In December 1905, reporters commented on the flurry of building and construction activity in Blantyre, especially by private home owners building their own homes to let out.

One area of huge development that month was at the newly named Craig Street, where it was said that month that houses on the eastern side of the street were emerging from the ground with great rapidity. It was said that almost one million bricks had been dumped at a field at the top of Craig Street, in readiness for building more homes. Amongst the mountainous pile, were pieces of worked stone, ultimately also destined for the new single storey houses.

Upon closer inspection, it was seen that many of the building materials appeared as though they had been salvaged from some other previous building and it was quite evident, the intention was to use them again.

There you go! The homes in Craig Street appear to have been partially constructed using materials that were far older and once part of previous 19th Century local buildings. If any houseowner in Craig Street is reading this and thinks part of their home is older than 1905, please do feel free to share some photos or comment.

Craig Street is pictured in modern times, with some of the houses from this article.