This previously unseen photo is amongst a collection of photos kindly given to me by Alex Bowie. Taken by a distant relative David Ritchie, it’s the first time this has appeared online and is believed to have been taken shortly after the Battle of Bothwell Bridge Memorial opened in 1903. Though just over the Parish […]
Tag: david ritchie
1900 Blantyre Works
A wee treat today. Seen here exclusively for the first time online, this is a photo of Blantyre Works. Taken around 1900, the clear picture was photographed by early photographer David Ritchie just a couple of years before the demolition of many of the mill buildings. The former Suspension Bridge (the Pey Brig) can clearly […]
Blantyre Silver Band at Douglas, 1905
What about this for a crystal clear, corker of a photo! From around 1905, this is Blantyre Silver Band. The photo is already over 115 years old and was taken by David Ritchie. Previously unseen online, I’ve been able to identify the location as being the former back stairway of Douglas Castle, near Douglas, Lanarkshire. […]
1900s Pensive Girl
This previously unseen photo is again from the collection of David Ritchie’s photographs of the turn of the 20th Century. The High Blantyre photographer captured a lot of buildings, scenes and people in these amazingly, clear and expressive photos. This girl is certainly looking “pensive”, perhaps through having to keep the same expression for so […]
Auchinraith Primary, 1910
When this previously unseen, amazing photograph was given to me, it instantly became one of my favourites of all photos in my collection! It’s just SO clear and detailed. Pictured around 1905 to 1910 is the former Auchinraith School. The girls entrance on the left, boys on the right can clearly be seen. The stonework […]
David Ritchie on Bicycle
Showing all these amazingly clear photos on Blantyre Project, it’s only right I tell you who took them! Early photographer David Ritchie lived in High Blantyre (at Broompark Avenue and later at Main Street). He was a joiner by trade born in 1864, passing away in 1938. Photography was his hobby and he took many […]
Tuberculosis in Blantyre, 1921
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. The classic symptoms of active TB are a chronic cough with blood-containing sputum, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. It was historically called “consumption” due to the weight loss. Tuberculosis […]







