Broadstone House situated in large grounds on the old Greenock road. Described as a Baronial or Scottish Renaissance mansion with details based on Newark Castle.
Above the main entrance to the building engraved in the stone is the words "May the blessings of God be Herein". This time in 1869-1870 when the house was built a more modern spelling was used for the message.

The building was originally constructed with a grayish-pink, square snecked sandstone. A high entrance tower, turreted on the north-west and some finely carved and inscribed eaves and dormas. With the rather special stone-framed conservatory, part of which, octagonal on plan had a glazed dome and copula.

Broadstone House

The home of John Birkmyre

One panel in the building also contained the letters ADV and PKC, these were interwoven and the words "Architect 1870"

The architect for the building is listed as David Bryce and the building is now a category B listed building.

This is the small gate house that was situated on the old Greenock road. The house is surrounded by substantial grounds and contained stables and workers accommodation as well as the main building.

The house was also sometimes referred to as "Birkmyre House"

It would later become Broadfield Hospital.

The two black and white house photographs come with permission from Ted@portglasgow.com

Mr & Mrs Birkmyre were well travelled in their later years and incorporated many of the features that they admired on buildings over seas into the buildings interior.

The grounds also contained a walled garden which was maintained by a large staff of full time gardeners.

It was interesting to note that by the time the 1881 British Census only four members of staff are listed and not one of them is from Port Glasgow. They were : Susan Kincaid from Ireland, Barbara Robertson from Paisley, Agnes Wood from Peebles and Helen Newbigging from St Boswells, Roxburgh.

The staff of the house
around the start of the 20th century pictured in front of the house...the young woman reclined 2nd left front row, is my grandmother Sarah McGhee,who worked for the family at that time. Her sister Catherine Mcghee is seated 2nd from the right. I would be interested in any information that anyone could give me on the other people in the photo.

Thanks to Tony for taking the time to send me this photograph and allowing me to add it to these pages. If you can add any more details then please get in touch!

This page last modified on Friday, December 01, 2006

John birkmyre diead at the age of 76 in Broadstone House in 1910. The funeral service was taken by Mr Reid who preached from John xv. and he had this to say about the man...................

John Birkmyre 1834-1910

"Our friends voice was not often heard in public, although the rare occasions on which he broke the silence made us wish that his talents in this respect had been oftener exercised. I will not dwell today on his many public benefactions, nor on his kindness to the poor, but when you have counted up his public benefactions, the half has only been told. The other half will never be known, for you would need to climb to many an attic where the closing days of some lonely widow have been cheered by the timely gift from Broadstone, you would need to have been often on the Glasgow Road when the tramp , begging his nights lodgings, thanked the man of kindly heart who himself was tramping his homeward way.

"For him to be an elder of the Scottish church was a thing of no mean value, and right nobly did he fulfill the obligations of his ordination vows during forty-seven years of service. The children had always a foremost place in our friends regard. Only two years more and he would have completed his jubilee as a Sabbath School teacher in the school at Bouverie street, handed on to him as a scared trust by his father. how he loved to hear the children singing the old favorites!

"One other point that I would like to refer to was his practice of family worship, night and morning, begun as a young husband and kept up to the very end. it i touching to think that among the last acts while consciousness remained was his conducting the family devotions, and it was remarked that his voice was unusually full and rich as he gave thanks for the quiet sleep of another night and commended all whom he loved to the tender keeping of the Father in heaven."

"Then like a tired child he went calmly to sleep on his Father's breast on 9th August 1910 in his 76th year."

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