Nothing short of starvation faced the miners and their families affected by the closing of Bardykes Colliery at Spittal in June 1905. The distressing state of affairs was the outcome of a dispute between Coalmasters Merry & Cuningham.. Ltd. (the Spittal colliery owners), and Mr. John Jackson, the proprietor of the land. The latter some […]
A sad story was told in the Hamilton Sheriff Court on Wednesday 7th June 1905, when Jane Mitchell or Dickson, wife of a Blantyre miner, residing at Craighead Rows, was charged with neglecting her four months old child. The woman was sent to prison for six months in September the previous year, and while she […]
This family tree kindly shared by Lisa Stebbing of Melbourne, Australia, shows the impact clearly on families during the 1877 Blantyre Pit Disaster. Spare a thought for elderly Elizabeth Reid nee Walker who lost SIX grandsons in the blast! William, James and Matthew Gemmell were brothers. They were cousins to William Muir, and William and […]
Staying on the subject of David Livingstone Birthplace, you may have noticed the brand new wooden pagoda which was erected in July 2022. I took these photos shortly after it was built. The perimeter seats look like they could accommodate 32 people, with further seating under the central column. A nice relaxing place to sit, […]
When you think of the beautiful grounds at David Livingstone Birthplace, just off Station Road, Blantyre its hard not to notice the considerable improvements which have been made this summer. From the nicely renovated working fountain and renovated lion statue, to the stunning new planting around the statue and buildings, its easy to miss all […]
From around March until June, we had a rather unusual bird in our garden. Well, it was making an unusual call. It wasn’t just our imaginations, for people were also commenting on it on the other side of the boundary in Kirkton Park. The bird in question seems to adopt a lofty position in a […]
A new Ice Cream Shop opened up at the Village in July 22. Situated in the beautiful grounds of David Livingstone Birthplace, just off Station Road, Blantyre the shop or kiosk is now open for businesses, with a brand new access path leading up to it and bike racks outside it. The outdoor kiosk shop […]