1905 Blantyre Works Mills

1905 Blantyre Works Mills by D Ritchie

Update: This is actually the 1890’s, rather than 1905.

A previously unseen photo of Blantyre Works Mills, taken around 1890s. Pictured from the Bothwell side of the River Clyde, the photographer David Ritchie has captured the everyday industrial scene at the Village Mill.

Showing five chimneys at the mills, the suspension bridge leading into the heart of the mill works on the Blantyre side at this time, upstream from the weir. To the left is the oil works. In the background the wages offices, (often pictured as a detached property) is part of a terrace of properties. Away in the background, smoke billows from the chimneys of Shuttle Row homes. The picture may give a scale of the whole operation at this location, for it is difficult to picture that scene today.

I’ve flipped the photo round to show the correct horizontal alignment. Thanks to Alex Bowie for sharing.