MILLROAD STREET WAS RURAL LANE

The plan on which;Blackfauld; or Calton was feued may readily be seen by comparing some of the early maps of the district, The western boundary was in line of what is now Ross street; on the south was the old road to ;Cropnestok; (craignestock), afterwards named Gt Hamilton street, and now London road, on the east was the very ancient road known as the Witch Lone; now that continuous thoroughfare Abercromby street, while the northern limit was the Gallowgate. The whole plan thus formed a kind of triangle, the base being the ;Witch Lone; and the apex Rose street.
The First Intention
From McArthurs survey(1778) it is plain that first intention was to have two streets from east to west –High street (now Kirk street) and King street (now Millroad street) and three from south to north—Main street (now Well street) Green street and cross street ( the latter being now Abercromby street.
Main street was the first to be completed ,and 150 years ago it was built on both sides of Cropnestok (now London road) north to Millroad street, The street that ran eastward from Main street and which was then called High street, was rapidly built upon, and a short westward extension of it was called New street, it is now all Stevenson street, The most of the houses were erected around the intersection of these two thoroughfares ,King street was only built on the south side at that time, and Green street had merely a few scattered houses. while Tobago street ,though indicated and named on the map was quite blank, and not a single feu had been taken in Cross street (Abercromby street),, Tureen street by which green street was continued north to the Gallowgate was chiefly occupied by a brickfield and pottery (from which the name is a corruption of Touraine in France) Mr Young’s house and garden stood where Young street is now, and millroad street was then a rural lane with hedgerows,
The opening up of Great Hamilton street in 1813 gave an impetus to building in the Calton district, The street was named after John Hamilton of Northpark (born 1754 died 1829) who was thrice Lord Provost of Glasgow, and whose son William also held that office.
The name of the Calton streets was altered shortly after this time. The southern end of Main street below High street corner was called Well street ,High street itself disappeared ,; the part between Main street and Green street was named Kirk street and the eastern extension to ;Clyde street ; became Stevenson street.
A comparison of present day Calton with that of the survey of 1778 will show in a striking manner how this; Burgh of Barony; had grown in importance before it was absorbed into the City of Glasgow.
The established church was built in Tobago street in 1792 as a chapel of ease, and the district was constituted a ;quoad omnia parish in 1819
Kirk Street obtained its name from the Secession church which was the first place of worship in Calton.

Taken from Eastern Standard 23July 1938.