Former estate manager captures images of high-rise block in Lanarkshire soon to be demolished

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Wishaw photographer captured images for posterity of a soon to be demolished tower block in the town showing the last few remaining residents’ homes lit up on Hogmanay.While Ron Ballantyne, who lives in Overtown, has never been a resident of the multi-storey blocks in Gowkthrapple he does have a personal and somewhat sentimental attachment to them, and especially Allershaw Tower.The 69-year-old said: “I was in charge of the blocks for a good number of years.

I was a senior Estate Officer with North Lanarkshire Council and covered all the tower blocks.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android “Allershaw Tower was occupied solely by people over 60 years old.

It had the concierge in the block and a community hall at the bottom, with a hairdressers and other things. It was a community in itself.”The vast majority of tower blocks in North Lanarkshire are earmarked for demolition in the coming years to make way for new modern homes.Ron is a member of the Alba Photographic Society that meets in Netherton Community Centre in Manse Road on Wednesday nights.He decided to capture an image of the Allershaw Tower block during the hours of darkness before it disappears from the Wishaw landscape forever.Ron continued: “I went down on the last day of the year and set up a tripod as it was my aim to get that image of