Thanks are offered again to South Lanarkshire Council for cutting down the remaining tall conifers in High Blantyre Cemetery. The trees had in recent decades grown considerably and were obscuring the memorials and gravestones. They had partially been cut in October, so it was welcome news again when this week, the council cut down the remainder of them, clearing back the area.
The Dixon’s Memorial Obelisk now has a clear view over to the “common ground” where so many men and boys from the 1877 disaster, are buried together. We’ve included photos of what it looked like when the conifers surrounded it.
Pictured from the Blantyre Project website, is how the memorial looked 115 years ago, which we think was very similar to how it now appears. Focus is now on the Memorial itself, rather than the trees.
Photos Courtesy: A Arbuckle & A Rochead