Stories from our streets: Butterbiggins Road

In this new series, we’re exploring Govanhill’s heritage, street by street – starting with Butterbiggins Road. Once an 18th-century hamlet for travelling communities, Butterbiggins evolved from a rural outpost to an industrial hub, and later into the residential street we know today.

By Devon McCole, with additional research from Bruce Downie | Photo by Iain McLellan

In this new series we’re getting into Govanhill’s heritage – street by street. 

Butterbiggins was a small village or hamlet that existed from the early 18th century, just outside the city limits, and once a popular spot for travelling people, who often camped and held funerals there. Over time, as the railway arrived, Butterbiggins became more industrialised and eventually transitioned into the more residential street we know today.

Etymology

According to one source, 'Butterbiggins' is a hybrid of the Gaelic 'Bothar,' meaning causeway, and the Lowlands word 'biggins,' meaning buildings – essentially, 'the buildings on the causeway.' Butterbiggins was originally part of a moor stretching from Polmadie to Haggs Castle, so a causeway would need to be built before anything else. Other sources suggest 'butts' referred to small plots of land, but it can also mean places where archery was practised, or architectural features.

Wagging rights

An article unearthed by Bruce Downie also credits Butterbiggins with hosting Scotland's first dog show in 1862 stating: “While a few people claim to have organised the first dog show in Scotland, old Duncan Brown, now deceased, likely deserves the honour. He hosted a dog show on his grounds at Butterbiggins Road, across from where the Victoria Baths were built, 27 years ago.” The Victoria Baths opened in 1877 but were demolished after WWII, and the space was used as a tennis court before becoming an ambulance station.

Ringing in tradition

In the 1890s, a portion of the land in Butterbiggins was transformed into the St. Andrew’s Ground, home to the St. Andrew’s Quoiting Club. Quoiting, a sport where players throw steel rings at a target, was popular among working-class and mining communities. Govanhill, historically a mining community, embraced the sport, and the club became one of the top teams in Scotland, winning multiple league titles and the Wylie Cup.

Drilling into history

In 1902, the First Lanarkshire Volunteer Artillery Drill Hall opened on Butterbiggins Road. This hall was a training ground for ordinary soldiers, and the regiment was active during both world wars, participating in major campaigns such as Gallipoli, Palestine, and Normandy. The hall was used later by the Territorial Army until 1961, before being demolished to make way for housing. The developers did make efforts to preserve the carved sign above the entrance.

Driven by growth

Larkfield Bus Depot, which stood at the corner of Victoria Road and Butterbiggins Road, was built in 1929. A fire in 1992 destroyed 60 buses, leaving a strong memory. Before the depot, the same site was home to four large private houses – Larkfield House, Inglefield House, Butterbiggins Cottage, and Gallowknowe House – all built in the early 19th century. Gallowknowe House was the residence of William Dixon, a local landowner and founder of Dixon’s Iron Works. Industrial growth eventually led to the demolition of these houses, and showing the cycles of history, the bus depot too was torn down in 2014 to make way for housing developments.

Your memories of Butterbiggins

Janet Cannon remembers playing ‘ball on the wall’ outside Farquhar’s pawn shop when the owner gave her two Churchill coins – she still has one today. Louise Gallagher fondly recalls Miss Alice Hynd’s school of dance, held in the Masonic Halls on Butterbiggins Road. Another resident, Karen Kosic, remembers spending time with friends on the corner of Butterbiggins Road and Inglefield Street, where James, the owner of a nearby corner shop, would treat them to sweets from the cash and carry. Zylda Kaye told us the building that is now the Masjid-E-Khazra mosque was originally an Orange Hall with a large function room. Garry Macphail remembers how beer bottles collected after big games at Hampden were guaranteed 3d return if stamped with an “F” – for Flint’s off sales. 

This is the first in an ongoing series. Does your street hold some interesting stories and memories? Send to newsroom@greatergovanhill.com.

And share your own memories of Butterbiggins in the comments below.