Lint Butts was a small detached tenement which formerly stood on Main Street , directly across from Cemetery Road. With address 267 Main Street, the property had a slate roof and was made of stone, with a large rectangular yard at the back.
Bill Graham who was brought up in Blantyre, told me, “Hi my grandfather owned a building in main street High Blantyre, it was called Lintbutts. I was brought up there in the late fifties and early 60’s. It was opposite the old Post Office and Ian Hobsons butchers.”
What Bill remembers though would have only been part of the building. Lint Butts was originally built prior to 1859, named as Lint Butts Cottage, in a more westerly position to what Bill remembers. There is a good reason for that, as will be explained below. It was directly across the road from Cemetery Road. In 1891, it was divided into two shops. Seventy three year old Mr Thomas Peden ran a tailor business there and also that year, 59 year old William Thomson, a joiner and glazier, lived there with his wife Margaret and 2 of their children. The two businesses had an extensive yard at the back. William Thomson died on 4th Noevmber 1898 after a short illness. He had been a well known bee keeper in the area, keeping bees in hives at the rear of Lint Butts. Mr Thomson had spent his whole life with the hobby of bee keeping and according to his obituary in the Glasgow Herald, had even brought out some inventions in relation to the efficient preparation of making honey. He enjoyed great popularity in that respect. His half of the property passed to Matthew Kae, whom in 1901 was 62 years old and running a hardware business from the store.
In the other half of the property by 1901, Mr Peden had passed away and the owners were John McLanchlan and his family, who were coal miners.
The property was to hugely be extended when land adjacent to it was sold in 1905. The extended property was initially immediately adjacent to the above described property on it’s westward side, hence why a close was needed to access the yard at the back. The extended property also called Lint Butts, owned by the Graham family had a small yard and the back.
On 19th April 1915, a lady named Morrison died there leaving behind two daughters Meg and Mary. In 1918 the family were on the move and an advert appeared in the paper selling the poultry, hens, wire cages and fences in the yard. This, I believe paved the way for the Graham family where Hugh Graham and his wife Effie bought the property.
However, by 1936, the adjacent Lint Butts Cottage property had been demolished leaving the close redundant and only the more later extended Lint Butts part of the building standing, i.e the part that Bill remembers and used only as homes. Mr Graham lived upstairs and let out the homes below.
Maps would suggest that Lint Butts back yard was initially very small, but after the subsequent demolition of the next door property, the whole yard was owned and used by the Grahams. The double close on the right hand eastward side, which at one time was wide enough to let a car through was now redundant. However, during World War 2, it was partly (half) bricked up and a blast wall was built at the back, possibly of use as a sort of shelter.
Neil Gordon’s book suggested that the Apothecary Hall and the chemist was located in this property, but that was not the case. The Chemist, known as Patersons in the 1960’s was actually located in a small semi detached building to the east of Lint Butts, i.e adjacent to it. That small building was divided between the Chemist and McMillans Haulage. Mr McMillan lived at that address and had a yard at the back.
After Lint Butt’s was demolished in the 1970’s, the property was remembered by a new street being named after it, just off Burnbrae Road. Lint Butts, now several modern homes in the middle of Blantyre.
On social media:
Bill Graham Wow, I am pleased you found out so much, about the old house. As you know I was up recently, and while looking through some old paperwork I found out that my Grandfather leased out the land where the old cottage was to a billboard company.
I am a historian writing a book about Galanthophiles (people who breed snowdrops) and am trying to find out more information about William Thomson who, I believe, in addition to beekeeping grew snowdrops. Can anyone help.
I was born at lint butts 265 Main Street in December in 1944 my name is Louis Ford I still have vivid memories of that building
Hi my grandfather owned the building was that the flat with the entrance on the main street or the one in the close? Do you have any photos as I do not have any of the house.
We had the sigle end round the back of the property, and no i dont have any photographs,the family who lived in the flat in the close were the McKays, the Neals stayed in the flat on the top of the property accross the landing from your grandfather, i remember him and his wife i think her name was euphemia,