On Thursday 14th November 1912, a fire took hold of a building at Thornhill Avenue (The Dandy), Blantyre.
The unfortunate house was Priory House and when fire was observed around two o’clock that afternoon. Priory House at that time belonged and was tenanted to Mr John P. M’Caffrie, a spirit merchant who owned a pub at Springwell. Reporters of the time wrote in the Bellshill Speaker Newspaper saying, “The house, notably a large one, is situated in Thornhill Avenue, and stands in its own grounds of about an acre and a half in extent. The fire, the cause of which is not known, originated in the kitchen basement. The Beilshill (County) Fire Brigade was soon on the spot, and the efforts of the firemen were successful in preventing the outbreak from spreading to the other parts of the house. The kitchen was practically gutted.”
A map of the era is attached, Priory House located next to Thornhill.
