In the mid 1800’s a Lanarkshire Directory used to be published to make businesses easier to find for customers. Blantyre was always listed and in this particular one (which was in remarkably good condition for something 150 years old!) the full list of Blantyre’s shops and businesses were drafted out with addresses for contact. No phones or emails. Click on the picture for greater detail.
The date is important for this listing. This was before the coal explosion and already by this time the Blantyre mills were in decline. The population was still relatively small and nothing could have prepared Blantyre for the explosion growth of the next 2 decades. As such, in 1862 the total number of shops , prominent business people and retailers of any sort was limited and actually quite low in number, enough to fit on 2 small pages.