Lets go to Stonefield Park next. From 1980, a whopping big hole has been excavated in the public park. Why? Well, it was to become the new swimming pool of a brand new Sports Centre.
In this photo, taken from roughly where the festive gala site is now, you can see the concrete floor of the large sports centre hall and in the background the construction of the swimming pool walls. Existing houses in John Street at the back are recognisable and gives the photo a location reference.
At the time of this photo, the construction of the sports centre represented the most expensive building the council had ever embarked on, only with exception to their own HQ county buildings in Hamilton. This was considerable investment for Blantyre and nearly stopped several times by Hamilton Council who complained that Blantyre was getting too much money spent on it!
With thanks to George Hay for this brilliant photo.
