Around the year 1800, a new farm steading appeared in Blantyre, called “NewMains”. You would be forgiven if you don’t know where that is in Blantyre as the name is now lost and more commonly called “Broompark” today.
The farm buildings were built of stone and were formed in a quadrangle, all four buildings facing in towards a central courtyard.
Newmains was built just off Broompark Road, and in modern times it would have been located directly opposite the entrance to the chapel, the site now occupied by terraced houses. An 1859 account on the Valuation roll provides us with more detail. “A Farm Steading belonging to, or built upon, the Lands known as the Mains of Blantyre Priory. In writings, or documents, connected with the feuing of the Land to the present Occupier, it is styled “New Mains”, from being the second Farm, or house, erected on the Lands of Mains.” The first farm in the Lands of Mains was (and still is used as a home now) , Old Mains Place. The two farms complimented each other by having common boundaries in the High Blantyre area which was then all fields.
In the mid 1850’s, the owners used the name “Broompark” on his carts (field charts). It cannot be said that “Broompark” was used more frequently than “New Mains”, when spoken of in the neighbourhood but it is recorded that they are always coupled i.e many people called this property Newmains Broompark. As most of the Lands in the Parish, feued off Lord Blantyre, paid a small feu duty, the Proprietors were able to choose the name thy preferred and generally the best known and most likely to be retained. “Broompark” was chosen and is taken from the Park it was in, on the Lands of Mains.
A husband and wife doctor notably lived nearby at Broompark House. Broompark (the farm) eventually gave up it’s use as a farm and became a house until after the second world war. It is now demolished. Amongst other owners of Broompark were the Watsons and Rochheads.
Hi Caroline- The Jopes house was where the chapel stands. The account above simply stated the Jopes lived nearby to Broompark House.
I believe u stated the Docs lived their, when in fact they lived in worked in a property where the chapel now stands
If this was the house that the doctors used for their practise in the sixties it was not opposite the chapel, it was where the chapel now stands. I went their as a child, Drs Jope I think