2005 Aggie Bain’s Cottage, Barnhill by RDS
This wee cottage at Barnhill has changed a fair bit over the years. Pictured here in Summer 2005, Robert Stewart has shared his picture, which admittedly, he was trying to photoshop out the wires and poles for a more older feel to the picture.
Aggie Bains cottage sits directly across from the Hoolets Pub, with one gable facing Bardykes Road. Despite the busy road location, these type of pictures do make it look idyllic.
Regardless of the decade, photos of this little cottage are timeless. Above the door lintel says 1536, which, if to be believed would make it the oldest inhabited house in Blantyre, even outdating the Crossbasket Tower! I’ve long had suspicions about the style of house though and dating on lintels, rather than crests or gables was a tradition i think started in the late 1600s. The style of the cottage itself is very 1700s and the property is shown on 1747 maps, so regardless of its construction date, there is no doubt it is very, very old.