On Wednesday 11th December 1895, residents in Blantyre were alarmed to see a shocking fire.
Between 8pm and 9pm that cold winter’s night just over 128 years ago, the bread van of the Blantyre Co-operative Society was discovered to be in flames. By the time the fire was extinguished, damage amounting to around £15 (about £3,000 in today’s money) had been done.
The cause of the fire was thought to be the forgetfulness of the van man who when putting the van away for the night, was thought to have forgotten to extinguish a candle inside.
These were days before mechanisation, so when we talk about “vans”, we’re referring to horse drawn vehicles. We have an actual photo of a Blantyre Co-Operative Society van and one of their van men, pictured here outside the Mill house not far from Shuttle Row. It gives an idea of the type and size of the vehicle for this story.
