This is a first for this photo seen online. It is dated around 1900, but certainly before trams arrived to Glasgow Road in 1903.
The picture likely celebrated the expanding Glasgow Road and in particular the new construction that was Grant’s Building in the foreground on the right. You’ll see it looks much more new than any others.
Grants Building, according to my research was built between 1897 and 1903 by Mr. John Grant. A former three-storey detached stone tenement block on Glasgow Road, directly across from the bottom of Herbertson Street. It was located on the north side of Glasgow Road, to the east of Gilmour’s Building, not far from Forrest Street junction. It was imposing being 3 storeys, one taller than the adjacent Gilmours. A dirt track ran between Grant’s Building on its west gable and Gilmours, down to Craighead (Bairds Rows).
Businesses in this building were located on the lower ground floor, with homes in the upper two floors above. Owens Cycles were located in the building during the mid 20th Century. Ella Little had a grocery store there too (a relation of the Crossbasket family). Most notably, was the sub post office where Sam Douglas cut hair in there too!
Behind the building, out the picture to the north backyard, was the beginning of the terraced Bairds Rows, miner’s homes. Grants Building was a casualty of the late 1970’s demolition of tenements in Glasgow Road, subjected to extensive re-development. It was demolished after adjacent Gilmours Building.
From “Blantyre Explained” by Paul Veverka (c)