Time for a few more brand new “auld” photos. This charming photo of a dark haired girl was amongst a collection of Blantyre photos by early local photographer, David Ritchie. This great photo is Blantyre girl Mary Ritchie, the daughter of joiner David Ritchie and Mary Ann Fleming. Little Mary was born on 4th January 1895 […]
A sad story about an unfortunate accident which happened 128 years ago in 1896, sadly one which ended in tragedy. If only to remember this little soul, the events are retold here. Jane Malcolm McNab was born in 1895 at Watson’s Land, Larkfield, Blantyre (near where today Watson Street is located). The daughter of Donald […]
Now here’s a dramatic local story which you wouldn’t see these days, but certainly made the Blantyre headlines back in June 1896! Hopefully you haven’t heard of this before. The Hamilton Advertiser took great delight in telling readers of a sensational story which took place at Glasgow Road, Blantyre on Thursday 11th June 1896. That […]
What a fantastic photo this is from around 1905 or so. This is Blantyre Bowling Club, on their green, just off Stonefield Road. From my own collection this photo has never been seen online until now with both the original version and a colourised version for a touch of realism. The roofs of Dixons Rows […]
Catherine Logan Findlay was born in Blantyre in 1883 the daughter of steel presser, William Findlay and Margaret Logan. Catherine was a Blantyre Village lassie, growing up at Newlands in Low Blantyre, which was just off Station Road. It is likely she was schooled in the village or at Stonefield. On Saturday, 13th June 1896, […]
Whilst 3rd Blantyre Scouts origins date back to 1930, there were actually earlier Scouting Groups in Blantyre. Even prior to WW1, Boy Scouts had been inaugurated in Low Blantyre in Springtime 1909, based from the Caldwell Halls on Glasgow Road. By April 1909, in a matter of weeks, there were over 70 boys enrolled for […]
On Wednesday 8th July 1896, a large group of people met in the Democratic Hall, Stonefield in Blantyre. The occasion? To listen to miners champion, Keir Hardie who was visiting Blantyre that evening. The organisation was the Lanarkshire County Union of the Independent Labour Party (a few years before the formation of Scottish Labour Party, […]
