A brand new public slaughterhouse was opened in Blantyre on Monday 16th September 1907.
Commissioned by the Middle Ward of Lanark County Council the premises which were situated at the bottom of John Street was located on the right hand side just before you went under the railway bridge.
The location of the public slaughterhouse would in itself prompt the creation of a couple of nearby piggeries in later decades. The slaughterhouse was built of brick, and faced with red stone. It consisted of three double ‘killing booths’ for pigs and sheep, a tripery, hide and skin room, a condemned meat room and office.
There were also pens for sheep and pigs as well as fenced areas which could accommodate 36 waiting cattle.
The whole premises was heated by steam, which also was used to operate some of the mechanical machinery. This was a large site accommodating almost 2 acres and of course was at a time when there was no public park opposite. Indeed only fields of Stonefield Farm, so the location was remote, away from houses where the public didn’t have to suffer smell or noise.
The whole premises was constructed with the most up to date ideas of the time and served a most useful purpose for a growing Blantyre population. At a time when laws around the preparation and storage of food were starting to be thought about carefully, the Local Authority had good control over the supervision of public meat supply.
Upon opening and after inspecting the premises, the Chairman of the Management Committee Mr John C Burns of Larkhall expressed his thanks for the efficient construction of the building and ran through some of the benefits that people would enjoy from such a public building now being in use. Mr John Jackson of Bardykes formally opened the building which was then put into immediate use.
The Architect was Mr Gavin Paterson of Hamilton. This public building which still existed in the 1930’s, should not be confused with several other privately owned Slaughterhouses in Blantyre including those owned by Craigs, Grays and Aitkenhead families.
The modern location of the former slaughterhouse is shown.
