1931 Suspension Bridge at Blantyre works

Pictured in 1931 is the Suspension Bridge, photographed from Bothwell side looking over to Blantyre Works.

The building on the hill is the Blantyre Works School, which David Livingstone himself had attended. The Bridge was built in 1852 and demolished in 1949. The tollbooth was on the Blantyre side at the entrance to the bridge. The halfpennies could amount each week to as much as £10.

I’ve marked on some reference notes. I think the photo was taken to deliberately show how the landscape had changed. Just two years earlier on Burns night, Waterloo Row, the homes located on the hill were burned down by accident. This is why there is a level plateau pictured to the left of the school. These were once homes as denoted by the green dots in my notes.

Source: Valentine Postcard series PPC, 213238