1900 William, Mary and Carolina Jolly at Blantyre Lodge, Blantyre works Village

Pictured here with the kind permission of Historic Scotland is Blantyre Lodge around 1900. This building once stood in what is now the sand play park at David Livingstone Centre.

In 1901, William Jolly, a retired schools inspector age 62 and his wife Mary Anne also 62 lived in the house with their daughter Carolina. Their grandsons lived there too. Also in the house was 2 siblings of Carolina employed as a gardener and insurance clerk. I believe therefore the people in this photo are William, Mary and Carolina Jolly , along with William and Mary’s grandsons.

In regard to Mr William Jolly and his tenancy, he became ‘famous’ locally for his wonderful garden, this garden was so well frequented and loved it even gets a line in a poem about the area by the great William Sharp, who bewails its demise now that Mr Jolly no longer tends it :

“Now wanderin’ alang the riverside
O’erhung wi’ snawy hawthorn spreadin’ wide,
Its whisperin’ watters spoke langsyne romances,
An’ photograph’d the overhangin’ branches,
Thro’ Jolly’s gairden, I ta’en my way,
No kenn’d as Jolly’s gairden nowaday,
The slopin’ bank that aince bragg’d various fruit,
Brags naethin’ now but grass, the banks cut out.