In the summer of 1891, Lanarkshire experienced a warm season, leading to water scarcity. By May 1892, residents in Blantyre feared drought until rainfall alleviated the crisis. Colonel John Clark Forrest opened his well at the Toll, now Stonefield Public Park, to address the urgent water needs.
The Hamilton Advertiser ran a story in September 1893 about the dangerous supply of Water in Auchentibber. The story puts things in context nicely about how we take such things as a pure water supply for granted these days in Scotland. In mid August 1893, two samples of water had been taken by the authorities […]
On 9th October 1893, a report appeared in local newspapers which highlighted the unsanitary conditions in Auchentibber, and illness which had broken out in relation to polluted water supplies. It’s incredible to think that just over 130 years ago, people were living in those conditions in High Blantyre. I’ve transcribed the newspaper report here: “Owing […]