At High Blantyre Cross behind a large stone wall, is the old Blantyre Kirkyard, once the location of a church. At a time before the building of the present church, a previous church once stood in the middle of this kirkyard.

This incredible photo shows the demolition of that former small church in the kirkyard in 1863, along with a photo of how it looked prior to destruction and a layout of its interior.

Writing in the Fifeshire Advertiser in 1913, a Blantyre man writing under the amusing name of “Tam Turnip” was remembering that time 60 years earlier. He wrote, “Well, Mr Editor, this Livingstone centenary brings to my memory the scenes and people at “Blanter” 60 years ago, and by the kindness of Messrs R. & R. Clark, Ltd., printers, Edinburgh, I am able to give the above excellent representation of Kirkton at Blanter where he (David Livingstone) played with the school children, and the old Parish Church in which I worshipped as a boy, attended Sunday School, sang in the choir, learned Sol-fa, which was just coming into vogue at that time. “

Looking at all this, I can almost hear that church bell ringing out in early Victorian times.