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Glasgow Road Looking West from Church Street - 1937

Glasgow Road in 1937 with a hugely increased traffic flow - although no evidence of any traffic lights.

The girl standing fairly close to the telephone box at the corner of Church Street is looking across the road at a van just outside the Marshall's shoe shop on the other corner from the Castle Bar. Behind her to her right would be Stonefield Church (which burned down In the 1970's) to her left would be the block which contained the Masonic hall, Craig the butcher's and on to the Priory Bar.

On the Corner of Logan Street you can just see the Ironmongers store entrance.

There were a few shops along the Glasgow Road a grocers, a tobacconist, and one other little shop, which I cannot place. Again this was a 2 storey tenement type building with entrances through a pen close and the homes were upstairs above the shops.

The next store of any significance was the Labour Party store this was situated in a 3 storey block directly attached to the 2 storey. You can see the additional storey on the right, coloured pink..

This 3 storey block of stores and houses was called the McAlpine Building, the building ended at the corner of Alpine Street.

The McAlpine building was well known to everyone in Blantyre and more so to our family, this was where my Mum was born and she lived here with her seven sisters and two brothers.

One of the stores in this block was a fish and chip shop by the name of Allan's. Everyone in Blantyre knew of this shop, as it sold the best in Blantyre and it was always used as a reference point in Blantyre, as in. "Yea that's three streets past Allan's or its across the across the road from Allan's"

The next store was a Grocers by the name of Norris and next to them was another grocers by the name of Hughe's. I delivered the groceries for Norris for about two years.

Hi Bill,

Asda is one street beyond that, at Logan Street.
 
At the right hand-side going up Church Street sat the telephone box and the tenement on Glasgow road housed the Masonic Lodge on the second floor, and from my memories of the ground floor shops (the 70's) there was a sewing shop, butcher and a Timpson's shoe shop, I also believe there was a pub which sat on the corner of Glasgow Road and Logan Street - this housed a particularly vicious alsatian who used to slide down the back of a roof to go out to play with my Dad. 'The Dug Whisperer' or what!!!
 
These grounds have been going to waste for some years, the last cottage to be demolished there was latterly used by Blantyre Volunteer Group.  The existing cottages on each side of Church Street start beyond the church grounds, where my Papa and Nana lived for over 60 years, the cottage now belonging to my Dad. 
 
Behind this building was quite a large house, known to me as "The Braidwoods" - I believe the sisters who lived there were spinsters.  Up until the 70's there were garages and a wall surrounding the 'braidwood' house'.
 
Opposite the bottom of Church Street was Batters' Ironmongers, which was owned by my Great Aunt and her husband Walter Batters.  My Dad, Kenny Crombie, remembers at around the age of 8 being allowed to cut his first key! I think perhaps getting to use his hands so early on planted the seed for him serving his apprenticeship with Harper's garage and then to Robertson's of Springwell.  My sister and I were never allowed the 'ginger' or Kwenchy cups to make into 'jubilees' for fear our teeth would rot!
 
Also, my Great Uncle Jack Brown was the manager at the 'Dookit' and Great Aunt Daisy held dancing lessons.  Their daughter Joyce followed Daisy's footsteps too.
 
Many thanks for allowing me to ramble on,
 
Carol Crombie (39)

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