I’ve been corresponding back and forth lately with Blantyre Project reader Ian Stewart. We got talking about new houses built in Blantyre during the 1950’s and how for many people, it meant a move to a lovely family home, away from damp, crowded and small miner’s houses. New estates at Wheatlands and Coastshill coincided with new primary schools being built and Blantyre was definitely “on the up”.
We got talking also about how recording stories, anecdotes and social history is really important. Being able to share memories with others. This being a primary goal of Blantyre Project, I’m always keen to put this sort of thing down in writing. Speaking of having his very first family garden, and remembering back to the 1950’s, Ian told me:
“My dad had a friend who was a Bookmaker (gambling bookie). He also ran greyhounds in the fields at the back of Coatshill Scheme, Blantyre.
The bookie took up the rough turf and levelled the ground on one of these fields. The Bookies ‘strip’ was around 100 yards long and about 9 feet wide, from memory. The bookie laid specially grown turf, which was grass that never really grew more than 1 inch long. Obviously, so he could train his greyhounds regularly on a decent surface.
One day, dad asked the bookie if he could have (free of charge) approximately 9’ x 12’ of the special grass that never grew more than 1 inch, so that he could lay it on his new front garden in Devondale Avenue. My Dad said that if he did this, he would never have to mow the front lawn (posh). I suspect it was more to do with not bring able to afford a lawnmower. Anyway, when it had been laid my dad and my family were really proud of this special 1 inch grass lawn.
Unfortunately, it had only been laid a day or two when we woke up one morning, only to find that some sod (pun intended) had lifted the grass and stolen our beautiful front garden lawn in the middle of the night! I have an emotional attachment to Tom Jones’s Green Green Grass of Home. We were devastated!”
Have YOU got an old Blantyre story you remember from youth, or something you would like to share here. Please do get in touch. Don’t worry if you don’t have a photo, I’ll create a suitable image.
Illustration: AI exclusively imagines this scene
On Social Media, the following comments were received on Facebook about this article:
Bill Slicer I would love some grass that only grows to an inch. Mine grows an inch a week in the Australian summer.
Christine Forrest Bill Slicer ha ha don’t blame you we just arrived in Melbourne on holiday and it’s going to be 40 today it’s never ever been that in Blantyre. I remember in the 60s at David L,ivingstone school all the families immigrating and no wonder it’s so beautiful here.
Bill Slicer Christine Forrest have a great holiday. I bet you will. By the way my middle name is Forrest, named after my grandmother’s name before marriage. Her name was Jessie and lived in Rutherglen. Have a wonderful time in Oz.
Christine Forrest Bill Slicer so we may be related my father was brought up in halfway cambuslang I met his fathers cousin many years ago her married name was O’Neil her own being Forrest she talked about other members of the family settling in north victoria,,! small world. we are off cruising around New Zealand next week.
Bill Slicer Christine Forrest bon voyage.
Margaret Sanderson I remember the greyhounds racing on that strip in the 1960s. I was fascinated by them
Agnes Green I have some slides of Blantyre in the 70 would you like them
Margaret Stewart I remember moving into the new house in Devondale avenue . I think I was about 3 yrs old . I couldn’t believe how bright it was with all the new floorboards and I wondered who lived upstairs as coming from the run down tenements in auchinrath rd we had neighbours who lived upstairs . Being so young I didn’t realise you could have an up and down stairs house instead of a single end where we’d come from
James Barrie Who was the bookie .my grandfather and uncle had greyhounds at blantyre dogs and I used to walk them and bet them when they were trying
Alice Smith Remember moving in to our new home in coatshill from the miners cottage we had electricity and inside toilet what a luxury as my dad was a miner we all was had a big roaring fire then the luxury of getting a tv
Carol King Aye houses with front and back door – electricity / indoor bathrooms and hit and cold running water -all that and gardens – wonderful -Oh that me giggle – your poor dad doing all that work! Mum chuffed to bits!!Wonder where it went! Maybe sold on elsewhere as I’m sure all gardens were checked!!
Christine Forrest There were a few people who had greyhounds our neighbours son John Reynolds from morven avenue used to have a couple of greyhounds that he ran down at that piece of land.
Iain Sanderson I never realised it had been purposely set up for this