On 5th November, Margaret Sanderson was kind enough to drop by my home to share a few things belonging to her family.

Pictured here in 1942 is Betty Graham and Jessie Gibson at the back of Sneddons Buildings on High Blantyre Main Street. The back of these buildings faced directly on to the current Old Parish Church. The Graham family lived at number 405.

Sneddons Land was a row of 2 storey tenements containing 11 homes leased out. Indeed, Margaret was kind enough to give me a little rent book showing her father, John Sanderson renting an adjacent property in the 1950s and 60s at 407 Main Street.

The Sanderson family paid just over £6 in quarterly rent in the 1950s, rising to almost £8 in 1957. You can see the stamps paid in the rent book. According to the detail at the back, the Trustees of John Sneddon leased out the buildings all oddly numbered from 403 to 419. 419 was at the corner of Craigmuir Street. When I queries why the rent book ran out in May 1961, Margaret told me that was the last up front quarterly payment, for the homes were condemned and the families had to find new homes.

This is great confirmation that Sneddons Building was vacated in Autumn 1961 when the Sanderson family along with neighbours rented the brand new Council homes built in Coatshill that year at Northway. The situation was managed well with the neighbours fortunate enough to get homes right beside each other, maintaining their neighbourly relationships, albeit a move from High Blantyre to Low Blantyre.

I just love little snippets of information like this and the dates and events are all duly noted and recorded. With thanks to Margaret.