I’ve previously written about the Blantyre Priory Colliery Bing collapses catastrophically into the River Clyde during 1944. This happened right next to the priory as per the marked up aerial photo attached. My photo of 1947 taken from the top of the Priory Bing shows just how much the collapse had affected the River Clyde, almost cutting it in half!

Some temporary dredging took place post WW2 to ensure the river still could flow at times of full spate, however, I recently made this discovery, when I overlaid an old 1898 map on top of the modern aerial google photo. To my astonishment, it would appear the dredging wasn’t done fully and that at this bend in the river, right at Blantyre Priory, a new headland, or piece of land now exists and is now covered with woodland!

1898 / 2015 Overlaid map of the Clyde

The bing collapse does not appear to have been cleared from the river and now as such, the river Clyde is significantly narrower at that point, with people able to walk through woodland, where even only just 70 years ago or so, it would have been the deep river.

I have made several more discoveries using overlaid maps, which I’ll be bringing to you here, shortly.

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Thomas Barrett I can remember the waterfall coming from the pit into the Clyde the smell was disgusting.