Baird’s Rows or Raws were located in the Craighead area of Low Blantyre. The miners homes consisted of three equal length rows of single storey terraced properties. The miner’s homes were tied to the nearby Colliery at Craighead. The rows were names after the nearby Colliery and impressive Craighead house. In April 1878, just as […]
This aerial photo from 1955 looks down on Craighead Grey hound Racing track. Later to become Blantyre speedway, the greyhounds must have been a noisy distraction for the residents of nearby Craighead Rows. (pictured in the foreground) Blantyre man Gary Doonin once told me, “Gary Doonin told me, “My grandfather bought the area and a […]
Benny Lynch was a Scottish Fly weight professional boxer born in the Gorbals in 1913. He was considered by some to be one of the finest boxers below the lightweight division in his era and often been described as the greatest fighter that Scotland has ever produced. In 1935, at the age of 22, during an interview with newspapers, […]
Pictured here on 2nd June 1953 outside the first row at Bairds Rows, near Craighead, is Coronation day. Local families having a real good outside party, celebrating the royal occasion, with a bonfire in full force. All the children in the Rows were awarded a badge of some sort – like a wee rosette which was […]
On Monday 2nd September 1935, a 23 year old woman was crossing the Craighead viaduct, when she lost her footing and fell the full 100 feet down into the river Clyde below. Under the railway viaduct was a passageway for pedestrians. The body of a young woman was recovered on 2rd September 1935 from the River […]
Kenneth Pierce of Blantyre recently brought something to my attention. It would appear during the March 2015 rain and snow, the Central pier of Craighead Viaduct suffered a catastrophic collapse. This may come as a surprise to many people as it did to me. Roving photographer Jim Brown volunteered to go down to investigate and […]
The property called “Craighead Retreat” owned by the Jesuit Fathers was struck by fire at around 9pm on Sunday 18th February 2001. Craighead Retreat sat just off Whistleberry Road. In the days that followed, police immediately launched an enquiry into what had caused the fire, tipped by firemen that something was not quite right. By […]