We’re lucky to have a few good photos of the completed brick built Sports Centre and landscaped Public Park in the days before Google Earth and Satellite imagery. These photos from 1985 show the new building to good effect alongside Stonefield Public Park. It’s a good reminder to show how fast nature can take hold. Many of those newly planted trees back then are now fairly large making the park nowadays actually feel very green, especially near Glasgow Road.
The configuration of the hard landscaping beside the sports centre was changed in a later decade, so this is also a good reminder of what was there in the 80s. That small park, the low, stepped, brick walls used by so many schoolchildren to sit on at lunchtimes.
Believe it or not, some thought had gone into all this. From the same facing brick on the sports centre and Devlin Grove to match Asda, other buildings followed this new, modern look. Further buildings like St Andrew’s Church, the flats further down Glasgow Road, David Dale House and Victoria Care Home all tried within their architecture to ensure the large new buildings looked similar, at least in their type of construction, which was a stipulation of planning officers.
This was a new age of brick built buildings for Blantyre, rather than the crumbling and weathered stone of old.
Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said:
Bryan Deazeley I spent many a happy lunchtime at Blantyre High School sitting under the chute to get out of the rain. Normally tucking into a 21p Lightbody’s roll and chips with a few like minded souls. I remember the shock when they put them up in price to 24p.
Elizabeth Grieve It’s nice to have some greenery in the park. It’s a shame the council don’t take better care of them
Elizabeth Grieve Tom clarkin I believe you may have known my late dad Wullie Dobson
Louise Gibson Loved the wee park and walking the stepped walls