Blantyre Sports Centre (as it was originally known) pictured in 1983. Looking on to the newly constructed building from the small roundabout at the top of realigned John Street, the former post office would have been out the picture to the left, as well as a newly constructed Shopping Centre!
For many, it felt the future had arrived in Blantyre, such huge, sweeping changes. The sports centre was an important building for Lanarkshire. Aside from the county buildings, it was the most expensive public building the council had ever built to that date. Many councillors in Hamilton were outraged at it being built in Blantyre. When it first opened, as well as the first class sporting facilities so badly needed in this town, it also had a bar, lounge, cafe and some may remember the first proper arcade machines to arrive in Blantyre.
Now known as Blantyre Leisure Centre, the scene is still familiar, but now, like much of Glasgow Road the area is much more ‘green’, largely due to 4 decades of tree growth.
