Caldwell Halls were former church halls located on Glasgow Road. The official name of the hall was the Caldwell Institute, named after the local MP, Mr. James Caldwell who was the local MP for Lanark.
The halls were owned by the Stonefield Parish Church and stood at the corner of Glasgow Road and Auchinraith Road, where the East Kilbride Expressway now crosses Glasgow Road. The halls were built around 1900 and High Blantyre joiners William Adam & Son were the builders. On 8th October 1900 Mr Caldwell was canvassing in nearby Cambuslang and it was noted in the newspaper at that time that the Caldwell Institute existed by then. They were 3 storey’s high and built of stone with a slate roof, the entrance being on Glasgow Road. The halls were attached on to the end of Chalmers Building. Behind them was Rosendale.
William Adam & Son fell out with Mr Caldwell towards the end of the build over the matter of £60 worth of additional work. The matter could not be resolved between them and ended up in court, where on 21st February 1901, Sheffif Davidson at Hamilton Sheriff Court heard the case. Mr Caldwell maintained that the contract signed incorporated these changes and the action was dismissed with William Adam and Son liable for costs.
It was in these halls that the church held their Sunday school and youth fellowship meetings. The halls were also used for badminton and hired out for social occasions, such as dances. Due to the long, irregular shape of the hall, it was known locally as the “Coffin Halls”.
The Blantyre Holiness Mission used the halls initially as a meeting place (which would later move to and become the Nazarene Church). Outside the hall was one of the tram stopping points. Many political meetings were held in the halls by several Blantyre organisations, including Blantyre Vics.
The halls were demolished in the 1960’s (1967?), after Chalmers Building, which was demolished in 1959.
Today, the exact site of the Caldwell Hall is the southern concrete abutment on the modern A725 Expressway Bridge over Glasgow Road.
