On Friday 20th November 1840, a meeting took place in Glasgow of several businessmen to discuss procuring a statue of the Duke of Wellington and erecting it in Royal Exchange Square. On the committee, and one of the major subscribers to the cost of the new statue, was Mr. Alexander Downie of Crossbasket. Today, in 2015, […]
On 3rd February 2015, Thomas Hamilton-Hailes contacted me saying, “I noticed over the few short months where I’ve followed; with great enjoyment, your digging and delving into Blantyre’s past with unbounded enthusiasm and it has become clear that, if nothing else, you enjoy a challenge so here’s one from me … We’re going back to […]
During January 1934, a neighbours dispute in High Blantyre escalated to ridiculous proportions. Mr Alexander Gillespie of 3 Welsh Drive, Blantyre ended up in court, accused of harassing his neighbour, also called Gillespie, using the most ingenious and incredible method. For whatever reason, the two men had grudges against the other. They decided to take […]