In respect of the men and boys who died in the Blantyre Pit Disaster of 22nd October 1877. Here’s a really detailed list produced, not only showing names and ages, but also attaching their addresses, martial status and date their death was actually confirmed (i.e brought up and registered) Some of these families like the […]
I wanted to correct some information I noticed elsewhere online. In relation to Calder Street School, google searches frustratingly keep mentioning “Opened on Monday 26th October 1875. Demolished 28th June 2013”. If you see this online anywhere from others, I have to say the dates are completely wrong. Here are the facts. Calder Street School actually opened […]
A Blantyre miner sleeping in his home after night shift work had a rude awakening on the morning of 26th December 1934 when he was almost buried under a fall of ceiling on his bed. For a few minutes he imagined he had been the victim of a roof fall in the pit. Practically the whole […]
Thanks to Neil Scott for sharing this school photo. The year is 1954 / 55 and the school is Calder Street Junior Secondary School, Calder Street, Blantyre. Incredibly, and unusually for school photos the names of the teacher and pupils are noted on it. Do you recognise anybody?
Alex Rochead has recently restored this old photo of Park Street (formerly thought incorrectly by J Cornfield as being Hall Street), Dixon’s Rows, Blantyre. The restoration sees the best quality yet of these Miners homes. When Alex emailed me it, I took some time to have a real good look at this photo. Dixons’s Rows were built in […]
A nice Summer photo of Blantyre Police Station facing on to Calder Street. Taken in 2005 by Robert Stewart, the long shadows from the trees cast on to the red sandstone on what is clearly a sunny day. The Police Station is one of the oldest remaining public buildings in Blantyre and despite recent rumours […]
The history of lending books in Blantyre can be traced back as far as 1897. By the 1890’s books could be bought at any of the nine local booksellers, stationers or newsagents, but it was a relatively new concept to be able to go into a public library and hire out a book. The Blantyre […]