Let’s go back to before digital photos, back to 1985. These photos are now 35 years old and show the levelled bing at Blantyre Ferme.

The former coal bings levelled down and reseeded to create wide, expansive fields, intended to be used for recreation. Some of these fields were to become the Priory Playing fields and as you’ll see 35 years ago, there was a distinct lack of woodland, where now trees have sprung up in many places.

Alongside the road, some trees were planted which have now grown considerably. These unassuming photos would have been an interesting talking point back then, as Blantyre continued its drive to environmentally cover up the remnants of a redundant, coal industry. This was a big tidy up and far removed from the industrial sight that had existed there for almost 100 years before.

Today, nature has further reclaimed this area and thankfully, the whole area is still looking rather green.