When the High Blantyre Parish Church Halls opened in the 1890’s, there was a reading library inside. Accessible to the community, not everybody was happy with the new charges and arrangements. The problem was as well as the library, fees were being charged to enter the reading rooms. One person wrote into the newspaper in March 1893, as follows:
“Sir, I would suggest to the committee of these halls the advisability of making some alteration in the scale of charges. I do not write in any carking spirit, my simple aim being the greatest good to the greatest number. With this aim in view, I would therefore suggest the entry money be done away with entirely ; that we be allowed to be members of the library only, fee 1s per quarter, that we be allowed to be members of the reading room with freedom of the various games, fee is per quarter, fee for the full privileges of the halls is 7s 6d.”
“My reasons in the first place is that a great many (ladies especially) might join the library who would have no interest in the reading smoking rooms or games rooms. A great many others (youths especially) might be included to join the reading and games rooms, whereas to them the library may be of no interest. Now in my opinion, the present combined charge is prohibited to these types of members and a separation of the fees should be considered.”
Of course in future years Blantyre got a public library, with free access to books. I’ve always wondered what happened to the books in the Old Parish Hall reading library. Maybe some of them ended up in the Calder Street library in later decades?
The church halls are pictured in 1989 shortly before demolition.
