1950s Blantreferme / Haughead Colliery mystery
A few mysteries surround these next 2 photos, although some of the information can be identified. The dates are unknown but guessed as being the 1950s. The location IS known though. Pictured are industrial works to the left of Blantyre Ferme Road. The landscape photo was taken from the vantage point of the railway bridge over the Blantyre Ferme Road, just before you exit Blantyre Parish to Uddingston. The road is therefore Blantyre Ferme Road with East Haughhead Farm in the background to the right. I believe the straight lines in the distance to be the curve of the river.
The photos were once given to Alex Rochead by the late Blantyre historian, Jimmy Cornfield who told Alex they were of the area between the railway bridge and East Haughhead Farm.
Canmore website recorded that Blantyre Ferme Colliery 3 was also known
1950s Entrance to mine at Haughead/Blantyreferme
as Newton Colliery, which is news to me. I’d never encountered Newton being called Blantyreferme 3 before. The picture is NOT Blantyre ferme 1 and 2 or Blantyreferme 1 brickworks, which was before the railway bridge, more closer to Blantyreferme. Nor is it Haughhead Colliery (which was also in Blantyre and missing from most historical accounts). The liklyhood is that the buildings were a later extension of Haughhead colliery, associated brickworks or a drift mine (secondary) of sorts. In the foreground of the photo, we see underground access. A more detailed photo of the mine entrance is available here.
According to Canmore, a nearby drift mine supplied the brickworks and operated from 1924 to 1974, so here’s hoping people will remember this building and mine, although I have to say much of it has been masked by trees along the left of Blantyreferme Road.
Colin Wotherspoon told me, “The Clay mine provided clay for Newton Brickworks until it was either to expensive or to unsafe to Mine they then got clay from Open cast mining in the fields at the old road leading into Townfoot farm that is now blocked Off they also mined across the road what is now the pond in Redlees Park and formerly the 2nd Glen of Finmeoot the Photo is the Minehead and the Brickworks didn’t last as the Clay from open cast produced an inferior type of Facing Brick which I believe led to its closure hope this helps Iwas an ex employee of the Brickwork“
Needless to say, there is much more to this story to be firmed up, before the history can be 100% confirmed.
Hi there I might have made a wee mistake in the years that I worked for Newton Brickworks it could have been round about 1967 but I was there the year it closed down which was 1969.
I worked for Newton Brickworks Uddingston I think round about 1973 or 1974 for about 3 or 4 years until I got a disease of the tendons in my right wrist caused by oil and dirt and I had to retire although the boss of Newton Brickwork offered me a job up the road in Blatyreferme Brickwork I enjoyed working in Newton Brickwork until someone in the Brickwork stole my wages out of my locker after that I felt I couldn’t work with these people I got a claim of £80 compensation so that was all right.