Glasgow - sport and pastimes 60s,70s,80s

Cathkin Park, an early-season midweek match, some time between the installation of floodlights in the autumn of 1959 and the building of the new stand in the summer of 1962. Best guess is a League Cup sectional match, Third Lanark 3 Airdrie 1, in August 1961. Joe McInnes has sent over a high corner which Jim Goodfellow is aiming to meet, while Dave Hilley and Matt Gray are looking for a nod back. Alex Harley is poised to make a run, while Willie Cunningham looks on from outside the box. Sorry, can't name any of the Airdrie players. I must have watched Thirds at Cathkin over a hundred times between around 1956 and the liquidation in 1967 (my mother's family were dyed-in-the-wool Hi-Hi, Cathkin was 5 minutes' walk up Cathcart Road, and in the later years I would carefully save up the 10/- required to purchase a schoolboy season ticket in early August), but this is the only photo I took there, or at least the only one that has survived. The negative is in very poor condition.

My maternal grandfather subscribed for two £1 shares in Third Lanark A.C. Ltd in 1905. This £2 would have represented more than his weekly wage as a mechanic, and I wonder what my grandmother, a strong woman, had to say about it . . . Maybe he had saved a few bob from his time working on the Venezuelan state railway, or maybe he had just backed a good winner.

My grandfather's letter of reference from his boss in Caracas. ' . . . return to his family in England', that must have caused some wry comment

Hampden Park, c1967, Queen's Park v who? East Fife? Dumbarton? After Thirds folded I might have started going to Hampden, only another 5 minutes walk, but this photo is enough to explain why I didn't – a large ground less than 1% full has as much atmosphere as the moon. Clyde I never had much affection for, Thistle were on the wrong side of the city, and Rangers or Celtic? - well, my attitude, then as now, was that I didn't mind who beat them. So, as Third Lanark expired, so did my regular attendance at Scottish League football.

Only half of this negative survives, but it shows the northwest corner of Ibrox Park, on the occasion of the Glasgow Police Sports, of which the 5-a-side football tournament between leading clubs was always the highlight, for me at least. I believe that is Ronnie Simpson in goal, playing for Hibs, which would date it to between 1960 and 1964.

From the comparatively sublime to the totally cor blimey. I played at full-back (I was rubbish) for Park Mount AFC, the team in the black and white stripes, but was out with torn ankle ligaments so took a camera along to a home game at Carnwadric. With our 'keeper and centre-half at cross purposes, this looks like a goal, probably one of several, against us. 1974

Another Park Mount AFC match (2nd XI I think) at the King George V pitches at Carnwadric. I didn't have a long lens at this time, which is good as you can see some of the surroundings, two of the Kennishead high-rises in this case. April 1973

I believe the large factory in the background was the Argus Foundry. Regent's Park housing estate is there now.

Some factoids from Google: The Argus Foundry was established in 1920 by G&J Weir of Cathcart for the production of non-ferrous castings. In the 30s the heid-Weir was an Air Commodore, and the company dabbled in aviation, providing development finance for Juan de la Cierva, the Spanish inventor of the autogiro, which was a forerunner of the helicopter with an unpowered horizontal rotor to provide lift, and at least one model, the W-6 of 1939, was built at Argus. I like to think of this aircraft being tested on the football pitches. By 1948 the foundry seems to have been acquired by Henry Wiggin & Co for their extrusion and tube division. This closed around 1959, with much of the equipment being bought by Archibald Young Ltd, a Kirkintilloch metalworking firm still in business. Coca-Cola had a bottling plant hereabouts in the 1970s and maybe later, known as the Zenith Works.

As you can see, the Hutchie sports ground at Auldhouse was on the other side of the Foundry. School sports day, and Mr Howie, head of the science department, flees the scene after shooting an insubordinate pupil. c1964

BB football at the Queen's Park Recs, on the junior pitch which ran parallel to Queen's Drive, behind the prefabs. Cruising down the wing is Davie Buchan of the 113th, the company I was in. Neither my camera nor my technique were quite up to action shots at this time. c1963

113th BB Company football team, in the grounds of Queen's Park High church in Queen's Drive. I was in the back row, third from the right. The jerseys had been donated by Third Lanark A.C. April 1962

An out-of-town battalion of the Tartan Army arrives at Queen St for the Scotland - England match at Hampden on 20th May 1978. I will gloss over the result in two words, Steve Coppell. Note the two fly guys, young and old, sneaking behind the ticket collectors.

Hamilton Crescent, with Partick Burgh Hall in the background. 10th August 1976. Scotland v Ireland, third and final day, and I. J. Anderson of Armagh executes a stylish pull to midwicket as forward short leg wisely takes cover. Ivan Anderson was the finest Irish cricketer of his or perhaps any generation, and scored a century in each innings here (147 and 103 n.o.), the only Irishman who has ever done this in an international. The match ended in a draw.

Western Union cricket at Titwood, mid-60s.

Western Union cricket at Titwood, mid-60s.

Scottish Cross-country Championships at Bellahouston Park, 17th January 1976.

The Queen’s Park was only a few minutes’ walk away and I would sometimes wander round it with a camera, photographing whatever caught my eye. I am well aware that to take photos such as some of these today would quickly land me in trouble, collar felt if lucky, lynched if not. Whether this is a good or necessary thing, I don’t know, maybe it is, but what I do know is that my photos were taken in all innocence. I think all the ‘park’ photos were taken in two periods, 1962-65 and 1973-77 (I lost all interest in photography in the years between). With some exceptions which I will note, the black-and-white shots are from the earlier period and the colour from the later. Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.1 - Take a pony ride. The pony rides were quite a popular summer attraction in the 1960s, but I don’t think they continued much beyond them. The track can still be seen, alongside Queen’s Drive next to the Wellcroft Bowling Green.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.2 - Hire a brightly painted boat.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.3 - Sail your model boat, be it large . . .

. . . or small,

sail . . .

. . . or steam. [1970s]

The model boat club is still active, but with their premises diminished to a green portacabin.

A mellow summer Saturday evening in the mid-1960s.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.4 - Fish for baggie minnows

Not sure what this intrepid lad was up to, casting his net like a Micronesian fisherman. That's a neat prelapsarian cameo on the further bank - mum pushing the baby in the pram, sister and brother (twins?) with their toy boat, like something from a 1960s women’s magazine.

The jar of sunlight.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.5 - Wonder if it would be a good idea to give mummy a whack on the bum with a big stick.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no. 6 - Get your wheels in motion.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no. 7 - Accost a passing numpty with a camera, butter him up by petting his dog, and get him to take a photo of you and your sister.

Things To Do in the Queen's Park, no.8 - enjoy an ice cream.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.9 - Smoke a meditative pipe.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.10 - Go on the slides.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.11 - Feed the pigeons. It was almost dark when I took this, and the image quality is ropey. [1970s]

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.12 - Have a game of bowls.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.13 - Have a game of, ummm, not quite sure what they were playing.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.14 - Meet up with your pals.

Things To Do In the Queen’s Park, no.15 - Have a tête-à-tête.

Things To Do in the Queen’s Park, no.16 - Walk the dog. [1960s]