Cranhill High Flats (former site of Sugarolly Mountains) (Glasgow) | apartment complex

United Kingdom / Scotland / Stepps / Glasgow
 apartment complex  Add category
All three of the tower blocks are expected to be demolished in 2020 due to increasingly low demand.

138 Fastnet Street (Cranhill) : 19 floors, 55m
25 Soutra Place (Cranhill) : 19 floors, 55m
7 Longstone Place (Cranhill) : 19 floors, 55m
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   55°52'1"N   4°9'56"W

Comments

  • The "Sugarolly Mountains",below is an excerpt taken from Glasgow Digital Library, whilst no mention has been made of the heaps at Cranhill we assume fly tipping was just a bit more extreme then and it originated from the same source. ................................................................................ The Tennant Chemical Works had been established at St Rollox by Charles Tennant, whose first product was a bleaching powder, patented in 1799 for use in the textile industry on cotton and linen. It was the largest works of its kind in Europe. The works' enormous chimney, known as 'Tennant's Stalk', was, at the height of 455 feet, the tallest chimney in the world. The large heap of waste byproducts dumped beside the factory was known to local people by nicknames such 'the soda waste' and was an unofficial children's playground. The 'Stalk' was dismantled in the 1920s, and during the hazardous operation four men were killed. The chemical works closed in 1964. The company still exists and has headquarters in Bath Street and a factory in Maryhill.
  • Many days spent with the arse of my trousers burnt .
  • we were not allowed to go to the sugarollies! Didn't really stop us though!
  • Played on the Suggies as a child when I lived in Skerryvore Rd(1953-1974) then lived in the High Flats Fastnet St & Longstone Pl till 1998 Watched the M8 being built Have many happy menories of the Cranhill I grew up in and stll talk fondly of the Old Place Now live in Ayrshire But My Heart Belongs In Cranhill My son is Scott Gibson I can be contacted at Friends Reunited (Milincroft & Cranhill Schools)give me a Blast From The Past
  • I lived at 33 Longstone Rd from 1953 until 1970. As a youngster we played on the Suggies. I remember some great Guy Fox nights with the bonfires blazing on top of the 'mountain' and paying with the dog on the canal, what fun it was in those days. I have lived in Western Canada for 30 years but still remember those days.
  • My two sisters Gillian & Sophie and my brother John stayed a 9 Milncroft ROad, Ruchazie from 1953 until the mid 70's. We all played on the Sugarollies and used to slide down them on a tin tray. At times there was horrid yellowish brown stuff which would ooze out and stream down. When I think of it now we didn't realise we were playing on a chemical waste site. We were there to have great fun. We also played of a concrete thing that spanned the canal. We also have a younger sister Jeanne who was born later when the flats were built and we've told her many a tale about playing on the .mountains, Happy Days. x
  • I only ever played on the mountains when I was visiting my auntie who lived in Bellrock St. I remember getting stuck up on them dressed in highland dress ( I was about 8) I loved going there to play but in a kilt, what was I thinking of.
  • My name is Rosemary. I grew up on Longstone road. I remember walking to school (St. Modens) and watching my father who was a construction worker, working up on the fifteen floor. That was the early sixty's. Anyone who lived on Longstone road in the sixty's give a shout. I would love to hear from you. I went on to St Gregory's was there till I was about fourteen then moved to the USA. Have great memories of growing up in Cranhill and will always cherish them.
  • I too spent many happy days climbing our own Alps in the fom of the sugrolly Mountains. Today I have in my early 60s narrowly avoided death apparently at the hand of some chemical muck ingsted in my youth. Does any one know of what thethe Suggies had other than the power to burn the knees ns rse out of my trousers as a boy? This may lead me somewhere? Any ideas? jim.lambie50@btinternet.com
  • i grew up in Irvine, Ayrshire and we had the Blue Billy that sounds similar to your Sugarollie mountain. I now live in Canada (32 years) and visited my Aunt in Rothesay in May when I was over. She's 82 years old and she is a wonderful artist. She gave me one of her paintings and it's her impression of the Sugarollie mountains that she remembered from her childhood. I was googling the Sugarollie mountains this evening when I came across your comments so I just had to tell you this wee story :) Cheers! Linda (near Niagara Falls, Canada)
  • I was born in Longstone Road in July 1956 and my younger brother John was born in the same house some five years later. My mum and dad were John & Brenda White. Martin White
  • Hi Jim I have just found this site after telling someone today a story 're the mountains looked it up says it was toxic hexavalent chromium played their in my day
  • Hi Rosemary. I'm Stephen Cosgrove. I went to St Modens and the Greg. Lived in Bellrock St Now live in Bristol and in Spain. Born in 1954. I have great memories Last time I took a nostalgia trip to Cranhill it looked like Beirut. My house and the Greg were gone.
  • I've just found this site. Suddenly had this memory of the sugaroly mountains. Don't know what triggered the memory but I decided to google it and lo and behold it came up with Cranhill. Wow. Where I lived from age 9 till about 17. My folks moved to East Kilbride. I was just about to do my highers at the Greg. So I travelled by motorbike each week and stayed with my wee Gran in the middle tower block during the week to stay on at school. Trouble was, motor biking in winter was treacherous and after having about my 5th painful slide and fall, I gave up and did the last few months of my school time at St Bride's in EK.
  • Just found this after l googled Sugarally Water, born in Springburn Glasgow, 1952, moved to the U.S.A. in 1977. I was actually looking for the method of making Sugarally water, l remember having it as a child, seems like there was a certain way to make it, can't remember though. Anyhow, l never knew about the Sugarally Mountain in Cranhill, especially the waste coming from the St. Rollox Chemical works, l always thought that the waste from there was put on what later became the Sighthill flats, i.e. Jack's Mountain and the Stinky Ocean. l wonder now if they moved the waste to Cranhill using the old Monklands canal?
  • We used to play on the Sugarolly Mountain on our way home from school 1960
  • My friend jean Gibson and I are blethering just now , in Arbroath , talking about the sugarolly mountain. She lived in Bellrock street and went to st Gregory’s school and used to go dancing at the Shack , great memories says jean
  • Show all comments
This article was last modified 9 years ago