I took this photo in Winter 2016 down at Shuttle Row, Blantyre Village Works.

During the 2 year renovation of Shuttle Row, I hope to bring you little updates on how the renovation is progressing and noting anything interesting during the renovation. For instance, intrigued by this little panel of render stripped from the facade of the building, I found out that its a little investigation panel (1 of 2) before the work progresses.

When the renovation starts in earnest, Shuttle Row will be stripped back to the brickwork and may look very different to not just how we know it today, but also very different to any previous photo of the building. Of course this will only be temporary, and in patches until the new render is replaced. Even in Livingstone’s day, there was an old type of render on the building to protect the brickwork and it was whitewashed to match the rest of the mill buildings.

I couldn’t help but wonder who made these bricks? Were they local?

The Grade A listed building, like the bricks shown here, dates back to the 1780s and is due a huge upgrade with planning permission already granted for large extensions to the rear.