New book inspired by life in early days of Cumbernauld

This trailblazing spirit is captured in Stopping to Rain, a new book set in the early days of Cumbernauld.

Author Mike Kernan explains: “There was a real sense of opportunity and a blank canvas as folk queued up to escape the overcrowded, run-down schemes of Glasgow.

“Families like mine were swapping crammed tenements for modern, spacious houses in a place surrounded by countryside, where safety was a priority and there was plenty of work.

“My mother told me that on the day we moved to our house in Cumbernauld from our small flat in Glasgow, I was afraid to go upstairs because I was convinced there would be another family living there.”

Mike Kernan's new novel captures the early days of Cumbernauld (Image: Mike Kernan)

As one of five post-war Scottish new towns – alongside East Kilbride, Irvine, Glenrothes and Livingston, Cumbernauld was built to house Glasgow’s overspill population as impoverished city schemes were bursting at the seams.

Former journalist and lecturer Mike, 66, adds: “The crazy thing is that a lot of people who moved there early on still automatically call it Cumbernauld new town today – even though work started on it nearly 70 years ago.

“The town itself later became much maligned and when I go back now, it’s sad to see the decline in some of the original parts. Back then, however, it was a paradise to us.

“Even the heavily criticised town centre, which is now facing demolition, felt like a bright, modern place full of shiny shops and hustle and bustle when it first opened in the mid-1960s.”

An aerial shot of Cumbernauld (Image: Newsquest)

Stopping To Rain, like its predecessor The Fenian, is set mainly in the 1970s in the fictional town of Cumbride, a thinly disguised version of the real thing.

It tells of four friends whose tight teenage bond among the concrete warrens is shattered when a drunken prank ends in tragedy – and comes back to haunt them 25 years later.

Many of the scenes and locations were inspired by real-life places, incidents and characters from the author’s own youth in Cumbernauld.

Mike Kernan's book draws on real-life places and incidents of the author's youth (Image: Mike Kernan)

One story in particular – about a cheeky DIY stunt – demonstrates how the new townies never lost their “Glasgow gallus streak”, says Mike with a laugh.

“A story did the rounds about someone a couple of streets from us whose kitchen door got damaged while they were moving into their new house,” he recalls.

“Under cover of darkness, the dad carted the broken door to a house that was still empty and swapped it with one in there.

“I was told that tale as a kid then heard it again a couple of years ago in a discussion about the early days of Cumbernauld.

“I wondered if by chance it was someone from the same family or just a local legend that had stood the test of time.

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“Either way, it sparked off a whole host of memories of characters and incidents. And it showed that you can take the man out of Glasgow...”

The new book is set just a few years before Scottish movie classic Gregory’s Girl showcased Cumbernauld on the big screen and Mike is quick to acknowledge its influence on his own work.

Dee Hepburn and John Gordon Sinclair in Gregory's Girl (Image: Newsquest)

He says: “It was a massive thing for the town and the whole place was buzzing for months in anticipation of the film coming out.

“Then when it did reach the cinema, everybody was desperate to spot familiar places and even people they recognised – it put us on the map. I loved it too and there are a couple of nods to the film in Stopping To Rain.”

He adds: “I named one of the four main characters Greg and set a scene under the big clock in the town centre – the same one where the original Gregory waits in vain for Dorothy.

“My character scoffs at the idea that anyone would ever dream of shooting a film in a place like Cumbernauld, or Cumbride as it’s called in the book.

“I hope I’ve captured some of the same charm and humour but although there are plenty of laughs in my stories, they are also a lot grittier.

“One reader called my first book ‘Gregory’s Girl with the gloves off’ and that’s even more the case with the new one.”