This fantastic photo from a small publication in 1937 or 1938 shows of course Blantyre Priory with Bothwell Castle in the background. Unlike today , the Priory was not located within dense woodland, but was still partially out on the open, beside the fields which are now Priory Playing fields. The woodland however, has […]
Well, here’s a discovery that took me surprise and hope it does to you too! I was astonished to discover that Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Alfred visited Blantyre in 1864! I’ve never read or seen this discussed before. Prince Alfred, born in 1844, was the second son and 4th child to Queen Victoria and Prince […]
Anthony Smith was recently kind enough to share these wonderful childhood photos with me recently. Ever tried some parachuting at Coatshill or Priory? Anthony told me, “The parachute is actually a time xpired sport use reserve parachute that was given to me by the Scottish Parachute Club.The parachute is an Irvin I 24.Means made […]
Whilst researching 1978, I noticed a newspaper article that caught my eye. It told of a return to mining in 1978, some 20 years after Blantyre’s last pit had closed. However, this was not a return to those “bad old days” of hard labour at the pit face. This was to be a tourist […]
‘Tis true there was a Priory here, of that there is no doubt, the markings, Tommy Hawkins, was the man who carved them out. ‘Tis said that a tunnel was discovered in the year of 1945. a monk buried under every tree? Not proven yet not denied…… This Priory built by men of God is […]
In May 1930, while workmen were engaged cutting a new roadway through Priory Pit, Blantyre, a charge of gelignite, which had been left buried by mistake the previous night, exploded, causing the death of one man and serious injury to another. The man killed was William Stewart (57), who resided 51 Small Crescent, High […]
Blantyre Priory (or remains thereof) is of course a listed structure. So stones cannot be removed or altered, or moved around. When walking around the Priory itself, there is a lot of evidence over the site of worked stones, carved to form part of the former building. I’m no student of architecture, so I can […]