I love this photo. Some Blantyre children in 1921, peer in the window of William Francis Benham’s Shop at 11 Stonefield Road. This was near the bottom junction not far from Valerios Cafe de Royal. The date and location are confirmed accurate.

The window is a good source of finding out what Benham’s sold. The tobaccanist, hardware, confectionist and fruiterer was well known in Blantyre but would only live another 4 years after this photo was taken.

Zooming in , under jars of sweets on the top shelf, i see window displays of fruit. Grapes and Watermelons were a surprise to see, but more commonly apples in the window, not so much. Tins of tomatoes on the front shelf, this is a window display that would need to be changed often.

The 4 children are unknown.

Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said,:

Blantyre Project Today, those children would be standing on that utility manhole cover on the pavement on Stonefield Road, if you had to take the exact spot into the future! Putting it into context.

Blantyre Project We’ll be exploring William Francis Benham in detail (known as Frank) shortly on this page. During researching my book, I recently made a discovery that he owned the Old Original Bar and the Westend Bar for a short time, as well as his shop. Nobody appears to have ever written about that, so i look forward to telling this story.

Anne Mckillop Why do you say “only lived another 4yrs ” I was born in 1940 and before school age lived at 13 Stonefield Road ,yes it was a shop, Mrs Benhams was there then, later my sister worked there

Blantyre Project William Frank Benham died on 13th December 1925. He lived only 4 years beyond this photo. His family would continue to run this shop. His daughter Elizabeth Jackson Benham inherited £901. The shop was never owned by Benham though, just as Valerios Cafe was not owned by them at this time. All these shops in that block were rented. Hope that explains Anne.

Anne Mckillop Blantyre Project yes that does explain, I realised after I posted that it was Frank you were relating to. Thanks have a nice Christmas x

Betty Hepburn Frank Benham was my Great Grandmothers Brother,,, my sister put that photo on a Sister Site,,

Blantyre Project Good to see relatives of Frank on here. Hope you’re going to like some of the posts coming up. I noted that a few years back but it was grainy and low resolution and damaged, not at the detail and quality it has been posted at here. If you would like a high resolution copy, undamaged without watermark just let me know and I’ll message you it.

Betty Hepburn His daughter Lizzie took the shop over

Marian Maguire Aw looking in with anticipation, we souls don’t look very prosperous. My husbands family always called this shop benhams although I don’t know who owned it in the late 70’s? My mum was the youngest of 10 in rural Ireland and had never tasted tomatoes, when she got one for doing shopping she thought she was poisoned.

Blantyre Project so inquisitive at the photographer.

Jeanette Allardyce Ward Went here every Sunday for papers for my mum and dad x

Eddie Campaigne Russells who had the farm at the top[ of orchard drive ) had it in the 70’s

Blantyre Project Thanks Eddie, thats my understanding too and useful to have people confirm this. When i’m done with Glasgow Road, I think i’ll look at each building in Stonefield Road next. I’ve been meaning to do that for ages.

Eddie Campaigne cheers I wonder if anybody remember Tommy Lauchlin the cobbler who had the tiny wee shop next to Wullie Norris’s

Sheena Thomson Eddie Campaigne I worked in the cobblers for a wee while my Uncle Robert Gilmour was a cobbler and worked in the shop,because he was a bit deaf he asked me to help out with customers on Saturdays,don’t know where the owner was at this time, this was the mid sixties.
Jim McAllister I went into benhams on my way to and from school.. I can still smell it

1 Comment

Eric Flack

December 22, 2017 at 3:02 pm

Grapes may have been grown locally. Quite a lot of the Clyde valley tomatoe growers had vines. We had a vine at our Drumchapel nursery in the 1940s. We had a sick children’s hospital a few hundred yards along the road and we grew black grapes. A good side line along with flowers to sell on Saturdays and Sunday’s for hospital. visitors! Did you know the biggest vine in the world at one time was at Kippen! A long forgotten major tourist attraction

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