1898 Greenside Street now the site of Low Blantyre Public Park

On 28th January 1900, John Quirk, a miner carried out a fearful attack on his wife at Hart’s Land, Stonefield, Blantyre. The building was the scene where John took an AXE to his wife! On Wednesday 15th March 1900, he pleaded guilty to the attack and it was found that he had been in the habit of striking her with a poker. She had hid it and upon searching for, he had came upon the axe and struck here three times whilst she was sleeping. The judge said it was a horrible story and sentenced Quirk to 12 months imprisonment.

Harts Land, or Herts Laun was a building at Greenside Street, near Glasgow Road. The street and the buildings are no longer there, but were located exactly where the tall iron sculpture is at the entrance to Low Blantyre Park, directly across from Asda. Back in 1900, the building certainly had close proximity to several pubs, although there is no evidence in the story that alcohol fueled that disgusting, terrifying behaviour.