Pictured here with the kind permission of Historic Scotland is Blantyre Lodge around 1900. This building once stood in what is now the sand play park at David Livingstone Centre. In 1901, William Jolly, a retired schools inspector age 62 and his wife Mary Anne also 62 lived in the house with their daughter Carolina. […]
Thank you to Wilma Bolton who gave me this nice poem. Written by William Park of Blantyre in 1915. James Brown was a former Pre WW1 headmaster of Auchinraith Primary School and Captain of 6th Scottish Rifles. (Cameronians based in Muir Hall, Hamilton). James, who was in F company, sadly received his fatal wound cheering […]
This poem about the Hermit of Calderwood Glen is dated 26th September 1722. The poem is accompanied by a sketch of the hermitage by Pastor Walter Wilson of High Blantyre Baptist Church during one of his walks to the area. Nothing but the foundation stone of the hermitage remains today. It is unknown where this […]
“When we were wee”, a poem by Jimmy Whelan 2012 Things we done when we were weeLike climbing up a Dandy treePlaying sodgers in the sandy pitsKiddin on you were shot tae bits Skinny dipping up the CautherGetting intae loads of botherStealing aipples fae Red DykePeddling fast oan yer bike Playing speedway oer the parkShouted […]
A poem by the late Blantyre historian, Jimmy Cornfield, all about the Old Original Bar and it’s characters. The poem is accompanied by a very suitable photo. Can you name the “mob”? The “Old Original Bar” Mob(Craig’s Tae You An Me) A bunch O the boys were whopping it up outside Craig’s Auld Original Baur,They […]
I need to be careful with this document as the paper is a wee bit crumbly. This is a poem written by my great, great grandmother Margaret Bowie Duncan just over 125 years ago in 1889. She had just moved from Wanlockhead leaving behind her friends, one of whom was Annie Wilson, whom this poem […]
Blantyre Project reader Moria Lees kindly showed me this wonderful poem about the 1930 Auchinraith Pit disaster. Written by Tom Penman of Airdrie, its shared here telling the story of yet another significant pit explosion in Blantyre, which happened on Saturday 30th August 1930. I have to admit though, Tom’s frustration and even anger comes […]