In September 1915, during WW1, Blantyre residents were urged to take care when driving on the road between the West End and The Priory Bridge.

A five week programme to upgrade the road, laying down tarmacadam was scheduled, a job which required some care given that the trams were to be kept running.

Part of the road was already cobbled for the trams, but the remainder, then just a compacted road having to be dusted down, was to receive a “modern” upgrade of tarmac.

Part of the road in question is pictured. This later photo was issued as a press release during the late 1920’s over a decade later, to show the danger of the bad bend at Spittal, prior to the road re-alignment work.

The road leaving Blantyre crossed over the Priory Bridge where the vehicle is, an area now situated in the middle of woodland. The road in the foreground eventually had the tram lanes lifted and was realigned straight out the picture to the right, avoiding this bad bend and eventually closing it off. The old Priory Bridge is now the bridge to nowhere.

The road at the background is now the entrance into Caldergrove, you can just about see the former lodge house in the back right.