a wooden one. There is one pump, which supplies the water for the row, and we were informed that the water comes from a well at the pit close by. The tenants complain that in the summer time they are very short of water. There are six dry-closets for the row, four washing-houses, and three ash-pits. The houses are very damp, and in wet weather the rain comes into the houses. Coal-houses are provided. The rent is 2s. per week. The houses are said to be about forty years old. The closets and ashpits are built in front of the houses. The roadway in front of the houses is unpaved, and very dirty. The houses are owned by the South Hook Coal Company, and their work is in the immediate vicinity.

24. Laurieland Row, Crosshouse, Parish of Kilmaurs

(A. Finnie & Sons.)
This row consists of 12 single-apartment houses, but in every case one family now occupies two houses. There are two dry-closets, one placed at each end of the row, and two ash-pits similarly situated. The houses measure approximately 15 feet by 11 feet. The rent is 1s. 3d. for a single house, and 2s. 3d. for two houses. There are no washing-houses and no coal-houses. Several people have built coal-houses for themselves. The roadway is unpaved, but owing to a plentiful supply of red "blaes " it was quite clean.

25. Thornton Row, Crosshouse, Parish of Kilmaurs

(A. Finnie & Sons.)
This row consists of twenty-seven houses, 14 single-apartments and 13 two-apartments. The single-apartment houses seem to be built of brick, and the two-apartment houses of stone. All the houses are whitewashed. The single-apartment houses measure approximately 15 feet by 12 feet, and the two-apartment houses - kitchen 10 foot by 10 feet and room 12 feet by 10 feet. The rent of the single apartment is 1s. 3d. per week, and the two apartments 1s. 10d. per week. The floors are of brick tiles, which are very uneven. The floors underneath the beds are earthen. There are four closets for the row with doors, and these, along with three ash-pits, are placed at the front of the houses. There are not washing-houses and no coal-houses, but the tenants have made attempts in many cases to provide themselves with washing accommodation by building at their own expense washing boilers, but no houses have been built over them. They have also in some cases built themselves coal-houses. The two-apartment houses appear to have suffered a considerable subsidence, and the floors are much below the level of the road. The houses are very damp, and during wet weather the rain comes into them sometimes, we were informed, inches deep. The roadway is unpaved and in a shamefully dirty condition. The "muck" in some places is inches deep. The houses are owned by Messrs A. Finnie & Sons, and are inhabited by their workpeople.

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