David Fisher’s Yard, Stonefield Road

Fisher’s Blacksmith Yard corner of Stonefield Road

On the corner of Glasgow Road  & at the bottom of Stonefield Road was David Fisher’s yard. (Contrary to popular belief, the corner building was not Mickeys Cafe which was actually nearby on Stonefield Road)

David manufactured wrought iron gates, fences and offered general blacksmith (smiddy) services. The main office and showroom faced out on to the Glasgow Road, which was a small pitched roof building similar to the hairdressers shop at Larkfield. The yard was narrow and long, running from the Glasgow Road to the gable end of Valerio’s, with it’s entrance at the bottom of Stonefield Road. David Fisher’s company was there well into sixties, possibly even the early seventies. After he retired the little showroom became a showroom selling interior light fittings, tables lamps etc, although some of Blantyre Project readers may want to confirm this with me. Fisher’s Yard looked likely to have been cleared when the other buildings were demolished around 1979 and 1980.

Robert Stewart has memories of this yard, telling me , “For years an old double decker bus sat in the top right hand corner of the yard next to Valerio’s building. I remember being in the yard with my dad and I’m sure it was used for storing long strips of steel. Silly the things you remember at times.“

Prior to Fisher’s Yard, Pre WW2, Smith the undertakers owned the yard and showrooms. The large hut in the yard was used to make and store coffins. Gordon told me, “I’m fairly certain it was always traditionally a joiner’s business, but I suppose it could easily have been adapted later.“

Thank you to Gordon Cook and Robert Stewart for the additional information. If you know more about David Fisher or his yard, please let me know.

On social media:

• Drew Semple remember it well,as you turned of Glasgow rd on to Stonefield rd,at the end of Fisher’s yard there was a corrugated fence with a cigarette machine built into it,it got emptied a hundred times.smile emoticon
• Moira Hutchings Mickeys was definitely a little further up The Stonefield Road. In the early sixties we went there once a week to use the payphone to speak with my Dad who was working in England. Sometimes we even got an ice cream! Across the road was the grocers where my aunts’ friend Janet worked. Butter was still sold from a massive block from a barrel; it had to be patted up when you bought it. Next door was the butchers where we bought all our meat.
• Alan Baird i can remember when they done away with the the wee yard they made that bit into a small walkway with a bench to sit and have a rest the railings in this area were bright red and there were some shrubs around it too this would be around 1973-4-5 i think , i can remember before when it was the wee yard that the side of it along to mickies cafe was large bill boards .
• Steven Daley Mickeys wasn’t on the corner, it was up the street a wee bit. People might think it was in the corner because in the early eighties (as far back as I can go) I think it was the first building on Stonefield Road. The area marked as Fishers yard on the corner I remember as a small path walkway which cut the corner to Glasgow Road. Red ash path, lined with bushes, small red barrier and a couple of benches

  Stephen Allan The building Fishers yard was on must have been demolished early 90s along with the rest of the shops at the bottom of Stonefield Road and also the Red Lion pub as that is now a wee housing scheme.
  Moyra Lindsay He made railings for our verandah in 1971. He had a white poodle which went to work with him and he cut it himself, it was a sight! A bit grumpy is how I remember him!