Incredibly, this photo was taken at Bothwell Bridge by early photographer John McGhie, in 1877.

At a time when photography was still emerging as a new technology, the amazing detail available in this image is breathtaking. A real snapshot in time. The Blantyre riverbank of the Clyde is in the foreground where the figures are. The detail allows good zooming in, which I’ve done on the houses and figures. You can see a boy sitting under the tree, right down to the detail on the soles of his worn shoes. Or the graffiti on the tree, craved in a heartshape with initials D.C. It’s thought the photographer himself may be in this photo, standing still as the exposure progressed.

Now we know this was 1877, so putting some context around that, it was 147 years ago, making this one of the earliest photos on this website. Indeed, with the river being so low and leaves still on the trees, there’s a likelihood this was a summer photo. If that was the case, this was taken just a few weeks BEFORE the Blantyre Pit Disaster of October 1877. What I’d give to be able to walk around Blantyre and observe Victorian life for one day in that era!