Almost forty years after I pulled up roots and left Nova Scotia...life has changed in New Glasgow.
I rented a car, and drove past many of the places which were home to me and my little herd of horses and pets, and stopped by the 'ruins' of Hawker Siddeley, which in its heyday in the Seventies produced hundreds of rail car axles, dozens of marine vessel shafts (on the largest forge in existence), floating compartments for ocean oil rigs and a daily dozen of rail cars of every description under the sun and for rail companies all around the world. The days of plenty indeed...
Downtown New Glasgow has lost many of the old mom and pop stores, but has replaced them with new restaurants, pubs, second hand stores, clothing boutiques, and modern banking establishments. The main street through downtown has been prettied up with hanging baskets, murals, micro parks; and the side street along East River now sports a pleasant little marina and a riverside band stand.
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| Bridge over the East River downtown New Glasgow |
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| Town Hall of New Glasgow |
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| Micro Park in New Glasgow |
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Rail tracks leading through downtown New Glasgow, thirty years ago, about a dozen of brand new rail cars would rumble along these tracks each evening starting their maiden voyage. Box cars for Zambia, Wheat cars for Saskatchewan, Gas and Oil tank cars...now the tracks have almost 'greened' over.
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The old forge building at the practically abandoned Hawker Siddeley Plant. A Chinese company produces wind generators in a remaining working section of the plant - word has it, that the enterprise is not really a roaring success
The axle forge, where thousands of rail car axles were hand forged with a powerful axle hammer - no computer assisted controls. It needed outstanding skills for a hammer operator not to ruin a raw steel bar. Now reduced to a commemorative plaque where the old office building once stood.
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The town still prides itself of an almost undiminished number of century old mansions and churches, built during an era, when New Glasgow was thriving.
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| Presbyterian Church downtown New Glasgow |
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| Lovingly maintained - a century home |
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| Cape Cod Style town mansion |
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And just East of New Glasgow, a perfect beach: Melmerby
Allegedly the warmest waters north of South Carolina, USA |
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A life guard now watches a short stretch of beach, however, each year a few bathers insist on entering the water outside the marked area, floating around on inflatable toys, which promptly are swept away by wind or current.
Water temperature - 18 degrees...pretty tepid.
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Years ago, I would load up one of my horses into my horse trailer, drive across Mount Fraser and saddle up at the end of the beach, and ride at low tide on the hard packed sand. Miles of open space....Today, Melmerby Beach is a provincial park, with paved parking lots, interpretive huts, a number of public facilities, board walks, replanted sand dunes, public facilities, and of course a guarded part of the long smooth beach. No horses allowed.
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| Garrets By the Bridge used to be a treasure trove of all things old and unusual. A shadow of its former self, only the outer walls remain, and a few supporting interior walls. |
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My old barn.
I put on a new roof 40 years ago, after the old one was blown away by a hurricane. The roof is now rusted, and the barn almost grown over by alder forest, shrubs, bushes and weeds. There were no trees then, but a large open air riding ring and pasture surrounding the barn. All gone to seed, all grown over, but still standing... |
