These great photos are from 22nd June 1977. I was just 6 years old around the corner in Stonefield Crescent when the former Colliery bing was flattened at Larkfield with work commencing on the current playing field.
It was by all accounts noisy work, but nearby residents in both Stonefield Road and SSHA were tolerant, knowing fine well there was a new playing field being built and a final goodbye to the unsightly coal bing. Some residents in Iona Path suddenly had a viewpoint over to Stonefield Road for the first time.
The Bing sides were carefully graded making them less steep, with the internal higher part of the Bing, flattened out level, which would later receive a rolled coating of red ash and pavements. In the immediate years after this was one, the bing was well used by bikes, dog walkers, kids playing golf. In more recent years it looks hugely underused, but utilised by annual, visiting fairgrounds.
Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said:
Joseph Allan SORRY I LIKET PLAYING UP THE BING I WAS 12
Brian Weaver I liked that bing too! It was easy to climb and had interesting views.
Nina Muir Great photos…pity the playing field is back to being waste ground again.
Lynn Delaney Dawn Stokes, Hazel Aitken, Clare Graham, brings back some memories eh
Cheryl Gardiner Fantastic memories of the bing, playing on the snail and seesaw plus sledging with a tray!!x
Connie Glass Cheryl Gardiner Do you remember me and my sister Adrienne Spencer? We lived at number 46 xx
Cheryl Gardiner Connie Glass of course I do, I used to play in your wee playhouse at the end of your garden with Adrienne. Hope you are both well?xx
Connie Glass Cheryl Gardiner happy memories! I loved that wee house 🤣 I hope you are all well too Xx
Robert McMillan It’s a shame it’s current state is pretty unplayable. The council should invest in a wee play park, or tarmac it- there are scores of kids playing down the Sha on Glenfruin road on bikes and scooters as there no where else to play around there.
Ruth Gee Robert McMillan see it every day. An accident waiting to happen
Robert McMillan Ruth Gee yep, my wee boy is one of them cutting about, I tell him to keep to the pavements but I don’t know what their up to. I think we should get a wee petition on the go to pave the bing for kids to play on
Connie Glass Paul, you’ve brought back some lovely memories with this post today. Thank you
Carole Mackie Rickard I have many many memories of the Bing. It’s a shame the play park has gone and the ash playing field is such a mess.
John Mcnulty Played up the bing when i was a kid loved it
Margaret Liddle I moved to SA in 1976 but I have lived on this estate since 1995 it does not look like this now, but kids in this area need somewhere to play so swing park would be great
Larkfield playing fields 1977
Has anyone noticed the strange figure standing on the bing in the last photo. Looks dressed from a different era.
Did notice that. Looks like a miner! Spooky!