Glasgow - Townhead 1973-76

George St and High St Goods Sta.April 1973Around 1968 there was published the Greater Glasgow Transportation Plan (something like that) which proposed a complete motorway-standard inner ring road. The east flank of this was to consist of an elevated section of up to 6 lanes, striding at roof-level through the ancient heart of the city, from the Low Green to Townhead, and the north and west flanks were built with this in mind. There's a nice map here which shows the plan - http://pathetic.org.uk/unbuilt/glasgow_inner_ring_road/maps/In 1973, despite the chorus of protest which eventually prevailed, there was still a real prospect of this outrageous nightmare vision being realised, and it was this that gave me the motivation to record what was threatened with obliteration. The several hundred photos of Glasgow in the 1970s which are shown in the various galleries here derive from this.

High St above George St. May 1974

High St above George St. April 1973

Burrell's Lane. March 1973

High St below Burrell's Lane. July 1973

High St at Rottenrow. This imposing baronial structure was a hydraulic pumping station for the Glasgow Waterworks. It operated from 1895 to 1964, and was demolished a few months after I took this in April 1973

Pumping station from the Rottenrow April 1973

Rottenrow.Townhead School and the Barony Church. The Townhead School survived until comparatively recent times, but is now a car park for Strathclyde Uni, who own the Barony Church and hold graduation ceremonies in it. March 1973The Townhead area bounded on the south by the Rottenrow and on the east by Castle St, densely populated up the the mid 1960s, was almost totally cleared, some of it for the M8 and the Townhead interchange, some for the expansion of the university, and the rest because . . . well, just because. Only a handful of buildings survive – the Barony Church, Provand's Lordship, St Mungo's Church and retreat, and the Martyrs' School (saved, only just, by the Mackintosh connection) and a few others. In 1973 the devastation though widespread was not quite complete, and I set out to record such fragments as were left.

Barony Church after the demolition of the pumping station. December 1973

Cathedral Square. April 1973

McLeod St. from Castle St. The buildings at the far end, in Collins St, were the Collins Institute and the Townhead Baths and steamie, to which the chimney belonged. April 1973

Corner of McLeod St and Castle St. when Provand's Lordship still had its flanking tenements. July 1973

Castle St., west side, south of Cathedral St. April 1973

Corner of Castle St. and St James Rd. October 1973

Castle St. at St James Rd. The building occupied by the City Cafe had been part of the UF church which formerly stood at the corner of Cathedral St. March 1973

Castle St, west side, south of Stirling Rd. March 1973

Stirling Rd from Castle St. April 1973

The fork of Glebe St and Castle St. March 1973

Castle St., east side, north of Cathedral St. This baronial fantasy was built as the Royal Blind Asylum in 1881. The Royal Infirmary later took it over and built the plainer northern extension, which has now been replaced by a multi-storey car park, though the Asylum building is still there. July 1973

Castle St, west side, north of Parson St. The Casino was not a casino but a cinema. March 1973

Castle St., west side, south of Monkland St. Castle St at this time ran seamlessly into Springburn Rd. April 1973

Monkland St., south side from Parliamentary Rd. April 1973

The fork of Parliamentary Rd and Monkland St. April 1973

Kennedy St. School from Parliamentary Rd. March 1973

Kennedy St. School. September 1978

Kennedy St. School. September 1978

Monkland St., the Martyrs' Parish Church. March 1973

Martyr St., east side south of McAslin St. December 1973

The Martyrs' Church and Martyr St, from what had been Glebe St. March 1973

Martyr St. east side from Parson St. April 1973

South from the east end of Parson St. March 1973

McAslin St. from Glebe St. to Martyr St. April 1973

St Mungo's Church, Parson St. April 1973

St Mungo again, with the Martyrs' School. Some tenements in Martyr St. on the left and Barony St. on the right. The present St Mungo's Primary is under construction. April 1973

St Mungo's Church and retreat, and beyond it the building which formed the core of St Mungo's Academy from 1883 to 1973, though it expanded into several other buildings, including the Martyrs' School across the road. March 1973

Parson St at Barony St January 1976

Parson St., St Mungo's. September 1978

Parson St at Barony St 3/73

The Martyrs' School from Parson St. / Glebe St. January 1976

Barony St., Martyrs' School. January 1976

Barony St., east side from Parson St., leading down to Castle St. April 1973

Taylor St., east side from Parson St, leading down to St James Rd. April 1973

Taylor St., east side north of St James Rd . August 1975

Taylor St. and St James Rd. August 1975

St James Rd, east of Taylor St. The Villafield Press. April 1973

Near the foot of Glebe St., at Stirling Rd. March 1973

Stirling Rd, looking south-west from Glebe St. The Corner Bar is at the corner of St James Rd. March 1973

Glebe St. leading down to Castle St., with Stirling Rd going across. April 1973