Also known as St Andrew's School from it's final use (so far) as a list D school, Shandon House is now the only remaining building on the 30 acre site by the shores of the Gare Loch. Sold by the Council to the MoD when the school finally closed in the 1980s, the building has remained unused and receives only minimal maintenance to keep it safe. Sadly this has not stopped break-ins, vandalism, and theft, as well as the expected deterioration of the exterior and subsequently the interior.
The options for the building's future are under review by the MoD, although demolition is unlikely as it is Grade B listed. Meanwhile the grounds are used by the locals and CND peace camp for recreation and, in 2008, a concert!
Type
Shandon, Helensburgh, United Kingdom in
Google Maps to see a satalite view of the area.
Adam
www.mathesonphoto.com
7 comments:
Adam, I actually lived in Shandon house as a kid,my father actually set up the school in the 60's and was the headmaster there until his death in '75.Ihave original photos of the house from the 60's of which I sent copies to the civic trust in glasgow.It is a shame it is in such disrepair as it has an incredible interior.
Yours Etc. Colm Mc Diarmid
Thanks for the info Colm; as far as I know the interior is now far from incredible.
The building has now been fenced off to deter the idiots who persist in breaking in (and on). The building really is unsafe and someone eventually will get seriously hurt.
Would really like to see those photos if you can get them scanned.
Adam
hi my name is george restrick i lived in shandon house in 1977 i was only 14 an i have lots of stories and memories of who was there and staff who worked there and me i went to see the house not to long ago and am sad of the way it has ended up it was a list d school when i was there helensburgh garlochhead is a place of gorgous scenery for all tourist in the world if i were a wealthy man i would certinly would invest in the property as theres lots of you can do with shandon house and the acers of ground with it colm i would be greatfull to see those photos cheers george .
Hi i to was a resident at the school from late 79 until march 81.i was in fruin house.i would like to see any pictures around from the school from its remaining few years if anyone has any.I know there was a member of staff that was a mountain rescue worker also that took us to the cairngorms in summer 1980 that took many photos of the group of us but sadly he died many years back and i wouldnt know how to get to see these pictures or who had possesion of them.as far as i know his nickname was griz because of his beard or maybe his name was adams not totally sure.anyway thanks
Hi Adam
I lived in the grounds there for 19 years, until 1986, as my Dad was one of the instructors there - 'Olly' (Mr McAuley) the building teacher. Its so sad to see this great house in such a state of disrepair. I have great memories of the place and the one thing I remember about the interior was the magnificent wooden staircase and oak panelling in some of the building. Sadly a lot of the staff and their spouses have passed away now including my own mum but I gues thats the passage of time.
However nice to see the post from Colm McDiarmid who, along with his brother Niall, I knew well when growing up there in the 1970s/80s.
Not seen the place for a good while as I have lived on the east coast for a long time now but will ask my Dad, who lives in Helensburgh, if he has any old photos of the building which I can get scanned. Sad to see whats happening with Shandon house but I have many great memories of escapades and adventures there during my younger years.
Yours sincerely, Hunter McAuley
Many thanks for the comments, it's great to read from people that were actually there. A couple more photos are on my Flickr account...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mathesonphoto/5606114541/in/set-72157626343472515
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mathesonphoto/5606115305/in/set-72157626343472515/
Hi again Adam
Coincidentally I am going over to Helensburgh in the next few days to visit my Dad and will ask if he has any old photos which I can get scanned - I am sure there may be a few in his house somewhere. It was really interesting to read about the chequered history of the house on Heritage Helensburgh. The story of the Mitchell family was well known but not much of the prior history so for me it was a fascinating read. As I said earlier great memories growing up there but it seems so long ago now.
Best, H McAuley
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