Exhibition is set to rekindle old memories

About the Houses will be available in Rouken Glen Park and Barrhead, offering the perfect opportunity for a stroll down memory lane and reminisce how we used to live in times gone by.

Residents might remember tenement living, shared toilets, new housing estates being built, or more recent changes, such as modern fuel-efficient heating.

The exhibition will also take a look to the future with an insight into some of the ambitious plans the council has for local social housing.

About the Houses opens on October 5 in the Pavilion in Rouken Glen Park, where it will run until October 16.

It will then move to Barrhead Health Centre from October 19 to 30.

As well as a look back at local living, there will be a focus on how employment has drastically changed, from the closure of Shanks in Barrhead, the disappearance of the mills and bleaching factories in Neilston and Busby, and the move away from the traditional industries such as Spillers and Volvo.

There will be library archives, museum artefacts, a schools display, competitions and a kids’ corner.

Children attending will also be invited to design a ‘house of the future’ with the chance to win a prize.

Housing convener Danny Devlin said: “This is a really terrific, ambitious exhibition.

“It will stir memories in many of us and give us a chance to share them.

“It shows how much housing in East Renfrewshire has developed into the modern, safe properties we have today.”

“I can’t wait to see it – please join us for a stroll down memory lane.”

Pupils from Williamwood High did a huge amount of work to put together the exhibition, with pupils from art, geography and history classes all contributing.

Housing staff also joined residents from Bellfield Court sheltered housing complex, members of the Overlee Support Group, and users of the Jewish Care Centre in Giffnock to get their memories.