Arthur Brown founded Barnhill Nursery in Summer 1834. The nursery building was made of thatch and sited at the junction of Broompark Road and Hunthill Road, where modern bungalows sit today. Most of the fresh produce he tended to was sold locally to grocers and at times outwith Blantyre itself. Strawberries and Damsons were grown on the Calder braes below the cottage hospital. Later, apples were added to the orchards. The Winter months were known as “slack time”, i.e when fruit business was poor. During “slack time” Arthur supplemented his income by growing willow trees, which were sold within the town for craftwork to the weavers.
The Nursery lasted for many generations up to an beyond WW2.