The photograph of me, as a wee quinie, in the Catbow, on the ‘Oor Margit’ section of the Heritage website was probabiy taken in 1952 or 1953. [See Below] Although the picture is not too clear, it is obvious that the area then was open space and there was no paved road. Mid Street and the houses of that area of Seatown formed an historic circle around the area where the early cottages of the Seatown had been.
The Seatown I remember in the 1950s was a naturally formed playground for the local children. We howked in the ‘sanny hole’ (which I’m guessing had been the floor of one of the cottages), rolled boolies, an’ hid plenty room tae jist rin an’ play chasies as bairns dee. Fifty e’ers sifter, ye kin still see the scars on my knees that I got fae coupin’ on the roch grun.
Fin I wis wee, there wis a stracht access, through posies, fae Gordon Street an’ New Street. This wis afore the posie fae New Street tae Seatoon wis blocked up wi’ the hoosie that wis biggit for the Salvation Army, an’ we hid tae ging doon New Street an’ roon by Nellie Law’s at the bothim o’ Mid Street tae win’ fae the Seatoon. Bit it wisna’ till the early 1960s that the Seatoon got a richt road. I think it wis the winter o’ I962-1963 (Readers! Please correct me if I’m wrang!)
Oh! It wis affy caul and there wis sna’. Fin the new road, that started at the west end o’ the Seatoon, at the heid o’ Dougals’ Brae, cam doon tae the Catbow, we cwid see foo geel’t the road crew wis. They hid a wee sheddie far they wid sit an’ tak’ their piece an’ try tae keep oot o’ the win’.
My granny, Annie Dosie, wis sorry for them an’ every day the men were working near oor hoose she made a big pot o’ soup for them. Ae day, neeps an’ tatties, anither day, broth. Bit they liket neeps an’ tatties best. On their himmist day, fan they took awa’ the steamroller, a’ the shovels an’ the sheddie, the foreman an’ the loon cam’ ower wi’ a bunch o’ floo’ers an’ a pun box o’ Black Magic chocolates for Granny. Nae thanks wis necessary, but we kent they appreciated the het soup that made them swak. And so the road continued roon by Willie Oag’s and Johnny Coupie’s. In time, the new hooses were biggit and ’the Seatoon became hale gran’, but nivver again the wye it hid been.
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