This section of the 1747 Blantyre map provides a wonderful insight into how sparsely populated Blantyre was at that time. Remember, around this time, the population of Blantyre was merely around 500 people. This was 40 years before the arrival of the mills and at the time of this map, was a very sleepy, rural village.

On this entire map area of Low Blantyre, there is just a handful of properties. We see Bardykes, Coatshill (Cottshill), Wheatlandhead, Woodhouse and a few properties by the Clyde near where the mills were destined for. Interestingly, long before the Village area or Blantyre Works existed, this area was known locally as Milhaugh. (The land of the Mill). Coatshill, Bardykes and Wheatlandhead were the primary farms and we can see from the map the extensive field layouts , several of which belonged to those properties at this time.

You’ll see the property Woodhouse on the map. The house was demolished in the mid 1980s, but in the 1700’s, Woodhouse referred not only to the house, but to the area immediately beside it also, today the site of Station Road, the Village and into the Public Park lands. Woodhouse was a sub area to Coatshill and built by Coats family members. By 1859, Woodhouse was owned by Miss Coats and with lands around it now built upon, the name Woodhouse had already become known just for the house itself. That’s it for properties! That’s all Blantyre consisted of within this particular map area. On a final note, we can also see the makings of modern roads. The main Glasgow Road is still in the same location, as is Bardykes Road, although of course no street names were given then. This was the humble beginnings of Blantyre, the “oldest of the old properties” and foundations for what was to evolve into a busy town.