Nursery removes 'lodge' from title over 'sectarian vandalism'

A nursery is changing its name to remove the word “lodge” after it was repeatedly attacked by “sectarian” vandals.

Owners of Glencoats Lodge Nursery in Paisley, Renfrewshire, say its main sign has been vandalised a dozen times in four years and are convinced it is because of the use of the word lodge, believed to be mistakenly linked to the Orange Order.

A recent graffiti attack saw it sprayed with green paint meaning the sign was replaced for a third time.

Nursery owners Collin Care Nurseries hope removing the word from the sign will stop the vandalism and it will now be publicly referred to as the Glencoats Nursery.

Director Douglas Collin said: “It is astonishing, and it is totally a west of Scotland thing.

“This sign is at the road side, six foot high, and they don’t touch the word ‘Glencoats’, they don’t touch the word ‘nursery’.

“They touch nothing else on the sign, but they take great pleasure in scoring out or scratching out the word ‘lodge’.

“It has nothing whatsoever to the Orange Lodge or Masonic Lodge apart from being a lodge house.”

The red sandstone lodge house was built in 1891 as part of Glencoats House, one of the mansion houses of Paisley.

The house was completed in 1890 in Ferguslie Park and said to have been built on the site of the old Ferguslie Castle.

The architect Hippolyte J Blanc’s design was exhibited in 1887 and the stables were built to his design in 1888 as was the lodge house in 1891.

There were at least two extensions to the house including one phase in 1908. It was gifted to the Royal Alexandra Infirmary as an auxilliary hospital in 1934, closed in 1972 and demolished in 1980.

The lodge is a listed building, which is used as a day care nursery for children.

Mr Collin said: “There is another sign at the entrance but it is high up and on posts, about 12 foot high and they can’t get that, it is obviously too hard to get access to.

“They go for the one that they can reach.

“The one they target is on the pavement and is at head height and assume it is children and they are too unintelligent to understand the use of the word ‘lodge’.

“We are actually surrendering.

“We are going to take the word ‘lodge’ out and just going to call it Glencoats Nursery, even though the nursery is registered as Glencoats Lodge Nursery.

“It is a major job to change the name completely.

“We would have to go through the Care Inspectorate and it takes ages and it is not an easy task.”