If you look up the fields here this used to be where a Black Bing
was which was full of coal. Somewhere in the late 80s early 90s
all the coal was taken out of this Bing and returned to grass lands
for animals to grase on.
This second William Dixon was a man of great energy, and
being possessed of administrative powers of a high order
was well entitled to be ranked as one of the originators
and controllers of the coal and iron trades in Scotland.
It was he who established a century ago the Govan Iron
works, one of the sights of the city of Glasgow and
familiarly known by the Glasgow people in particular and
by Scotsmen generally the world over as "Dixon's Blazes".
Besides being one of the foremost masters in coal anchin
iron of his day he was a pioneer of railways in the West
of Scotland and had a fortune invested in them in the days
when few dared to take such risks. His activities in the
promotion of railways in these early industrial times and
in the furtherance of his own business as an ironmaster
took him frequently to London, a journey which in those
days of the stage coach was not unattended with peril. He
was also well known as a promoter of public roads, having
had extensive experience in this connection on his own
lands on the south side of Glasgow where he planned and
made many roads and streets which stand to his credit to-day.
And so when he came to take his father's place at Wilsontown
one of things which engaged his attention was the question of
a shorter and a better road to the west country for the
transit of goods from the works.
This can be a busy path with dog walkers and just walkers alone
so stealth maybe required at times