Pictured here in 1916 during the middle of the first World War, is Low Blantyre General Post Office. Until 1969 all Post Offices in the UK had the official title General Post Office (GPO). This important building was located at the bottom of Stonefield Road. Standing in the doorway are Blantyre postmistresses Miss Stewart and her assistant Marian Kilgour. In the right hand windows are pamplets and booklets (presumably about the war and current services). In the left hand side is the famous poster of Lord Kitchener appealing for “More men – God save the King”.
Low Blantyre Post office has shifted position a few times. This post office existed until a “modern” one was built in the 1950’s at the corner of Logan Street. Since then, that particular post office has also been demolished and is now located in the back of a general store halfway along Glasgow Road.
Blantyre’s other post office, the High Blantyre Post office has existed since the 1850’s and shifted between several locations on Main Street. First time i see it was in 1859 maps when the post office was located in a building where the Apollo Bar/ Indian is today in Main Street. (This was slightly before the current buildings were built). Next, by 1898 map when the Concert Hall / Masonic lodge existed, the post office moved across the road, to approximately, by co-incidence where it is today. This is shown on the map in separate buildings up a little from the building we know now as McLeans. At that time, the post office was therefore where the Kirkton carpark is today. By 1910, the Post office had relocated to the corner of Cemetery Road, where it obviously existed for a long time, only relocating back near the original location when McLeans extended their shop in the early 1980s.
