Blantyre, South Lanarkshire
Encyclopedia
Blantyre is a civil parish
in South Lanarkshire
, Scotland
with a population of 17,505. The name is probably originally Cumbric blaen tir "top of the land" which has been Gaelicised. It is bounded by the River Clyde
to the north, the Rotten Calder
to the west, the Park Burn to the east and the Rotten Burn to the south. It is best known as the birthplace of David Livingstone
, the well-known explorer and missionary who was the first European to see (and name) the Victoria Falls
. His former house is now a museum
which is at the end of Station Road, on the banks of the River Clyde
. Also nearby is Bothwell Castle
, dating from the thirteenth century.
Blantyre has a number of small hamlets. High Blantyre is the area to the east and south of Burnbrae Road and continues to High Blantyre cross at the north. It is thought to be the area of earliest settlement, with a Bronze Age village near Auchintibber 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Blantyre Parish Church (High Blantyre). Also to the west is Greenhall Park, where the Calder flows to eventually join the Clyde near Flemington
.
Blantyre is loosely divided in half by Main Street, High Blantyre. At the west-end is Priory Bridge - named after the former Priory to the north which was home to monks from around 1235. There is also Coatshill and the village, the oldest industrially developed part of Blantyre. Glasgow Road continues south via Springwell and eventually joins to Burnbank
. Next to the David Livingstone museum, at the end of Station Road, is an iron suspension footbridge
which crosses the River Clyde
giving pedestrian access to Bothwell
.
, where 207 miners (men and boys) were killed when a coal mine exploded due to methane
gas. There is little doubt that safety regulations were not adhered to. Christy Moore
and Luke Kelly
along with local Blantyre singer/songwriter Drew Semple recorded well-known versions of the traditional song about this disaster. A monument to the disaster of which the youngest victim was a boy of 11 is at High Blantyre cross. The site of the mine now lies under the East Kilbride
expressway.
Blantyre presently has a football club competing in Scottish Junior Football Association
competitions, Blantyre Victoria F.C.
. Known as the Vics, they won the Scottish Junior Cup
(the highest achievement in junior football) in 1950, 1970 and 1982; their home ground is called Castle Park. There is another football club in the town, Blantyre Celtic F.C.
. The original club went out of existence in the early 1990s however, in 2010, they reformed as an amateur team.
Speedway
The town of Blantyre has long had links with speedway racing. In the pioneer days a group of riders who appeared at White City in Glasgow were known as "The Blantyre Crowd". The operated their own track at Airbles Road in Motherwell in 1930 and this was known as Paragon Speedway. The greatest ever Scottish rider, Ken McKinlay came from Blantyre as did Tommy Miller who had a somewhat meteoric rise to stardom in 1950. Speedway was staged at the Greyhound Stadium as the home of the Glasgow Tigers in the late 1970s / early 1980s before the new road forced a move to Craighead Park which closed down at the end of the 1986 season.
Skateboarding
Recently, Blantyre Skate Park has received a lot of business as the youth company Radworx has been operating within it as well as some other skate parks. The skate park contains a 4 ft spine section as well as an 8 ft halfpipe, alongside a 6 ft counterpart. There is a 2 ft mini-bowl and a credible street section which contains two fun boxes as well as a 5-set.
; there is a museum, the David Livingstone Centre
, at the bottom of Station Road. This centre includes a museum, a playpark, a cafe, a shop, an African Garden and several workshop studios. An adventure assault course also existed here until a young man died in 1995.
The largest city and commercial centre of Malawi
, one of the countries which Livingstone explored, is still called Blantyre
, having been named for Livingstone's birthplace during the colonial era.
Civil parishes in Scotland
In Scotland, parishes, as units of local government, were abolished by the Local Government Act 1929. The geographical area is sometimes still referred to, however, for statistical purposes....
in South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
with a population of 17,505. The name is probably originally Cumbric blaen tir "top of the land" which has been Gaelicised. It is bounded by the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
to the north, the Rotten Calder
Rotten Calder
The Rotten Calder is a river to the east of East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.It begins as the Calder Water or 'Park Burn', formed from various burns around Auldhouse which drain from the Eldrig Hills. The burn increases in size around Langlands Moss and more properly becomes the Calder...
to the west, the Park Burn to the east and the Rotten Burn to the south. It is best known as the birthplace of David Livingstone
David Livingstone
David Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...
, the well-known explorer and missionary who was the first European to see (and name) the Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...
. His former house is now a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
which is at the end of Station Road, on the banks of the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
. Also nearby is Bothwell Castle
Bothwell Castle
Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located between Uddingston and Bothwell, about south-east of Glasgow. Construction of the castle was begun in the 13th century by the ancestors of Clan...
, dating from the thirteenth century.
Blantyre has a number of small hamlets. High Blantyre is the area to the east and south of Burnbrae Road and continues to High Blantyre cross at the north. It is thought to be the area of earliest settlement, with a Bronze Age village near Auchintibber 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Blantyre Parish Church (High Blantyre). Also to the west is Greenhall Park, where the Calder flows to eventually join the Clyde near Flemington
Flemington, South Lanarkshire
Flemington was a small mining community on the outskirts of Uddingston. It existed from the early 1900s until the late 1930s and was located next to the mainline railway line, just off the road that links Blantyre to Uddingston, near Bothwell Castle. Once the mining ceased the village, like many...
.
Blantyre is loosely divided in half by Main Street, High Blantyre. At the west-end is Priory Bridge - named after the former Priory to the north which was home to monks from around 1235. There is also Coatshill and the village, the oldest industrially developed part of Blantyre. Glasgow Road continues south via Springwell and eventually joins to Burnbank
Burnbank
-Location & governance:Burnbank, previously an independent settlement, then part of Hamilton Burgh and then Hamilton District is now a district of Hamilton within the South Lanarkshire Unitary Council...
. Next to the David Livingstone museum, at the end of Station Road, is an iron suspension footbridge
Footbridge
A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists, animal traffic and horse riders, rather than vehicular traffic. Footbridges complement the landscape and can be used decoratively to visually link two distinct areas or to signal a transaction...
which crosses the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
giving pedestrian access to Bothwell
Bothwell
Bothwell is a small town in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, nine miles east-south-east of Glasgow city centre....
.
Mine disaster
On 22 October 1877, Blantyre was the site of the Blantyre mining disasterBlantyre mining disaster
The Blantyre mining disaster, which happened on the morning of 22 October 1877, in Blantyre, Scotland, was and remains Scotland’s worst mining accident. Pits No. 2 and No. 3 of William Dixon's Blantyre Colliery were the site of an explosion which killed 207 miners, the youngest being a boy of 11...
, where 207 miners (men and boys) were killed when a coal mine exploded due to methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
gas. There is little doubt that safety regulations were not adhered to. Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
and Luke Kelly
Luke Kelly
Luke Kelly was an Irish singer and folk musician from Dublin, Ireland, notable as a founding member of the band The Dubliners.-Early life:...
along with local Blantyre singer/songwriter Drew Semple recorded well-known versions of the traditional song about this disaster. A monument to the disaster of which the youngest victim was a boy of 11 is at High Blantyre cross. The site of the mine now lies under the East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
expressway.
Nearby towns and cities
- HamiltonHamilton, South LanarkshireHamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
(borders the Burnbank, Hillhouse and Whitehill areas) - GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
(City Centre) 8 miles (12.9 km) - BothwellBothwellBothwell is a small town in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, nine miles east-south-east of Glasgow city centre....
2 miles (3.2 km) - CambuslangCambuslangCambuslang is a suburban town on the south-eastern outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland. It is within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. Historically, it was a large rural Parish incorporating nearby hamlets of Newton, Flemington, and Halfway. It is known as "the largest village in...
2.5 miles (4 km) - RutherglenRutherglenRutherglen is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. In 1975, it lost its own local council and administratively became a component of the City of Glasgow. In 1996 Rutherglen was reallocated to the South Lanarkshire council area.-History:...
5 miles (8 km) - East KilbrideEast KilbrideEast Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
4 miles (6.4 km) - MotherwellMotherwellMotherwell is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, south east of Glasgow. The name "Moderwelt" appears on a map of Lanarkshire made by Timothy Pont some time between 1583 and 1611 and printed in the Netherlands in around 1652, although the settlement was probably little more...
5 miles (8 km)
Sport
FootballBlantyre presently has a football club competing in Scottish Junior Football Association
Scottish Junior Football Association
The Scottish Junior Football Association is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the Junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "Junior" refers to the level of football played...
competitions, Blantyre Victoria F.C.
Blantyre Victoria F.C.
Blantyre Victoria Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Blantyre, South Lanarkshire. Nicknamed the Vics, they were formed in 1890 and play at Castle Park where their record attendance is 6,000...
. Known as the Vics, they won the Scottish Junior Cup
Scottish Junior Cup
The Scottish Junior Cup, known as The Emirates Junior Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association for all its member clubs. The competition has been held every year since the inception of the SJFA in 1886 and as of the...
(the highest achievement in junior football) in 1950, 1970 and 1982; their home ground is called Castle Park. There is another football club in the town, Blantyre Celtic F.C.
Blantyre Celtic F.C.
Blantyre Celtic F.C. were a Scottish football club that played under the auspices of the Scottish Junior Football Association. Formed in 1914 as Blantyre United, they changed their name to Blantyre Celtic two years later. Their home ground was near Springwell in Blantyre and they had as local...
. The original club went out of existence in the early 1990s however, in 2010, they reformed as an amateur team.
Speedway
The town of Blantyre has long had links with speedway racing. In the pioneer days a group of riders who appeared at White City in Glasgow were known as "The Blantyre Crowd". The operated their own track at Airbles Road in Motherwell in 1930 and this was known as Paragon Speedway. The greatest ever Scottish rider, Ken McKinlay came from Blantyre as did Tommy Miller who had a somewhat meteoric rise to stardom in 1950. Speedway was staged at the Greyhound Stadium as the home of the Glasgow Tigers in the late 1970s / early 1980s before the new road forced a move to Craighead Park which closed down at the end of the 1986 season.
Skateboarding
Recently, Blantyre Skate Park has received a lot of business as the youth company Radworx has been operating within it as well as some other skate parks. The skate park contains a 4 ft spine section as well as an 8 ft halfpipe, alongside a 6 ft counterpart. There is a 2 ft mini-bowl and a credible street section which contains two fun boxes as well as a 5-set.
Schools
- Primary Schools
- St. Blane's
- St. Joseph's
- High Blantyre PrimaryHigh Blantyre PrimaryHigh Blantyre Primary is a Scottish state sector school that provides education for children from four years until they are eleven years.Originally located near High Blantyre Cross, the building was a solid, imposing sandstone building featuring eight classrooms, located centrally around a...
- David Livingstone PrimaryDavid Livingstone PrimaryDavid Livingstone Primary is a state sector school in Thornton Heath, Croydon.David Livingstone Memorial School is in Blantyre, Scotland.It has about 300 pupils from the surrounding area....
- Auchinraith Primary
- High School
- Calderside AcademyCalderside AcademyCalderside Academy is a school that is situated in Blantyre, Scotland. In 2008 Calderside Academy was opened by MSP Fiona Hyslop.The school is currently being run by a Mr J Dodds, after the sad departure of the ex Acting Headteacher Freda Hutchison, as she had retired at such an old age.In the...
- Calderside Academy
Institutions
Blantyre contains many amenities, including:- Blantyre Leisure Centre - sports centre with swimming pool
- Blantyre AsdaAsdaAsda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
- Stonefield Park - with a purpose-built skate-park
- Victoria Nursing Home (for the elderly)
- David Livingstone CentreDavid Livingstone CentreThe David Livingstone Centre is a museum in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, dedicated to the life and work of the Scottish explorer and missionary David Livingstone. The centre is operated by the National Trust for Scotland and is housed in a category A listed building...
- museum built in the birthplace and former home of David LivingstoneDavid LivingstoneDavid Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr... - Five churches
- St. Joseph's (R.C.)
- David Livingstone Memorial Church (C.o.S.Church of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
) - St. Andrew's (C.o.S.Church of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
) - Saint John OgilvieSaint John OgilvieSaint John Ogilvie was a Scottish Roman Catholic Jesuit martyr.-Biography:Ogilvie, the son of a wealthy laird, was born into a respected Calvinist family at Drum-na-Keith near Keith in Banffshire, Scotland and was educated in mainland Europe where he attended a number of Roman Catholic educational...
(R.C.) - Blantyre Old Parish Church (C.o.S.Church of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
)
- David DaleDavid DaleDavid Dale was a Scottish merchant and businessman, known for establishing the influential weaving community of New Lanark, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is credited along with his son in law Robert Owen of being a founder of utopian socialism and a founding father of socialism-Early...
House - South Lanarkshire Council facility named after another famous Lanarkshire dweller, famous for his connection with New LanarkNew LanarkNew Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles from Lanark, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was founded in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housing for the mill workers. Dale built the mills there to take advantage of the water power provided by the river... - Blantyre Credit UnionCredit unionA credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members...
- Terminal One - Fully equipped Youth Centre with state of the Art Multimedia equipment, Recording Studio and Rehearsal Room, Community Internet Cafe, Mobile youth facilities including 3 x DIGIBUS's and mobile climbing wall and lots more.
- Priory Parks
Youth
In August 1983, a democratic non party political pressure group was formed in Blantyre called Blantyre Youth Council, which aimed to represent young people's views in the town and actively engage young people in campaigning for better facilities. The Youth Council contributed over the next few years to developing youth invovement in the local Volunteer Centre and Community Council. BYC set up a Youth Enquiry Service for young people and a Claimant's Union which advised young people and adults. The Youth Council conducted a series of public meetings for youth throughout the town and conducted a survey amongst the town's youth which demonstrated a need for more and cheaper facilities for young people. The full-time Youth Enquiry Service Base was in The Elizabeth Scott Centre (now Terminal One). In 1984, as part of their "Working with young People" policy, Strathclyde Regional Council created Blantyre Youth Development team against initial opposition from Blantyre Youth Council who saw no need for an Officer/Adult led organisation in a town with an active and successful Youth Council. Blantyre Youth Council eventually agreed to disband however and support the Youth Development Team on the principle that it was to be youth led. At an early meeting, the Youth Development Team unanimously agreed to support a motion calling for the organisation to concentrate its energies on creating a Youth Centre in the town. The YDT gained charity status in 1997 and created the Terminal One youth centre. provides services to the young people of Blantyre and North Hamilton including music tuition, multimedia artistic tuition, recording studios, youth clubs, excursions, and self-development programmes. It is funded by South Lanarkshire Council, the Scottish Arts Council and the Blantyre/North Hamilton SIP.David Livingstone
Blantyre's most famous son is the 19th century missionary and explorer David LivingstoneDavid Livingstone
David Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...
; there is a museum, the David Livingstone Centre
David Livingstone Centre
The David Livingstone Centre is a museum in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, dedicated to the life and work of the Scottish explorer and missionary David Livingstone. The centre is operated by the National Trust for Scotland and is housed in a category A listed building...
, at the bottom of Station Road. This centre includes a museum, a playpark, a cafe, a shop, an African Garden and several workshop studios. An adventure assault course also existed here until a young man died in 1995.
The largest city and commercial centre of Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, one of the countries which Livingstone explored, is still called Blantyre
Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
, having been named for Livingstone's birthplace during the colonial era.
Other famous people
Other famous people from Blantyre include:- Philip MurrayPhilip MurrayPhilip Murray was a Scottish born steelworker and an American labor leader. He was the first president of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee , the first president of the United Steelworkers of America , and the longest-serving president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations .-Early...
, American Trade Union Leader, "One of the most important American labor leaders of the 20th century" - Ryan FletcherRyan FletcherRyan Fletcher, 27, is a Scottish actor.Fletcher grew up in Blantyre. He was in the hit theatre show "Black Watch" for the "National Theatre of Scotland" and has appeared in 'River City', 'Taggart' and more recently 'Limmy's Show'. He has worked nationally and internationally in Film T.V and...
, actor, musician. - Stuart ChristieStuart ChristieStuart Christie is a Scottish anarchist writer and publisher. Christie is best known for being arrested as an 18-year old while carrying explosives to assassinate the Spanish dictator General Franco. He was later alleged to be a member of the Angry Brigade, but was acquitted of related charges...
, an anarchist, who at the age of 18 was to stand trial in Spain for plotting to blow up General FrancoFrancisco FrancoFrancisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
. - Martin BullochMartin BullochMartin Bulloch is a Scottish musician, best known for being a member of Mogwai.-Early life:Bulloch was born in Bellshill, South Lanarkshire. He was once a cook at a Chinese Restaurant in Glasgow.-Mogwai:...
, drummer of the Scottish group MogwaiMogwaiThe word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
. - Tommy MillerTommy MillerThomas William "Tommy" Miller is an English footballer who currently plays for Huddersfield Town. Although born in England, he is eligible to represent Scotland in international football.-Hartlepool United:...
, speedway rider - Scottish Champion. - Ken McKinlayKen McKinlayJohn Robert Vickers McKinlay was an international speedway rider, captaining Scotland, England, Great Britain and Europe teams. He also finished on the rostrum of the British Speedway Championship finals twice, second in 1964 and third in 1965...
, speedway rider - multi world finalist.