Baird’s Rows, Forrest Street

On the immediate right were Craighead Rows, known locally as Baird's Rows.

Forrest Street ran North from the Glasgow Road and ended with the railway line. Over the line was the Clyde Braes, most roads running North from Glasgow Road finished up or close to the River Clyde.

On the immediate right were Craighead Rows, known locally as Baird’s Rows.

Source BritainfromAbove website

Sent in by Andy Lynch

This aerial photo shows Baird’s Raw’s and bottom right is the Salvation Army Citadel on Forrest Street.

Top left of Baird’s Raw’s is Craighead Sports Ground, home to Greyhound Racing and Speedway, which was owned by Frank Doonin. At the bottom of the Raw’s is the entrance to Craighead Park, home of Blantyre Celtic F.C.

Bottom right, opposite the Citadel is the entrance to Castle Park, home of Blantyre Victoria F.C.

Top centre right is Rosendale, leading off Glasgow Road where the bus is.

The building in front of the bus is Kelly’s Corner on Henderson Building, at the bottom of Auchinraith Road.

To the left of Rosendale is Chalmer’s Building, Chalmer’s the Haulage Contractors next to Caldwell Hall (Coffin Hall, so called because of its shape) which was used as the Stonefield Parish Church Hall.

Baird’s Rows consisted of three rows of 108 tied miners cottages belonging to Craighead Colliery.

Purdie Builders of Coatbridge commenced construction of the houses in April 1878, in the area presently occupied by Park’s Bus Company, between Forrest Street, Glasgow Road and the East Kilbride Expressway. The houses were numbered but there were no street names, just being referred to as the Tap Row, Middle Row and Bottom Row.

Water was supplied to the houses from Craighead Pit. (From, Blantyre, An Historical Dictionary by Neil Gordon)

	Note from Bill… I was born in Baird’s Row’s and lived there for the first four years of my life. I actually have a lot of memories from that time, including the time that I was pegged up on a washing line for stealing cabbage from a neighbour’s window sill, which she had put out to cool. Photo sent in by Ellen Clarkin.
Anthony Smith sent this photo in of his Uncle, a miner, on the bottom row. Each Row had four Washhouses, each household having designated wash days. The washhouses were also used to make soup on occasions, with each household supplying the ingredients. They were also very popular with young “Winchers” or courting couples, as they were a haven when it rained. Photo sent in by Anthony Smith.
	A typical front room and kitchen. The family would sleep, bathe, eat and relax here. Mum and Dad would have the back room, unless of course they had rented it out to lodgers… such was the need in those days. Bearing in mind there was no electricity, gas or W.C. to begin with. The water was supplied by Craighead Pit.
Set in beds. Underneath would be for storage or even coal. If the size of the family required it, pull-out beds would be kept there.

Some more of my memories of Baird’s Raw’s: One day, I was given a Baby Rabbit by my uncle Johnny, who lived in the Bottom Row. By the time I got home to the Middle Row, the Bunny was dead… I had suffocated it because I held it so tight. This was the subject of the Sermon the following Sunday at the Church of the Nazarene.

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On a summer’s day, I was sitting on the back window sill and a boy from the Top Row facing us had a Goldfish in a bowl which he was stirring profusely. The Goldfish died eventually, and the boy left it lying on the ground. That experience had a profound effect on me.

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One of my favourite treats was when Mr. Scott, a neighbour would ask me to go and get a big tattie. He would then make some fritters, and we would sit on the front step and gorge ourselves with the fritters. The last time he made the fritters, I had a wee baby brother when I got home!

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If you have any Photos… Send them to Bill

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