These amazing photographs are Blantyre school photos with a difference. They taken back over 120 years ago in 1894, making them possibly the oldest known school photos from our town! They are thought to be High Blantyre Primary School on Hunthill Road, which had opened 19 years earlier.

Remarkably, one of the boys is known. Matthew Leggat 1st left on second row. He was born on 11 January 1889 at Springpark, Auchentibber. He died very young, aged 20 on 24 October 1909 at Springpark. Matthew had diabetes for 3 years and died after 12 hours in a diabetic coma, the informant Hugh Murchie his step father. What I noticed right away are the amount of scowls, frowns and unhappiness in this photo, which I assume was due to the fact that all these boys were dressed in all their Sunday finery for the photo.

1894 High Blantyre Primary School

Thank you to Isabel Fleming for this remarkable photo.

On social media:

John Mc Nulty Great pics and boys haircuts haven’t changed much over the years.

Cherie McBride fantastic photos.

Caroline Moore That teacher looks like a force to be reckoned with!

Susan McMurray That’s one of the most unhappiest photos I ve ever seen lol great pic and it s in so good condition for being so old 😀

Helen Lawson Taylor How well dressed the kids are in the photo s .

The Blantyre Project Absolutely. I have another photo coming shortly, and the kids are SO poorly dressed in tattered clothes. I think this particular photo above must have been well publicised in advance for the kids to ensure they turned up in Sunday best (hence the scowls)

Margaret Nimmo Lehmann Amazing photo

Joe Fletcher Kenneth Leggat did you not have relations that stayed up auchentibber??

Kenneth Leggat My father and his father and brothers lived up in Auchintibber since the late 1800’s

Kenneth Leggat Joe I think that would have been my Papa Leggats brother Matthew. Cheers