These beautiful photos feature Blantyre fields at the Clyde, near Craighead, overlooking Bothwell. Taken from Gilmour’s Directory in 1904, they offer in some fine detail what the riverside looked like well over a hundred years ago.
In those earlier years, the viaduct was a busy thoroughfare, allowing not only rail, but pedestrian crossings too, on an iron “catwalk” situated directly below the railway line, but still within the viaduct itself. It must have made a thunderous noise as trains passed by overhead if you were crossing at that time. Located behind the current Whistleberry Estate, in an north-south direction, the pillars connected elevated railway tracks at Blantyre to Bothwell over the River Clyde.
In 1952 the Railway created a terminus at Bothwell, due to the deteriorating condition of the Viaduct. For safety reasons trains were not permitted on the structure from that time with British Railways making that decision rather than spend considerable money in repairing the viaduct. Trains did run, but only freight for a couple more years with the regular passenger service terminated.
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There really nice pictures, especially that last one, of good quality to. It looks lovely, a nice place for a walk. It’s certainly not as pleasant today.