Harpers Garage

Blantyre's Ain Website

Blantyre, Lanarkshire, ScotlandGlasgow Road South

Harpers Garage

Aerial View Craig StreetHarper’s Garage, (also known as Central Garage),  is at the bottom left of the photo on Craig Street and to the right is the Central Building.

Across Glasgow Road is Hart’s Land or (Hert’s Lawn) as they say in Blantir.

On the right hand side of the photo (although not too clear) is Stonefield Primary School, better known as Ness’s.

Near the middle is the Wee School with the dining room at the back. (white building)

The road to the right is Victoria Street and where it crosses Calder Street is the Police Station and across Calder Street is Calder Street Junior Secondary School.

To the right of Calder Street J.S. School is the Health Centre opposite McAlpine’s in the Park.

Photo Source BritainfromAbove website

Sent in by Andy Lynch

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Thomas Dunsmuir Hartman remembers, ‘Craig Street as we once knew it has been cut in half by the new shopping centre, Main store on the sight being ‘Asda supermarket’. It took up the first half of Logan Street, Craig Street And Victoria Street one huge store and parking lot.

Where the Turner’s Building ends on the Glasgow Road, there was an open piece of land before you hit the corner of Craig Street. Why this was never built on in my lifetime in Blantyre. I do not know, as it had a very prominent position on the Main Street. This piece of land ran for about 100 yds on the left-hand side of Craig Street travelling South and was also a shortcut for us Logan Street kids to cut across for our trip to school and to make our way west through Blantyre.

Harper's Garage

On the other corner of Craig Street stood Harper’s Garage, this was the main garage in Blantyre for Repairs and the fuelling of any cars that came through the village and was the main garage for the hire of Limousines for weddings, funerals, etc. Next to it was Watts the dentist with Oreste’s a wee bit further West.

Brian McLaughlin who owned a local undertaker’s business, Felix Mclaughlin’s, later purchased Harper’s garage and ran the business from there. It was known then,  as it was originally, The Central Garage.

There were about six private bungalows after the open space, then a sawmill and Joiners yard. Then about another 100 yards of 2 storey Tenement type buildings, with the stairs and toilets attached to the back side of the building. We are now about half-way up to the left-hand side of Craig Street.

Harpers Garage 1980

The garage was demolished in 1979. Photo by Jim McGuire

If we go back down to the start of Craig street on the right-hand side going South. The Harper’s Garage and the work’s yard took up about 100 yards and where it finished it was on the same line as the Bungalows on the other left-hand side of the road, and here we had the start of about six bungalows on this right-hand side of the street, a bit of uniformity. But unlike the other side of the street where we had a line of 2 storey tenements. On this side of the road, we had a long line of attached single homes with a confectionery store at each end of this block, both of which did very well with the three schools in near proximity. Calder Street School (senior), Ness’s School (junior) and Auchinraith School (junior). At the end of the Bungalows on this right-hand side of Craig Street was an opening which a lot of the kids used as a shortcut over to Ness’s School and for anyone travelling west. This entrance opened up on to a field or waste ground, where all the kids in the neighbourhood met to play, it also led over to the Honeymoon in Victoria street where I was born, so as you can imagine I knew this area fairly well, even after we left this area I went back often to play with my wee pals.

This is part of a conversation between Thomas Dunsmuir Hartman in Chicago (known as TDH or Drapadew) and Margaret in Queensland Australia on TalkingScot.

 

Alan Baird: The colonel served his time as a mechanic in there.

Janette Brown: ma Auntie Marion Aitchison worked in there until it closed. She died a not long ago.

Fran Mcdermott Walters: Love these old pics x

Elspeth Shirkie: My dad worked there.

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If you have any Photos… Send them to Bill

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