When Monteith created his Village at Low Blantyre at Blantyre Works, it had the mills, houses, shops, education and religious outlets. As the workers grew old, or ill and died, it became necessary to have a graveyard and so a small plot of land with four sides was chosen on the Clyde Braes, near […]
It’s about time I told a few ghost stories on this page. I have several, but an apt and fitting one for today (Halloween) is as follows: Just a couple of weeks ago in mid October 2015, I received an email message from Liz McCorkindale in Blantyre who told me, “Paul, I have rushed to […]
Old Parish History: There’s been 3 parish churches in High Blantyre over the years. We all know the more “modern” Old Parish Kirk currently there since 1863, but here’s a picture of the 2nd one (which lasted from 1793 – 1863). The 1st church, a predecessor to the one pictured in Kirkton Graveyard was certainly there […]
With the exception of the David Livingstone Centre, its been a few decades since a decent series of postcards was produced for Blantyre. In the past postcards were popular, not only in preserving a family photo, but also to show off our town, which has proven in valuable in recent years as a record to look […]
Well, well. It would seem my wife isn’t the only photographer in this family! What a surprise i got when i opened this week’s Hamilton Advertiser newspaper to see my own photograph of Kirkton Cemetery and the Cornerstone winning, Readers Photo of the Week! A first for me. A full colour half page spread no […]
There is a reference in the 1885 Annals of Blantyre book to “an old graveyard in Blantyre, covered in daisies and buttercups that had not been disturbed for hundreds of years.” This has always puzzled me, as dead people were being interred in the old Kirkton graveyard not just at the time this book was […]
Until recently, I’d only ever seen a low resolution version of this photo of High Blantyre top cross at Kirkton. Now scanned in high resolution, some details I’d previously missed, are now apparent. (click on photo to zoom in) Pictured in 1915 and looking Eastwards along Main Street, there are some small details like the […]