Post-War Main Street, 1947

This amazing photo dates back to 1947, just 2 years after the end of the second world war. Pictured is High Blantyre Main Street. Pictured from approximately at the entrance to the Old Parish Church, and looking eastwards back along Main Street, many of the buildings are no longer there. This was largely a residential area but there were some community buildings and businesses too. The old Church halls are seen on the left of the picture, venue for many a party and function. The halls were built in 1893 and knocked down just under a hundred years later.

On the left is the entrance to the old builders yard, which stood on the site of the former Archer’s Croft, a field directly opposite the Old Parish Church. The scene is almost completely different now. The street is wider, filled with traffic lights and road markings and the hustle bustle of many cars throughout the day. The lack of cars in this photo make the town seem sleepy and peaceful. We’d love to hear from anybody who lived in these old buildings and to hear what it was like to live in that area at the time.

** Update 31.1.21 – I now believe this photo to be 1927, rather than 1947. Some things just didnt add up despite being told the date. Like for example the building next to the church which burned down in the late 1920s or the ruined buildings in the background, actually missing from 1936 maps.