Glasgow - Gorbals 1973-77

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Cathcart Rd and Crown St. W.G.Rowan’s fine neo-Romanesque St Ninian’s Wynd Church stood, a dark red sandstone half-kirk half-fortress, guarding the eastern south entry to the Gorbals. Built in 1888 as the Wynd U F Church, it united with St Ninian’s Parish Church after the reconciliation between the Free and Established Churches. April 1973

Along with the integrated manse and medical mission and the linked tenement block it made a very satisfying composition, and it survived for longer than most of the Gorbals did, but it was all ruthlessly swept away some time in the 1980s. April 1973

Cathcart Rd and Thistle St. April 1973

Thistle St, south end. April 1973

Cathcart Rd and Caledonia Rd. "Alexander Thomson’s wonderful Caledonia Rd U F Church (1856). It is one of Glasgow’s greatest buildings - indeed one of the greatest 19th century buildings anywhere; yet in a way only too characteristic of Glasgow, the church, after years of ill-treatment amounting to dereliction, has been gutted by fire . . . In almost any other country than our own, so great a work of art would call out enthusiastic and complete restoration as a matter of course. " (Architecture of Glasgow, Gomme and Walker). April 1973

Caledonia Rd and Hospital St. November 1973

Some details of the Caledonia Rd church. December 1975

Hospital St, what was left of the south end. April 1973

Maxwelton’s braes are bonny, whaur early fa’s the dew . . . . The last of the back-court singers, behind the tenements on the west side of Crown St. April 1973

Crown St, south end of the east side. April 1973

Kidston St at Crown St. April 1973

Kidston St. Camden St School, which had been closed for some time. April 1973

Crown St, east side at Kidston St. St Ninian’s Parish Church. Crown St was still reasonably well populated (though not for much longer), as can be seen from the number of people making their homeward way at about 5pm on Thursday 30th August 1973

Crown St, east side, south of Caledonia Rd. August 1973

Crown St, west side, south of Caledonia Rd. April 1973

Crown St, west side, north of Cumberland St. April 1973

Crown St, west side, south of Cleland St. September 1973

Crown St, west side, north of Cleland St. March 1973

Old Rutherglen Rd, looking west from Crown St. Some of Lennox’s prices: Margarine 6½p / Tea biscuits 3p / Sugar 7½p for 2lb / Condensed milk 8½p. April 1973

Crown St, west side, south of Ballater St. January 1974

Crown St from Ballater St. July 1973

Old Rutherglen Rd, north side at Florence St. Hutchesontown Parish Church. April 1973

Ballater St and Florence St. The building adjoining the tenement in Florence St had been an Industrial School. September 1973

Ballater St, looking west from Florence St. April 1973

Ballater St , south side at Thistle St. Cunninghame Memorial U F Church (H. and D. Barclay, 1898). This richly decorated Gothic building was gutted by fire one night and demolished the following day, in early December 1977. May 1974

The Thistle St elevation of the Cunninghame. March 1974

Ballater St at Hospital St. September 1973

Hospital St, east side between Ballater St and Old Rutherglen Rd. Hutchesontown U F Church (1799), separated from the Cunninghame by 100 yards, 99 years and a world of architectural taste. September 1973

Hospital St and Old Rutherglen Rd. December 1975

Old Rutherglen Rd at Hospital St. Pearl Bloch, grocer and baker, next to James McKell’s Turf Bar - this had a real touch of the old Gorbals about it, but its destruction was all too imminent. December 1975

Hospital St, west side, south of Old Rutherglen Rd. September 1973

Hospital St, east side at Cleland St. September 1973

Hospital St, looking north from near Cumberland St. April 1973

Where Cathcart Rd meets Gorbals St, at Cumberland St. The Granite City is still there, under a different name. April 1973

Cumberland St, looking west from Gorbals St. The neat red-and-white brick building (1910) had been an office and retail outlet for the Gorbals Grain Mills in Surrey St, which were demolished in 1970 (SCRAN has a fascinating set of John Hume photographs illustrating the mill). April 1973

Gorbals St, east side at the railway bridge. September 1973

Gorbals St, east side, north of the railway bridge. November 1973

Gorbals St, part of the east side south of Cleland St. November 1973

Gorbals St, west side at Bedford Lane. The buildings are 1, a small warehouse of c1907 which was distinguished by a pair of cast-iron grotesque faces at first-floor level (wish I had thought to photograph them); 2, the splendid art nouveau British Linen Bank building (James Salmon jnr, 1900); 3, Gorbals Public Baths and Washhouse (John Carrick, 1885), to which the chimney belonged. All three survived for several years after the rest of Gorbals St had been redeveloped, but now only the Bank building remains, derelict and with an uncertain future. October 1973

Gorbals St, Linen Bank building. January 1977

Bedford Lane with the south side of the steamie and baths, and Lipton’s (monumental masons) yard. April 1973

Bedford Lane. December 1975

Gorbals St and Cleland St. November 1975

Gorbals St, looking north from south of Cleland St. April 1973

Gorbals baths. September 1973

Gorbals St and Cleland St. September 1973

Gorbals St, east side from Bedford Lane. April 1973