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How did Mount Florida get its name?
Many will be familiar with the Glasgow Southside suburb of Mount Florida with its tenements and impressive terraces and, of course, the home of Scottish Football, Hampden Park. But how did this place gets its name?
The district grew in and around the “Lands of Mount Floridon”, which consisted of 15 acres of orchards and gardens surrounding the house of the same name. It was situated at the highest point of the present day Prospecthill Road in the Lanarkshire section of the Parish of Cathcart.
The earliest note of the house and lands is in a notice from September 1814 showing that there were two dwellings surrounded by 15 acres of land at Mount Floridon.
The property was shown on the map section below, part of a larger map of Lanarkshire published in John Thomson’s Atlas of Scotland, 1822 (republished 1832).
By 1844, when the property was offered for sale again, when owned by a Mrs Bell, it was described at that time as “Mount Florida”. The house appears to have been in a habitable condition until around 1855 when it was destroyed by fire. No pictures of the property survive.
This map from the 1860s shows Mount Florida as a ruin. It is believed that this was located where the bend of Prospecthill Road now stands and at the end of Hampden Terrace.
This view from Google maps highlights where Mount Floridon House would have been when compared to earlier maps. Today this would have sat at the end of Hampden Terrace, where May Terrace now begins.
So we can assume that Mount Florida took its name from the house and lands of Mount Floridon. But how did the name originate?
There are a few theories around this.
One myth is that it was known as Mount Floridon because the family that lived in the property originally were from Florida in the USA. This myth was mentioned by Alexander Gartshore in his book ‘Cathcart Memories’:
“the nearest building from Cathcart in the direction of Glasgow was Mount Florida house which was occupied by a family from Florida USA. And it stood where the Eildon villa now stands”.
Another suggestion relates to the Latin derivation of the word “Florida”. This derives from the Latin Floridus meaning “flowering”. Mount Florida may have been a floral hill at some point in the past.
So what is the most likely origin of the name? While we can’t say for sure, it’s likely that the original house took its name from the Latin word “floridus”, but we would be interested to hear any other theories.
UPDATE 8/5/25: Richard Keltie on Facebook has alerted us to the below earlier reference to Mount Floridon, and supplied a newspaper clipping:
“There is an earlier mention of Mount Floridon, in The Scots Magazine and Edinburgh Literary Miscellany for Sept 1812, which refers to the marriage on 31 Aug 1812 :
‘At Mount Floridon, David Kay, Esq. of Duntiglenan, merchant, to Mrs June Reid.’
The same intimation appeared in the Aberdeen Press and Journal on 9 Sept 1812.”
Part 2 will look in more detail at how Hampden got its name and how Mount Florida grew in the late 1800s into the suburb we know today.
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By Dougie McLellan
Published: 5th May 2025
English
Regarding ‘The earliest note of the house and lands is in a notice from September 1814’, I’ve located several earlier references to Mount Floridon. The earliest one I’ve come across is nearly 6 and a half years earlier, in 1808.
From Old Parish Birth Records, 24 April 1808 :
‘Robert Kalley and Jean Reid in Mount Floridon had their 1st child born and baptised Jane Dow.’
On 8 Sept 1809, the Old Parish Birth Records recorded :
‘8 Sept. Robert Kalley & Jean Reid in Mount Floridon had their 2nd child born, and baptized 16 October named Robert Reid.’
On 15 Aug 1810, the Aberdeen Press and Journal carried a death intimation : ‘At Mount Floridon, Mr Robert Kalley, merchant, Glasgow’. A check of death records confirms Robert Kalley died on 30 July 1810.
On 9 Sept 1812, the Aberdeen Press and Journal reported the marriage :
‘At Mount Floridon, David Kay, Esq. of Duntiglenan, merchant, to Mrs Jane Reid.’ The Scots Magazine and Edinburgh Literary Miscellany for Sept 1812 also carried the same intimation. The Old Parish Marriage records confirm this was the second marriage of Jane/Jean Reid, and that the marriage took place on 31 Aug 1812. The marriage banns on 19 Aug 1812 recorded :
‘Mr David Kay, accountant in Glasgow, and Mrs Jean Reid, relict of Mr Robert Kalley, merch’t, late of Mount Floridon in this parish.’
Regarding the fire which destroyed Mount Floridon, I can confirm it occurred on Monday 2 July 1849. It was widely reported, both in Scotland and England. The Glasgow Chronicle of Wed 4 July 1849 reported :
‘FIRE AT MOUNT FLORIDA HOUSE.
‘On Monday evening, about 6 o’clock, a report reached the Police office in the city that a fire had broken out in Mount Florida House, upon the Cathcart Road, a distance of upwards of two miles from Glasgow. Mr Turner and the fire brigade belonging to the West of England Company, the Gorbals and the Central Police offices, speedily set out for the spot, which they reached in a very short time. From the period that had elapsed, however, before word could be conveyed to town, the roof of the building had fallen in when they arrived, and they consequently applied themselves to check the progress of the flames, and if possible, to prevent their rechingthe two wings of the house. Their efforts were, however, almost in vain from the fact that, when the butts belonging to the Gorbals office were emptied of the water brought in them, the utmost difficulty was experienced in procuring further supply. Had water been at hand, the flames would have been got under by 8 o’clock, whereas it was between 1 and 2 before the engines left the place. The nearest spot at which water could be got was a water-hole, beyond Hangingshaw brick and tile works, upwards of a quarter of a mile distant. Here one engine was stationed, for the purpose of supplying the butts; these, after being filled, were carted up a steep road to the engine belonging to the West of England Coy., from which the water was conveyed by a pipe of 1,100 feet in length to the Central Police Office engine, stationed at the house. With this supply they succeeded in extinguishing the flames, not, however, till the whole building had been completely gutted. The house is a large two-storey building, the property of Mr. Dixon of the Govan Iron Works: it was occupied by Mr. Smith and Mr. Robert Clark. The tenants succeeded in removing part of the furniture from the burning building, but a great portion of it they were unable to get out. The fire is supposed to have originated in one of the vents which had been in a dirty state. One of the firemen was slightly injured from a brick partition falling on him while engaged in removing some rubbish; otherwise no accident occurred.’