1971 High Blantyre Map

This map is of High Blantyre, from the year I was born, 1971. I cant speak from experience about this, so I’m relying on what I’ve heard about this area and of course feel free to comment as always.

The area focuses on Main Street and the top of Hunthill Road at Kirkton Cross. What is immediately apparent is the entrance to School Lane, which was still accessible to cars, as far as the lockup garages shown behind Vals (Carrigans Pub).

Also noticeable is the former Aitkenhead’s Builder Yard and of course the Garage on Main Street next to the Masonic Hall. A circular feature is shown at the top of Douglas Street. I’ve been told this was a flower bed with a path around it. There was also a bench or two to sit on. Around the path was a grass area with more flower beds behind that. All well tended by the council. Today, that area is the modern flats at that junction.

Between 1971 and 1976, as school lane became more dilapidated, the lane was no more than a track, with grass up the middle, overgrown and neglected, and not accessible to vehicles. As the new houses got built afterwards, the School Lane became the back gardens of the houses, but the name was remembered by the renaming of the new lane into the homes as it is known today, “Old Schoolhouse Lane”. What are your memories of this area?

On social media:

Alan Baird every word you spoke there was spott on paul , the building down from the circular flower bed was the hairdressers and the general store mrs woods wee shop as we used to call it , the church hall at the corner i went to cubs in there and the sunday school , oh and the garage across from the police station , it was called craigneath filling station , the rodwell family ran it i can remember going in on a sat morning with the milk van and chrissy putting 50p in the tank and saying that will get us home anyway lol

Bill Graham Just behind the park area further down Douglas street was some waste ground and on that was an old WW2 type hut where the rag and bone man kept his van and rags in the early 60’s.

The Blantyre Project was that at the bottom of Priestfield Street Bill?

Bill Graham As you look on the map,the bottom edge of the map you can just see a boundary it remained level ground from there for about 50m, then dropped away to meet level with Priestfield street.

Bill Graham There are 2 cottages across the road from it in Douglas street which are still there and the entrance was exactly opposite them. My friend at the time Dan Allan, used to live in one of those, the one furthest from the grave yard.

Bill Graham When I was a student I worked in the filling station by then it was not owned by the Rodwell family.

Bill Graham The van was one of these but not done up as a hot rod.

Robert Stewart 1965 School Lane was just a rough hardcore road. You could drive all the way down it and into Park Crescent or Greenhall Place. About 20 yards or so from the park gate, there was a door in the wall gave access to Croftfoot.

The Blantyre Project The stone wall at School Lane still has that little gap in it, Robert. No longer a door though. Now within my garden wall, its bricked up, with lots of gorse growing in front of it.