In 1913, as the country celebrated 100 year centenary of Livingstone’s birth, a memorial tablet was also unveiled in St James Congregational Church, Hamilton, with which the Livingstone family was associated. David as a young man had become a member of that church. Mr. William Naismith of the Yews, who knew the Livingstone family, performed […]
I’ve got loads of amazing new photos exclusively coming soon to Blantyre Project. This is the Blantyre Mill building in 1903, which was located between the Cotton Mill and the Powerloom Factory. The building was demolished, at that time, with exception of the part you see on the right between the 2 large chimney’s […]
An impressive ceremonial in presence of a huge crowd gathered from all over Scotland, the Duchess of York on Saturday 5th October 1929, formally declared open, the National Memorial at Blantyre to David Livingstone, the great missionary, scientist, explorer, and pioneer of civilisation. (as pictured from the Hamilton Advertiser in October 1929) The road through the mining and steel […]
Livingstone historian, Mr. Donald Livingstone Clink, based over in Canada and I have been emailing a few times back and forth. In the past, I’ve been able to learn several things about David Livingstone from Donald, and in return, been able to send him some contemporary photos and news about the Centre. It was great […]
Another important relic or exhibit in the David Livingstone Centre is the coloured shawl in which great explorer is said to have been christened in. It had become the property of an Uddingston family, who had handed it down from generation to generation. The shawl, which (in 1930) was still in excellent condition, was […]
It’s incredible to think of the amount of footage, film, photos and stories that must be still out there in Blantyre. This newspaper article recently arrived for my attention, proving that a lost colour 1950’s film of Blantyre exists somewhere, in an unknown location. Perhaps up somebody’s loft? Or sitting at the back of cupboard? The […]
I have long since been interested in the little Blantyre Works Cemetery, so this extract from Hamilton Advertiser on 12th April 1930 proved very informative. The cemetery is no longer there but is now the site of a modern housing estate in the Village. “In the little village graveyard at Low Blantyre, now, unfortunately, desecrated and […]