Here’s a brilliant photo of the former Suspension ‘Pey’ Bridge once crossing the River Clyde at Blantyre. This rare photo, thought to have been taken in the 1920s or 1930’s shows good detail of all the railings and (locked) gates that protected walkways from the riverside. Despite that a few boys clearly on the path at the river. To the left, the mill buildings had been demolished at that location by that time, some ornate brickwork buttresses left perhaps to screen what was beyond, the remnants of a demolition scene.
This was taken on the Blantyre side and looks across to the Bothwell side of the River a primary crossing linking both villages. Even at this time, a toll was still upheld, the tollkeeper based in the tower booth. This bridge lasted just under 100 years and was replaced by a more modern one further downstream, that bridge ALSO replaced by the current existing bridge. So, this suspension bridge represents the first of the 3 bridges in this area.
With thanks to Gordon Cook for sharing this photo.
You described the “Pey Bridge much more fully in your post of Sept. 29th 2014, in which you mentioned that it was demolished in 1949.
I certainly remember crossing the bridge with my uncle Jim (your late mother’s grandfather John Duncan’s brother) during or just after the war years. I always knew it as the “Ha’penny Bridge’ but cannot be sure what we paid to cross.
As I recall also, I think you only paid in one direction but again I could be wrong.