This next little known story took place at the exact location pictured. Today, the road leading out of Blantyre towards Halfway, right at the exact turn off for Bardykes Chemicals. However, the story is not a modern one, but took place in Summer 1894, some 130 years ago. On Tuesday 28th August 1894, at this […]
Nothing short of starvation faced the miners and their families affected by the closing of Bardykes Colliery at Spittal in June 1905. The distressing state of affairs was the outcome of a dispute between Coalmasters Merry & Cuningham.. Ltd. (the Spittal colliery owners), and Mr. John Jackson, the proprietor of the land. The latter some […]
In the Glasgow Herald of 7th June, 1905, it was reported that a demonstration by miners was held at Castle Park. Blantyre. The story reported that on the previous night, a protest against the action of those responsible for the closing down of Bardykes Colliery had taken place. It was an event which had thrown […]
1929 would be a year miner William Kilpatrick of 293 Glasgow Road would have liked to have forgotten about. The miner, employed at Bardykes Colliery found another man’s payline, and as well as collecting his own wage, went back to the office at a later time when it was staffed by another person, and handed […]
Bardykes Colliery pictured here around 1940. Originally sunk on the site of an infectious disease hospital, it was nicknamed the ‘Spittal Colliery’. A dispute closed it in 1907 but the Summerlee Iron Company reopened it in 1908. The company owned by then owner of Crossbasket, George Neilson. On Saturday 21st March 1936 a terrible disaster […]
Thank you to Mary Crowe for emailing me this old payslip of our Uncle Edward McGuire, who used to work with the Summerlee Iron Company, a miner at Bardykes Colliery. From the 11th January 1930, the slip records the tonnage of coal extracted, and has a lot of welfare benefits such as doctors pay, infirmary […]
Bardykes Colliery, sunk on the site of an infectious disease hospital, was nicknamed the ‘Spittal Colliery’. A dispute closed it in 1907 but the Summerlee Iron Company reopened it in 1908. In 1949 shaft No.2 caved in but No.1 shaft worked coal until 1962. The remaining No.1 shaft (1,632 feet deep) and its steam engine […]