Glasgow Road, 1925

Almost a Century old, this remarkable photo was taken in Glasgow Road. There’s certainly a noticeable lack of traffic., signage and road markings. If you look closely, the newspaper “Gazette” offices are on the left. Most of these buildings are now gone. A watching “bobby” keeps an eye on the photographer, who is clearly standing on the road itself to capture his shot.

Mr. John Clifford first founded the Gazette on 27^th November 1925, the first edition appearing a few weeks later. Everybody knew how to contact the reporters. New telephone systems throughout Blantyre were connected, so you could simply dial ‘Blantyre 321’ to submit a story or advertisement. The newspaper became a very popular read with residents in Blantyre. The final edition of the Gazette was printed on 31^st January 1964 and was sorely missed for an entire generation.