About Blantyre Lanarkshire Scotland

David Livingstone Museum

BLANTYRE is a civil parish in the South Lanarkshire area of Scotland with a population of over 17000.  Even now the town is actually classified as a "village" and is more commonly known as the largest village in Scotland and the home of the famous victorian explorer David Livingstone.  His old home is now currently used as a museum at the bottom end of Station Road with parkland attached to it.  A few hundred yards from the centre lies the bridge that goes over the River Clyde which will take you into the nearby town of Bothwell.

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.

BLANTYRE MINING DISASTER

Memorial to Blantyre Mining Disaster

On 22nd October 1877, Blantyre was the site of the Blantyre Mining Disaster, where 207 miners were killed when a coal mine exploded due to methane gas.  This was the worst mining disaster in the Lanarkshire area and a monument was erected at High Blantyre Cross to commemorate those killed.  A memorial was also erected in the High Blantyre Cemetery by the mine owners to commemorate the fallen.

EDUCATION

• Primary Schools
  • St. Blane's
  • St. Joseph's
  • High Blantyre Primary
  • David Livingstone Primary
  • Auchinraith Primary
• High School
  • Calderside Academy

Institutions

Blantyre contains many amenities, including:

• Blantyre Leisure Centre - sports centre with swimming pool
• Blantyre Asda
• Stonefield Park - with a purpose-built skate-park
• Victoria Nursing Home (for the elderly)
• David Livingstone Centre - museum built in the birthplace and former home of David Livingstone
• Five churches
  • St. Joseph's (R.C.)
  • David Livingstone Memorial Church (Church of Scotland)
  • St. Andrew's (Church of Scotland)
  • Saint John Ogilvie (R.C.)
  • Blantyre Old Parish Church (Church of Scotland)
• David Dale House - South Lanarkshire Council facility named after another famous Lanarkshire dweller, famous for his connection with New Lanark
• Blantyre Credit Union
• 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 and 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.