Craig Street Origins

1979 Craig Street following demolition of houses for ASDA

   Craig Street leading between Glasgow Road and Auchinraith Road, started off simply as a field boundary. At some point during the 1870’s, a track was formed along the edge of this field and upon expanding nearby population, became a small road, initially called, “The Slag Road.”

   Perhaps due to the proximity to the Auchinraith Pit, the name may have been given from the pit ash used to form the rough road surface, an effort made to prevent the track being muddy. It was a quick route to get from Stonefield up to Auchinraith, most notably for miners who chose to settle on Glasgow Road.

   By 1898, nothing at all existed either side of the Slag Road, not even at the corners of a busy Glasgow Road, with exception of the Congregational Church midway up the Slag road, where it is today. At that time, the church sat isolated beside this track completely surrounded by empty fields. At the top of the Slag Road, at the junction with Auchinraith, near to Auchinraith Pit Rows, the road ran under the raised railway track.

   The most radical change this road ever saw was in the short period from 1898 to 1910 which saw quality, well built homes built on either side from Glasgow Road up to the church, then up the eastern side towards the brand new Auchinraith School. These houses would have had a lovely, rural view across open fields before any of the Crescents were built. Such construction deserved the renaming of the road, for who would want to live on a road named after ‘dirty, auld shale deposits’? The name ‘Craig Street’ was chosen after prominent former land owner, Mr. James Craig of Birdsfield, sponsor of the church, owner of the farm fields and constructor of some of the homes.

   With other property owners including the Smellie family, Craig Street had arrived and would have been a desirable place to live in the 1910’s by comparison to some of the nearby more populated and older, miners homes.

   Pictured in 1979 is the bottom part of Craig Street showing how narrow it was and following the demolition of houses at either side to make room for ASDA carpark.

From the book, “Blantyre Glasgow Road South – The Real Story” by Paul Veverka (c) 2017

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

Matthew McGuigan “Craig Street had arrived and would have been a desirable place to live in the 1910’s” I lived at 52a Craig Street from 1954-1960 when our house was compulsorily purchased to make way for development and can assure you that we never thought of it as a desirable place to live! 😂We did have some wonderful neighbours though (the McQuades, Halliburtons,and Duffy’s to name but a few) and it was a happy place to be.

Ross Haliburton Matthew john haliburton is my dad and he now lives in hardie street. Where he moved to after he left craig street.

Blantyre Project In the 1910’s Matthew, by comparison to nearby rows at Craighead, Merrys and Dixons….it must have seemed palatial. There were some big houses in Craig Street, modern villas of the era with large rents. Conversely vandalism and plagued by rats in the 1970s prior to the demolition of the houses. I’d glad you describe it as a happy place to have lived. Thats the little comment i’ll use for the book!

Matthew McGuigan It certainly was a happy place with lovely people. Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough to live in one of the villas. We had an upstairs one bedroom flat (mum dad and three kids in one room!) with an outside downstairs toilet shared between four families. A bath every Friday night in a steel bath in front of the coal fire, girls first of course, we might have been poor but we had manners 😂

Matthew McGuigan Hi Ross, this is me and your dad with Ann Duffy sitting outside Mr. Gibson’s garage in 1960. Mr Gibson owned the grocery/sweet shop next door!

Matthew McGuigan How well I remember that house ‘Cuz 😀

Sheena Thomson Like wise Mat how are you doing x

Matthew McGuigan Sheena Thomson We are really happy and settled in Spain babe. Should have done it twenty years ago! Hope you Steve and family are good too.

Sheena Thomson We are all fine Mat except for Elsie not keeping very well at all,so happy for you and Myrah and your boys are they married yet probably will be time goes by so quick, enjoy your new home and have a lovely Christmas. If you hear from Jimmy and Elizabeth tell them we are all asking for them.xx