Friends of Provan Hall

Friends of Provan Hall Promoting the History and Heritage of Provan Hall House and Gardens

01/10/2023

Did you know

🛏 CANOPY BEDS 🛏

🛏 Royals and the super wealthy, always live in sprawling, opulent castles or manor houses, with magnificent furniture, and gorgeous canopied beds.
Beautiful four-poster beds, intricately carved, and decorated with the best swathes of silk or velvets.

🛏 But those canopies weren't just there for decoration, they served a functional use too.
The canopy bed arose from a need for warmth and privacy in shared rooms.
Private bedrooms where only one person slept were practically unknown in medieval and early modern Europe.
It was common for the wealthy and nobility to have servants and attendants, who slept in the same room.

🛏 Even in very modest homes, it was not uncommon to hang a simple curtain across a room to shield the bed from cold drafts, and create a sense of division between living space and sleeping space.

As Taggart celebrates its 40th anniversary, did you you know that 20 years ago Provan Hall doubled as a rural police sta...
20/09/2023

As Taggart celebrates its 40th anniversary, did you you know that 20 years ago Provan Hall doubled as a rural police station for the 20th anniversary episode titled compensation.

STV News also filmed all the cast interviews at Provan Hall as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations coverage.

The full episode is available on STV Player

19/09/2023

We have a number of events coming up at Provan Hall this autumn including history talks, ghost tours, a ghost hunt and family friendly fun throughout October. Some activities are free and drop in, others are bookable and include a fee. Check out our website for more information: https://www.provanhall.org/events

15/09/2023

*Family Fun at Doors Open Weekend*
Join us this weekend for free family friendly fun. We have autumn crafts, a nature walk by and medieval arms and armour and dress up. See you soon!

15/09/2023
12/09/2023

The time has finally come!

Provan Hall reopens on the 14 September đŸ‘đŸ»

Come along this weekend for Doors Open Days.

It’s great to see restored to its former glory

09/09/2023

History and Horror Tours Haunted Provan Hall Tour has been such a hit over the summer (last few tickets left for September 28th tour) and now that we enter spooky season, we have even more opportunities for you to join in their ghost tours. We have several dates available across October for the popular (and eventful) Haunted Provan Hall Tour. Book via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-haunted-provan-hall-tour-tickets-671662138537

*History and Horrors Tours is a family run business who host local history and spooky tours across the central belt of Scotland. We've partnered with this fantastic duo to bring a thrilling tour to Provan Hall. Charges apply to cover all costs and raise funds for Provan Hall. We are a charitable organisation and all own fees go towards the upkeep of this fantastic medieval building,

02/09/2023

We can hardly believe it either, but that time of year is approaching already.

We have something to scare all ages this Halloween season. Ghost tours for adults, child friendly spooky tales, slimy workshops and creepy trails. Keep an eye on our social media accounts and website for up coming events!

*Some events we have received grant funding for and will run for free. Others are co-produced with family run businesses and some are fundraisers. We are a charitable organisation and so all fees for fundraising events go towards the upkeep of this fantastic historic building.

31/08/2023

For those going to the History and Horror Tours event tonight hope you all have a great scary night. Please remember to leave feedback and like History and Horror Tours page for their upcoming events

If anyone one is interested in learning about family history and what you can learn head to Summerlee on Saturday 2 Sept...
29/08/2023

If anyone one is interested in learning about family history and what you can learn head to Summerlee on Saturday 2 September

We are delighted to be hosting a Family & Local History Fair at Summerlee this Saturday & there are some amazing groups taking part!

Entry is free so why not come along to see what is on offer.

Can’t believe that it was seven years ago The Friend of Provan Hall celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Friends of Gl...
28/08/2023

Can’t believe that it was seven years ago The Friend of Provan Hall celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Friends of Glasgow Cathedral with afternoon tea, heritage talks and music. It was a great day and what a spread John put on for afternoon tea .

24/08/2023

We're excited for the weaving workshops by Routes into Learning team to start up again at Provan Hall on Wednesday 30th August. If you'd like to join in, please email [email protected]

24/08/2023

DOGS WELCOME

Our public opening hours commence on Thursday 14th September and we'll be open Thursdays - Sundays 10am - 4pm. Your pups are welcome to explore our garden areas where we have water bowls set up by the building wall. We ask that dogs do not enter the museum itself (except service, assistance or emotional support dogs) and please keep your dog on a lead at all times throughout your visit to the property and grounds.

Some great times held at Provy House over the years. Reopening to the public from 14 September. Hopefully more memories ...
19/08/2023

Some great times held at Provy House over the years.

Reopening to the public from 14 September. Hopefully more memories will be made for years to come.

We should be proud of such a beautiful historical house in Easterhouse.

19/08/2023

On

Did you know that the house is older than potatoes being in Scotland?

In recipe books from the Tudor period the only one that is mentioned is actually referring to the sweet potato, a completely different plant.

What do you think they ate prior to the potato being introduced in Scotland around the early 1600s?

Three tickets left. Link to eventbrite to purchase tickets in post below.
18/08/2023

Three tickets left.

Link to eventbrite to purchase tickets in post below.

Only 3 tickets left for our next Haunted Provan Hall Tour on 31st August!
Booking and info on Eventbrite. If anybody comments saying they’re selling spare tickets ignore them - they’re lying scammers!
Anybody with extra tickets can easily refund.

17/08/2023

We're opening soon!

We're launching our public opening hours on Thursday 14th September during , 10am to 4pm. If you are sensitive to overstimulation you can ask our staff at our reception desk for our sensory packs, complete with ear defenders, sunglasses, fidget toys and emotion cards. Thank you to Autism Understanding Scotland for your advice on these packs. Thank you to the Hugh Fraser Foundation and Skipton Foundation whose grants enabled us to put these packs together for our visitors.

For more information on our upcoming opening times please see our website www.provanhall.org.

Provanhall is believed to have been built in the mid-1500s. This is the earliest documented date for the building. At th...
16/08/2023

Provanhall is believed to have been built in the mid-1500s. This is the earliest documented date for the building. At this time Provanhall was under WIlliam Baillie and his wife Elizabeth Durham. William was Lord Provand, Lord President of Court of Session for Mary Queen of Scots.

This period was within the Tudor period. Let’s look at what the Tudors would have ate and drank in this period.

The Tudor people ate a lot of fresh food because there was no way of storing food to be eaten later. They ate with fingers, knives and spoons. They would bring their own utensils when visiting, which they carried around in pouches

Meat
People kept animals all year round and would kill them just before they needed to be eaten. Three-quarters of the rich Tudor diet was made up of meat such as oxen, deer, calves, pigs, badger or wild boar. Birds were also eaten, such as chicken, pigeons, sparrows, heron, crane, pheasant, woodcock, partridge, blackbirds, pigeon and peacocks. Meat was preserved by rubbing salt into it.

Bread
Bread was eaten at most meals along with cheese . You could tell the class of a person by the bread they ate. Rich people ate bread made from white of wholemeal flour where as poor people ate bread made from rye and even ground acorns.

Fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables were mostly eaten when they were in season and soon after picking. They ate fruits such as pears, apples, plums, strawberries and cherries. Some fruits were preserved in syrup to make them last longer through the winter months. The common vegetables were Turnip, cabbages, carrots, beans and onions. Towards the end of the Tudor period, new foods were brought over from the Americas e.g. potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, maize and turkey.

Bananas and some other fruits only grown abroad were not heard of during the Tudor times

Fish
Fish was eaten by people living near rivers and the sea. The fresh water fish included eels, pike, perch, trout, sturgeon, roach, and salmon. It was compulsory to eat fish on Fridays and during Lent.

Drink
Beer/wine: Water was considered unhealthy and was often unfit for drinking, due to it being contaminated with sewage. Thus everyone drank ale (including children), which was often brewed without hops so it wasn’t particularly alcoholic. The rich also drank wine. French wines were imported in greater quantities, yet only affordable for aristocrats.

Sugar
Initially Tudors used honey as a sweetener as sugar was expensive to import, until an increase in its quantity and thus a more affordable price transformed diets.
Along with herbs, sugar was seen as medicinal, with people encouraged to eat sugar for its warming qualities and for ailments like colds.

Food for Peasants
Peasants ate a herb-flavoured soup called pottage which would be served with bread. It was made of peas, milk, egg yolks, breadcrumbs and parsley and flavoured with saffron and ginger. They also ate chickens which they could rear themselves, beef from the local market when they had the money, and rabbits which they could catch for themselves. Most people could not afford to eat meat every day, so the nourishment came from the grain, usually oats or barley. At the lowest end of the scale, therefore, actual cooking would not take long. Pottage is not only a useful meal for making a little go a long way, it is also easy to cook. Once the ingredients were set to cook in a cauldron over the fire they only needed the occasional stir, so the cooking didn’t interfere with other work.

Manners at Table
Having clean hands was very important, as several people would dig into a common dish with their fingers. Therefore, they were advised to wash their hands out in the open where everyone could see, to make sure that they were clean.
Listed are some activities that were frowned upon at the dinner table, including:
* Putting fingers in the ears.
* Putting hands on the heads.
* Blowing nose with the hands.
* Men were told to refrain from scratching.
* Blowing noses off or wiping off sweat with napkins.
* Poking around on a plate, possibly looking for a better piece of food.
* Throwing bones on the floor. The proper place for bones was a platter.
* Release of wind.

Household inventories can provide a great insight into how people lived in the past.    in 1826 an ad for the auction of...
11/08/2023

Household inventories can provide a great insight into how people lived in the past.

in 1826 an ad for the auction of household and agricultural items belonging to the late Janet Buchanan of Provan Hall appeared in the Glasgow Herald. What might this list of possessions tell us about Janet's lifestyle and late Georgian life at Provan Hall more generally?

Are you brave enough to go on one of the History Horror Tours? You certainly will not be disappointed!Next tour 31 Augus...
05/08/2023

Are you brave enough to go on one of the History Horror Tours?

You certainly will not be disappointed!

Next tour 31 August. Follow History and Horror Tours for the link to get tickets.

While waiting on Provanhall opening to the public why not visit another beautiful community run house.Another place to v...
31/07/2023

While waiting on Provanhall opening to the public why not visit another beautiful community run house.

Another place to visit is the Glasgow Royal Infirmary Museum open Tuesday to Friday 1-3pm. Admission is free.

https://friendsofgri.org/museum/

Next Sunday is your chance to hear about Bannockburn House.
We have tickets available for the first Sunday of the Month.
To book check out our website https://www.bannockburnhouse.scot/

History of Provan HallWho Built Provan Hall and When?By John Dempsey, Friends of Provan HallTwo of the most common quest...
31/07/2023

History of Provan Hall

Who Built Provan Hall and When?
By John Dempsey, Friends of Provan Hall

Two of the most common questions asked about this curious old house is when it was built and who built it.

Cards on the table, we can’t say for certain. Various construction dates have been proposed. Claims are either broad e.g., 17th century or 1540s, or they are firm and precise e.g. 1450, 1460 or 1461. Some claim it was built before the Reformation in Scotland, some after. Some label the house Medieval, Late Medieval or Post-Medieval. Others make statements like "Glasgow's Oldest Building", clearly forgetting Glasgow’s Cathedral. There’s also the long running debate about whether Provan Hall or the Provand’s Lordship is the oldest. Proposed builders include the Bishops of Glasgow, James II, James IV, Bishop William Turnbull, and William Baillie.

So, with all this uncertainty and conflicting accounts, how can we go about answering the questions? One approach is to look at what archaeological and written evidence we are aware of and try to generate some ideas about how this amazing wee house came to be.


1. Plaque erected by NTS (now lost) and attached to the building following restoration in the 1930s (Sinclair 2016, 68)

2. Quote from Heritage Trail Leaflet (L&ES n.d.)

Archaeology
Let’s look first at the archaeological evidence. At present the consensus is the mid- 16th century, based primarily on architectural features and their similarity to other buildings of known age. In 2009 a building survey concluded that the North Range (the building with the turret) was constructed no earlier than this period. On Historic Environment Scotland’s website Canmore, there is likewise a broad agreement among archaeologists that the North Range is mid- 16th century. Even more recently, the restoration of the house was undertaken under the watchful eye of archaeologists, allowing them to observe, record and form new interpretations on an ongoing basis. So far, the middle of the 1500s again seems the most likely. These are of course interpretations (albeit by experienced archaeologists), and always open to debate and subject to change.
Is there any evidence for an earlier structure? Many don’t rule out the possibility of an earlier structure, but there just isn’t any evidence for one. There is, however, some tantalising evidence worthy of a thought. For one, there was the oak timber beam discovered above the 1st floor doorway during restoration. A method known as dendrochronology was performed using samples from the timber and the archaeologist concluded it was likely felled between 1259CE and 1295CE. It may also have an association with similar timber used at Glasgow Cathedral. This timber is thought to have been reused, meaning it functioned in some other way in another place or part of the house. Is this evidence of an earlier building? Or could it be a deliberate act motivated by superstition, warding off evil spirits at the threshold? More work is needed.
Some objects that have been found are also interesting. Several fragments of medieval pottery were recovered during archaeological investigations and watching briefs over the years. Do these show people living at Provan Hall earlier than we think?
What about the who? Does the archaeology supply any clues as to who built it? Well, what we don’t see archaeologically is any evidence for a royal ‘hunting lodge’ or anything characteristically ecclesiastical in nature that would tie these buildings to earlier centuries as they have been in the popular histories. This would have been a substantial structure of the time and needed lots of money and resources to build – even more so if a recent theory about there being a ‘lost tower’ is considered. Buildings such as these would have been a real projection of power and status, not just for posh living with some fashionable defensive features. It probably played a key role within the local society and economy. This points more towards private individual ownership.


3. Glasgow Herald 6th Jan 1984.

4. Core Sampling in the North Range (Addyman and Mills 2022). 5. Reused oak timber above door lintel (Mills 2021, 19).

Written Sources
What about written sources then? Before the effects of the Reformation in Scotland, the lands on which Provan Hall were built were granted to the Dean and Chapter of Glasgow Cathedral with records covering this period from the 12th to the 16th century. These supply written evidence useful for exploring many topics – what they do not include is any reference to Provan Hall or other settlement anywhere on the land. Church records discuss other houses, so that rules out a bias in the records as far as ecclesiastical mansions are concerned.
The first possible glimpse of a building comes in 1562 when William Baillie, Lord Provand, fues the lands of Provan to Thomas Baillie of Ravenscraig. This document contains the phrase “Mains of Provan” and is a possible hint towards one or more farm buildings locally. However, by 1575 we have something more substantial. A charter signed by Lord Provand and his wife Elizabeth Durham at the "Hall of Provand" (p.6) provides the first substantial evidence for buildings on the site. It is from this period that references to the house then become more common, but we should also consider that written evidence is more abundant from this time.

6 Stained glass window in Parliament Hall Edinburgh commemorating the founding of the College of Justice. William Baillie's arms are shown in the top left of centre. (Wiki commons)
Some final thoughts...
So then, what is our current state of knowledge? And why does it matter when Provan Hall was built? To date, all the archaeological and written evidence we have suggests the house was built around the mid-1500s. Knowing this gives us some context for why it was built. The family most associated with the estate in this period is the Baillie family, who first drew income from the lands as canons of the Cathedral from c.1505 and latterly as a hereditary landowners from the crown. William Baillie, Lord Provand, was clearly making a name for himself as he climbed the legal ladder from notary public to Lord President of the Court of Justice in the 1560s, and took advantage of the changes Reformation afforded. At one point, he was a Baillie of Lamington and all indications are that he sought to establish a distinct Baillie of Provan Line – he retained the hereditary property rights in his feus, began legitimising his offspring and what better way to seal the deal than build for himself a handsome residence in the form of Provan Hall. I hope the debate continues, because speculation generates new ideas, new understandings, raises new questions and at the end of the day, makes it fun!!

Sources
* Addyman, T., and Mills, C. 2022. Provan Hall, Historic building recording and watching brief. In: Jennifer Thoms (ed), Discovery Excavation Scot, New, vol. 22, 2021. England, Cathedral Communications Limited. 83-84.
* Canmore. n.d. Glasgow, Auchinlea Road, Provan Hall (https://canmore.org.uk/site/44985/glasgow-auchinlea-road-provan-hall). Last viewed 19/4/23.
* Harrison, J. G. 2009. Provan Hall, Historical Documentary Evidence. Stirling, John G Harrison Historical Services.
* Land and Environmental Services. nd. Provan Hall Heritage Trail. Glasgow, Glasgow City Council.
* Mills, C.M. 2021. Provan Hall, Easterhouse, Glasgow: Dendrochronology Assessment Report. Edinburgh, Dendrochronicle.
* Sinclair, F. 2016. Provan Hall, Auchinlea Park, Glasgow Conservation Narrative. Glasgow, Fiona Sinclair Architect.
* Cook, M., Mills, C., and Thoms, J. 2020. Dendrochronology: Explore the science of tree ring dating. Forestry and Land Scotland. Forestry and Land Scotland.

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved. Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2023.

Provan Hall will be open to the public from Thursday 14th September. Opening hours will be Thursdays to Sundays 10am - 4...
28/07/2023

Provan Hall will be open to the public from Thursday 14th September.

Opening hours will be Thursdays to Sundays 10am - 4pm

*OPENING DATE*
We are so excited to announce that Provan Hall will be open to the public from Thursday 14th September 10am - 4pm during Glasgow's week. Our general opening hours from then on will be Thursdays to Sundays 10am - 4pm.

National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland Glasgow City Council

27/07/2023

JOIN OUR TEAM
We have two exciting staff posts available to help us develop our community and volunteer opportunities.

Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland

Youth Programme Coordinator The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Awards for All

Role profiles and application forms available on our website: https://www.provanhall.org/opportunities-and-volunteering

Queries and completed applications to be sent to [email protected]. Deadline for applications is 5pm on 16th August.

Thank you so much to our funders for supporting these valuable roles! A big thank you to all lottery players as your tickets go towards these fantastic funds and make a real difference to community charities like ours!

23/07/2023

I hope that everyone who has visited over the past two weekends enjoyed the restored Provanhall.

It’s great to see such beautiful houses standing proud again.

23/07/2023

We're all ready for the last day of our summer open days. The weather has picked up too! Face painting, bouncy castles, ink printing and storytelling!

19/07/2023

If you didn't get a chance to come along to our open days last weekend or if you'd like to join us again, we're open this weekend! We're open from 11am - 3pm with arts and crafts, storytelling, bouncy castles, face painting, gardening and tours.

Provanhall open day today again. Anyone who went yesterday what do you think of the restored houses?
16/07/2023

Provanhall open day today again.

Anyone who went yesterday what do you think of the restored houses?

We can't predict the weather for the weekend but we can guarantee some fun at our open days. Kicking off this weekend, we have arts and crafts as well as storytelling, gardening, medieval arms and armour handling, bouncy castles (weather permitting) and a kids corner in our upstairs turret. We're looking forward to welcoming you to Provan Hall whatever the weather!

National Lottery Heritage Fund National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland

Hope you are all looking forward to see the restored Provanhall and having some fun this weekend
14/07/2023

Hope you are all looking forward to see the restored Provanhall and having some fun this weekend

We can't predict the weather for the weekend but we can guarantee some fun at our open days. Kicking off this weekend, we have arts and crafts as well as storytelling, gardening, medieval arms and armour handling, bouncy castles (weather permitting) and a kids corner in our upstairs turret. We're looking forward to welcoming you to Provan Hall whatever the weather!

National Lottery Heritage Fund National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland

13/07/2023

Visiting new places can get overwhelming. We've kitted out our ground floor turret space with soft bean bags, comfy armchair, ear defenders (child size only for now), sunglasses, fidgets toys, cube lights (which can be switched off if preferred) and a partition for the doorway for privacy. If you're feeling overstimulated when you visit us, feel free to use our quiet space to reset and recharge.

There is more to come for this area but this is how it looks for now for our upcoming open days this summer on 15th, 16th, 22nd and 23rd July.

Thank you to Autism Understanding Scotland for all your recommendations for our quiet space.

Three tickets left
11/07/2023

Three tickets left

Ghost-hunters are crying out to visit Glasgow's spookiest new visitor attraction. đŸ‘»

Provan Hall is set to reopen after a multi-million restoration & paranormal investigators are clamouring to enter the haunted hotspot.

Those who are brave enough, can join a ghost tour or there's family events for non-spooky fun. 👉https://ow.ly/B8Fh50P8ntq Provan Hall

Mary Hislop Somerville Gossman , D.AMary Hislop MacDonald (nee Gossman) was born in Glasgow on 11th September 1911 to Ri...
01/02/2023

Mary Hislop Somerville Gossman , D.A

Mary Hislop MacDonald (nee Gossman) was born in Glasgow on 11th September 1911 to Richard Gossman (a journeyman joiner) and Mary Jane Gossman (nee Somerville). An artist and writer living in Glasgow, Mary signed her work 'Mary Hislop Somerville Gossman' or 'Mary Somerville Gossman' until her marriage to Andrew MacDonald in 1968, thereafter signing as 'Mary MacDonald (Mrs)'.

Mary Gossman who owned a small art shop in Torrance arranged art exhibitions in aid of war charities during the Second World War, raising over ÂŁ62 for the Red Cross, Central War Fund and St Dunstan's (later known as Blind Veterans UK).

Mary went with her mum to visit her friend Mary Holmes who was the domestic servant and her husband who was the gardener at Provanhall House in 1934 and painted this picture which she has granted for it to be returned to Provanhall House. Mary fell in love with the house and visited it on occasions to which she later wrote stories from Mary Holmes time at Provanhall.

Mary did many paintings/ Sketches, which some were donated to the Glasgow Women’s Library.

She also wrote articles which were printed. Two of these articles were ‘Timeless Christmas Card’, which was donated to the Glasgow Women’s Library and a short article for Stonehouse ‘An old word for Holy in German ‘Heiligt’’

Would be great to see the painting returned and hung in the newly restored Provanhall House as stated by Mary H.S. Gossman!

01/02/2023

Mary Holmes, Housekeeper to the Mather brothers and passionate preserver of Provanhall

Mary was born Mary Muir on 23 April 1894. She was born at 36 Hayfield St, Gorbals, Glasgow, Lanarkshire. Her parents were John Muir and Janet Graham. Mary had 6 brothers and 4 sisters. At the time that she was born, her father was employed as a Carter.
He also worked as a farm worker and ploughman. He worked in a number of different places but for many years worked for Professor McCall, founder of the Veterinary College of Blairtummock,land which was very near to Provan Hall and where he met William Mather through a shared love of horses.

Mary was living with her parents on a farm at West Greenrig, Slamannan. William Reston visited the Muirs at the farm in autumn 1919, and 2 weeks later Reston Mather wrote to Mary asking her to come to work at Provanhall as their elderly housekeeper had died.

The winter of 1919 was the start of Mary’s Provanhall journey. A journey which did not end until she left Provanhall in 1955. Mary’s older sister Margaret had tried to persuade Mary not to go to Provanhall as she thought it was too large a job for such a young girl.

Mary’s role was housekeeper to William and Reston Mather until they both died in 1934. After both Mather brothers died, she took over as caretaker of Provanhall along with her husband Adam Holmes. Mary had grown very close to the Mather brothers and was very fond of them both.

Mary was well known to visitors for the teas she provided at Provanhall when she was the caretaker.

Mary met Adam Holmes a talc miller to trade and they married on 18 Nov 1933, Glasgow. Adam moved into Provanhall along with Mary. Adam died at Provanhall in 1954.

Adam and Mary had one son , also named Adam, who was born in 1934. Sadly he died at the age of three weeks on 13 February 1934. He is buried in the Mather plot in Sandymount graveyard along with William and Reston Mather.

In 1920 Mary’s brother John who resided in Canada and was in the 1st Canadians was seriously injured in battle in France. He decided to come home to Scotland.

A year later both Mary’s parents were ageing and her father infirm. Mr Henderson, Provanhall gardner had died and his cottage at Provanhall was vacant, so Mary persuaded her parents and her brother John to move into the cottage along with their dog Paddy. They resided at Provanhall cottage until they all died in 1931.

Mary got to meet many visitors to Provanhall. In the time of William and Reston she got to meet visitors such as Cunninghame Graham, George Houston, Sir D.Y Cameron ( related to the Mathers), Ref. Dr. Norman McLeod, George Eyre Todd , cousin Dr. George Ritchie Mather, Princaple of the Royal Infirmary, who wrote the “Two Great Scotsmen”, the Wylies of Garthamlock, the Bairds of Gartsherry and Dr. Hill B.L. of Barlanark House.

After the death of the last Lairds of Provanhall, William and Reston Mather, Mary who had loved Provanhall had conceived the idea of turning Provanhall into a tea room. At this time the house was badly needing restoration. Mary contacted members of the Old Glasgow Club in which Miss Dreda Boyd, author of the "Scarlet Clock" was a member. They raised funds and Provanhall was resorted back to its former glory in 1936.

Visitors to Provanhall tea room signed the visitors book and some of these visitors included T.C.F. Brotchie, Miss Dreda Boyd, author of the "Scarlet Clock" the Rev. Neville Davidson, and his wife, Mrs. Margaret Davidson, of the Glasgow Cathedral, Sir John and Lady Stirling Maxwell who wrote "Shrines of Scotland" with Provan hall on the cover, Dr. Violet Robertson visited in 1940 and Mary Gossman on 25 April 1935.

Mary finally left Provanhall in 1955. She passed away at the age of 78 in Wishaw Hospital, Lanarkshire.

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Provanhall House, Auchinlea Road
Glasgow
G349

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Comments

as the chair of the Friends of Alexandra park i would like to thank your group for their help with our Santa in the park today
Another Crackin Wee Night. Thanks to Brian and All the crew for organising and putting this on.
My grandson up provanhall house 2019
Can I suggest that on your homepage that you post opening times. Being unable to find out opening times from my NTS handbook, or your page, a Google search indicated that you are open 7 days and from 8:30am till 4pm, which on attempting to visit today, is incorrect.
Will there be a Halloween walk this year
The Local History group from Glasgow Kelvin College had a great visit to Provan Hall on Thursday. Many thanks to the Friends of Provan Hall for all their hospitality and to Stevie for the tour! More pics to follow this week.
Looking forward to a visit to Provan Hall this afternoon with the Local History Group!
Can you tell me what current opening hours are please? Someone told me they visited today and it was closed.
Good day doing up Provan Hall House for Halloween was just thinking as we want more volunteers for the woods Were are the friends of Provan Hall committee members every yr folk come & help 4r every event yet we never see any of these people the only one that does anything is John Dempsey who is run ragged organising all events & doing up the house without him nothing would take place & no funds would would be raised to help keeps this wonderful/beautiful building xx
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