Barnhill
 

Barnhill Poorhouse

Barnhill Poorhouse was officially opened on May 1850. On admission inmates were fed, washed and their belongings de-loused.  Life was harsh and the inmates were unpaid. The Poorhouse existed on free labour.  In the early years the standard of food given to the inmates was extremely poor.  

Some of the medical officers complained about the bad conditions.  However,  the Board of Supervision were constantly urging the Poorhouse authorities to make conditions even grimmer.  

By 1898 Barony merged with the city of Glasgow and Barnhill became the largest Poorhouse in Scotland.  
Barnhill Poorhouse later became Foresthall Home until demolished during the 1980's..
There is a section on its history and records at

"BARNHILL gave its name to the poorhouse which was built there in 1853. In the year 1810 a mental asylum had been built in Parliament Road and in 1843 was transferred to its present site at Gartnavel. The vacated building in Parliament Road was, in the same year, taken over as the city poorhouse, which in turn was transferred and amalgamated with Barnhill Poorhouse in 1905.

Strict discipline was observed in Barnhill. Able bodied inmates were required to make up 350 bundles of firewood per day and stonebreakers were expected to break
5cwt. of whin metal per day. Any inmate not producing the stated amount was put on a bread and water diet in solitary confinement for 12 hours. Disorderly conduct such as swearing or breaking of rules, resulted in being put on a diet, excluding milk and buttermilk, for a period of three days."

In 1945 Barnhill was renamed Foresthall House and Hospital, and the place can be aptly described as a village within a city. It occupies 33 1/3 acres of great natural beauty. Wide, well attended lawns add a fine setting to the rowan, laburnum, hawthorn and sorbus trees and their blossoms in season, mingled with snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils, add an intricate pattern of colour against the green background of the lawns. The grey lines of the buildings
speak of an age of Victorian grandeur although they have a slightly military appearance. The gardens are maintained by a staff of nine employed by the Parks Department. Near the paint shop is a well, covered by a manhole, which is sixty feet deep and served the poorhouse with water in days gone by.

Foresthall has undergone many improvements within recent years and a plaque on the wall in the sitting room indicates this fact. It has been suggested that Foresthall be abandoned and the site used for industrial development. It would be more in keeping with the traditions of Springburn if this tastefully landscaped area was kept if only as an
illustration of the improvements which can be made, by the efforts of the Springburn people, in transforming a
Poorhouse into a beautifully designed hospital."
Source: Glaswegiana - A collection of stories of Glasgow past and present, by William W, Barr, ISBN :

Page updated September 04, 2004 by Rossbret