Odds & Ends

streapadair · Odds & Ends

Very much a rag-bag here, topics on which I don’t have enough material to form a separate collection. I was a Southsider for many years, but - I don’t know why - I never made any effort to record my home patch, just took the odd potshot here and there. Maybe it seemed the South Side would never change, and indeed much (though by no means all) of it is substantially unchanged from 40 or more years ago, but that seems now a feeble excuse for ignoring it.

A few random transport-related shots to begin with.

Waiting for a bus in Union St, with a film needing to be finished off. March 1976

streapadair

Restless child on said bus.

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Another bus, another film needing finished. April 1975

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Victoria Rd at Queen’s Dr. August 1975

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From the QP gates, a Western SMT lowbridge halfcab Titan (trying to kid on I know something about buses. I don‘t) turning into Queen’s Dr. April 1976

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Vicky Rd again. I suppose even bus shelters become quite interesting when you don’t see that kind any more. April 1976

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The no. 24 to Baldernock Mill. A bit of a story here.

I was out on a Saturday afternoon dauner in July 1976, from Cadder through to Balmore, on to Bardowie Loch, and then to Baldernock for a look at the kirk and the mill before heading for Milngavie and a train back to the city. All went without incident until I came across this GGPTE double-decker wedged in the tight narrow bends near the mill. Behind the wheel was a lad of maybe 15 who had TWOC’d the bus from Maryhill Garage (which doesn’t say a lot for the security at the gate) and taken it for a run in the country. The occupier of the mill cottage was doing his best to guide him, but the bus soon got hopelessly stuck. Surprisingly, the boy didn’t leg it (maybe walking home was a less attractive option than being arrested) but calmly waited for the police to come along, and a couple of hours (and several exasperated motorists) later the garage sent out a driver to recover their vehicle. Meanwhile I was invited into the cottage for a cuppa and was given a conducted tour of the mill by the occupier - I wish I could remember his name, as he and his wife were a lovely couple - who, a joiner by trade, was in process of restoring it to working order.

The case went to the Sheriff Court, and we were called as witnesses, but a guilty plea was entered at the last minute.

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Electrification work on the Cathcart Circle, in the cutting between Queen’s Park and Crosshill stations. Blue Train services started on 29/5/62, so this photo was probably taken the previous summer, one of my very early efforts.

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On a Blue Train. August 1975

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Central Station. December 1963. I don’t know enough about trains or stations to say if there’s anything interesting about this, anything changed, but maybe someone on here does.

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Cessnock subway station. March 1977. These were taken a week before the discovery of cracks in the roof of Govan Cross station brought a premature closure to the old subway system.

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Govanhill Parish Church, corner of Cathcart Rd and Allison St, demolished not long after and replaced by a nursery school. March 1975

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Candlish Memorial Church (J.Honeyman, 1875), corner of Cathcart Rd and Calder St, demolished in 1997. July 1975

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Dismantling the Candlish steeple stone by stone. February 1997

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Pollokshields-Kenmure Church (originally Pollokshields U.P., W.F.McGibbon, 1883), Leslie St, demolished after a fire. June 1975

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Shields Rd north of Leslie St, not much changed here. August 1978

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Albert Cross, junction of Albert Dr and Kenmure St. Traffic lights, different shops, otherwise much the same. August 1978

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The elegant curve at the foot of Albert Av shows Queen’s Park West Church (J.Thomson, 1876) to advantage. March 1974

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Queen’s Dr, Seventh Day Adventist Church (J.B.Wilson, 1888). July 1975

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Queen’s Dr, Queen’s Park Baptist Church (McKissack & Rowan, 1886). July 1975

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Balvicar Dr, Camphill Queen’s Park Church, now QP Baptist (W.Leiper, 1883)

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Corner of Queen’s Dr and Langside Rd. These Parisian-style tenements were built a year or two after the real Statue of Liberty was erected. February 1976

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Camphill House (c1798), Queen’s Park, a museum of local history then, now flats. August 1974

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Aikenhead House (1806, later additions), King’s Park. I think it was a costume museum, or maybe storage for a costume collection, at that time, now flats. December 1975

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Cathcart railway bridge. Note the trolleybus wires - the 105 and 107 services were the last to be withdrawn and still had 4 years to run. April 1963

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View north-north-west from Cathkin Braes, a bit west of the highest point. I think Ardencraig Rd is in the foreground, and beyond Castlemilk and Croftfoot are the football pitches beside the railway line at Croftfoot Station. Beyond the bungalows of King’s Park and the tenements of Toryglen are the multistoreys of Prospecthill Rd, with the twin chimneys of Polmadie waste incinerator between the leftmost two. Then the tower blocks of the Gorbals, and the horizontal lines of the notorious Hutchie E flats, and that’s the limit of my competence to identify. April 1976

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Baker St, Shawlands. The tenements at the far end are still there (as are the Langside Halls of course), but the rest of Baker St is all new housing. June 1973

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Langside Hill Church (A.Skirving, 1896), Langside Av. The fashion for classical architecture which gave Glasgow so many ‘Greek temple’ churches had run its course, the wind of modernism was blowing in from the continent, and Langside Hill was the last of its kind. The pediment had been intended to carry some relief carving (it is said that a scene of John Knox admonishing Queen Mary was planned!) but the money ran out and it was left unfinished. The church is now a restaurant. June 1975

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Moray Place (Alexander Thomson, 1860). July 1975

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Nithsdale Rd and Kenmure St, Kitchins’ Corner, still is. Good idea, making the kids do some work. July 1975

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Nithsdale Rd and Darnley St. July 1975

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Nithsdale Dr and Nithsdale St. Another one for Chopper-spotters. July 1975

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154 Govanhill St, awaiting demolition. Two girls, not a four-legged girl. July 1977

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Rutherglen Rd and Logan St. April 1973

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Polmadie Rd and Rutherglen Rd. November 1973

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Cathcart Castle. This historic ruin was shamefully neglected by the council, on whose land it had stood since the 1920s, and it was declared unsafe and pulled down in 1980. November1977

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Crookston Castle. February 1977

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Haggs Castle, in process of being turned into a museum of childhood. February 1977

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Ceiling boss in Glasgow Cathedral. December 1976

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Martha St wedding. February 1980

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The Big Snow. In the second week of January 1987 there was exceptionally cold air over the near continent, and a depression centred on the English Channel brought strong easterly winds to the whole country. There was heavy snowfall all along the east coast, up to 20 inches, but the west largely escaped this - except that the wind was able to funnel through the Forth - Clyde Valley, and on the morning of Monday 12th it dumped the heaviest fall of snow that I can remember in Glasgow. The city was effectively paralysed, even the motorways beyond saving, and not much mail (or anything else) moved that day.

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The march of the zombie cars. I took this as I walked home up Shields Rd that evening, passing the used car lot where the Chrysler showroom is now.

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Govan sunset. December 1987

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South side sunset. August 1977

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God was angry with Glasgow. The steeple belonged to the Candlish Memorial Church.

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The Park Towers from Charing Cross. January 1977

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The Central Mosque. February 1986

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The University tower. September 1977

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Shawhill Rd, Pollokshaws. A schoolmate Ken, a couple of years older than me, wanted a photo of himself to send to a girlfriend, and we settled on the Old Shaws as a location for it - I can’t remember why, but it was a good choice. A Saturday morning, probably in June 1964.

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Ken - last I heard he was working for the World Bank in East Africa, he always seemed likely to go places. The round tower belonged to the building which housed St Conval’s School from 1859 to 1906, and served several other purposes before being demolished to make way for a car park for St Mary Immaculate Church behind it. This L-shaped path was known as Dovecot.

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The little minx in the background of Ken’s photo was very insistent that I take one of her. I think she wanted to show off her red knickers. Not a photo I would care to take today.

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Looking down Dovecot to the Burgh Hall tower and the gable end of the Stag building, both still there though most of the Old Shaws has of course been redeveloped.

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After the ‘shoot’ I did a little gentle UrbEx-ing long before such a thing had been invented, and the following were the results. I don’t have an exact location for any of them, just places in the Old Shaws where demolition was imminent.

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Evening in Pleasance St. This was pushing the film to, or a bit beyond, its limits.

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The Horse Shoe in Drury St. A long exposure, with the camera stood on a table, which is why the barman is ghostly.

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A frosty Sunday morning at the Barras, Kent St I think, in December 1963. A great time of year to be a stallholder, wifies queuing up to throw money at you, loads of stock still to be opened.

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The lights in George Square. December 1976

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and December 1963

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This model railway used to run round the Christmas tree at Queen St (or was it Central?) Station, to raise money and gifts for local charities. December 1963

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Fire at Edward McNeil’s warehouse in Stanley St. c1986

hillmanimp

streapadair

Great photos!

I saw you had a couple from Cathkin Braes, so I hope you don't mind I add a couple

Taken spring 1971. Kodak date on the back of them is May 1971

Imp

Subzero

Smashing pics Imp.
I love it up there but the last time I was there - maybe 12 or so years ago with the wee yins we were the only people there and it was a sunny Saturday like in your photos.

hillmanimp

Jock58

Hi Imp
here is a panorama of those two shots.

Jock58

hillmanimp

Hi Jock

Many thanks for splicing them together! It looks great. Much better than the two individual shots. One of the cases where the whole is better than the sum of the two parts

Imp

Fjord

Thanks for posting that Cathkin braes view hillmanimp.

In 30 odd years I've never seen the Polmadie refuse incinerator chimneys belching smoke but you've captured one of them in action in the lower right hand side of your photo. Also the cooling tower at Pinkston power station is also just visible on the distant horizon.

hillmanimp

Fjord

hillmanimp

norrie

Hi hillmanimp ,pretty good quality for photos from the 70s
Keep posting
Bye for now, norrie

hillmanimp

norrie

Hi hillmanimp, yes things are so much easier with Digital, I have loads of photos to scan but most of them are holiday snaps etc, not so much about Glasgow
Having said that I might find stuff I had forgotten about

Bye for now, norrie