It seems barbaric to us now, but it’s easy to forget that there were ponies being used in the mines and they too were victims of the Blantyre Pit Disaster. Such animals had underground stables, living life under the ground and would surely have been blinded by sunlight if they ever came up. Looking after […]
An extract from my book “History of Crossbasket Castle” With surplus space in the Castle, the “James Little Training College” was established and became an education centre for various trades and hobbies, operating alongside the day to day business of the Roosevelt Memorial Fund’s work with disadvantaged children. The idea was to attract local youth, […]
I’m always amazed at all the little snippets of social history about Blantyre that is offered to me freely. Facts, stories and memories. Seventy two year old, Thomas Hamilton -Hailes contacted me in January and said, “I spent my childhood summers playing down near the Clyde and Boat Jock’s orchards and learning to ride […]
Out this week is a fantastic new children’s book called, “Pits, Ponies, People and Stories.” Its a project that has taken over 2 years to develop involving many hundreds of children and volunteers. It is beautifully illustrated and written in a way children will understand. Bound with a quality hardback cover, it tells the mining […]
During the Summer of 1965 at Crossbasket Castle, the “James Little Training College” was established and became an education centre for various trades and hobbies, operating alongside the day to day business of the Roosevelt Memorial Fund’s work with disadvantaged children. James Little was a former owner of Crossbasket who left his fortune to a […]