2018 – What’s coming next!

You guys are in for a REAL TREAT in the coming weeks!

Now the Oscars and Blantyre Gala are out the way, my attention turns primarily again each evening to Blantyre Project, and working away from home is certainly offering plenty of time each evening to focus on that! Here’s just some of the exciting things you can look forward to here between now and Christmas!

Important Collections for Blantyre
1. I’ve been given the personal collection of the Cochrane family of Calderglen’s possessions. Their diaries, photos, the only photos of their former chapel, the actual key to the chapel and all their photo albums, as well as many personal possessions like the photo frames and things that adorned Calderglen House during the 19th Century! I plan on cataloging and showing you each and everything in this collection, which i am most proud and pleased to now own outright.

2. I’ve been given 344 amazing old previously unseen photos of Blantyre and Lanarkshire, courtesy of a distant family member who is emigrating. Taken by David Ritchie between the 1890s and 1920s, these photos have incredible clarity that would rival modern photos. Simply stunning high resolution that zooming in will create many more hundreds of individual photos of interest. They’re simply stunning, and I’ll be showing you all the Ritchie-Veverka Collection here on this website throughout this year (and likely into next as there are SO many!)

Glasgow Road North
3. I’ve started the concluding book about the other side of Glasgow Road. An incredibly complex side of the road, the new sequel book seeks out to tell the complete story of every building, every shop on the north side (sports centre side) and explores in real, extensive detail for the first time, the complete story about the 1970’s demolition of the tenements. I’ll be featuring much of this research here on the website and some great discoveries clearly will overturn a lot of whats been written and assumed about these buildings. There are hundreds of illustrations and previously unseen photos planned.

100 Years of Film Blantyre
4. OK, a little secret. Since 2016, I’ve been working on and off on a new archive, creating a visual collection of films about Blantyre. From the 1920s – now, it spans and celebrates 100 years of film in this area, putting all the video and cine into one place for your enjoyment. This will be free and is due to be released to the public, following final permissions in August. Blantyre Project is overseeing the endeavour.

New Books
5. TWO new publications coming out this year. “Blantyre – Through the Flames” will be released in late summer charting all the fires in Blantyre history. The loss of buildings, the bravery, the tragedy and an insight into who lived in those homes.  Look out also for “Blantyre Project – A Journey in Time Part 4“,  a continuation of the popular series, which is also well progressed and due for release ahead of Christmas, affordably priced at a tenner.

Exploring Certain Decades
6. Following a poll to this page back in Spring, posts will be exploring different decades, mainly the 1920’s, 1960’s and 1970’s, along with many excellent previously unseen photos to illustrate.

And finally……the archive!
7. Absolutely everything i’ve ever written, collected or learned about Blantyre since 1985, has been put into a definitive written collection. “Blantyre Explained” is a definitive VOLUME of  Encyclopaedias, setting out in A-Z format absolutely everything about Blantyre. I mean everything! It’s a massive undertaking, relentlessly added to in fact every single day without fail. Remember that massive book “Glasgow Road South?” i recently published, well, “Blantyre Explained” is ALREADY SEVEN times the size of that, spilling over into different volumes, each with small print in over 800 pages in large A4 format. It will be my lasting reference legacy, a collection of history on a scale never been seen before, not just in Blantyre, but I hope in all of Lanarkshire! It will be published in 2018, and due to its size, will be revised each year for as long as i keep writing about Blantyre (I plan on doing that for several more decades by the way!!!)

8. Blantyre Project Website has been renewed until 2028! Yes, you read that right! A massive upgrade to the site, hugely improving the interactive features on the site is planned for release in September/October. You won’t believe whats been created, including ways for you to submit YOUR history direct to the archive and connect with others in your own ancestry. Stay tuned!

9. It’s back on! This time a HUGE secret! During 2018, I’ve been meeting David Livingstone Centre Trust and pleased to confirm that Blantyre Project will be part of the exciting Birthplace Project, bringing several different exhibitions to the renovated David Livingstone Centre, set to reopen next year. Blantyre Project in its entirety is intended to be embedded there for future generations to enjoy, a permanent home and my legacy for Blantyre! Discussions about exhibitions and interactive ways to archive ALL of Blantyre Project are now, thankfully being discussed pro-actively with their dedicated team. I can’t even begin to describe what it means to know that all the social media, all the posts, all the photos will be preserved and that its all not been for nothing, even if the websites ever “go down” for any reason. Very exciting!!

So, there you go! I can’t wait to show you the above and with daily posts already scheduled beyond October this year, the pace for me here is thankfully more leisurely this year. No repetition or assumption on this site.

As you probably know, my drive and focus is absolutely 100% on adding BRAND NEW daily content and exclusive research, growing the site, growing the archives, absorbing ALL of your comments for future generations. I’m sure you’ll agree Blantyre Project has already grown to be the most important collection of Blantyre history in any one place, or at any time.

Something I’m very proud of, especially my own hard work and research and notes collected from as far back as 1985! I’m pleased also that it now absorbs and recognises everything relevant that previous notable Blantyre historians like Neil Gordon and Jimmy Cornfield explored too. With massive input also from Gordon Cook of Blantyre Heritage Group, Blantyre Project is fast becoming a one stop, definitive archive for this town. Thank you for all your support, nice reviews and most importantly, your valued input. I learn something new from you each day and I love that!!

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