Commercial Centre



What most consider the 'centre' of Glasgow. Laid on a grid-iron pattern and populated mainly with Victorian 19th century architecture, it is largely a retail area. For this thread's sake I'm going to say it mainly lies between Hope Street to the west, Buchanan Street to the east, the River Clyde to the south and Killermont/Renfrew Street to the north. (these were taken around February/March)



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The corner of the pedestrianized Buchanan and Sauchiehall Streets, something of an unofficial focal point of the city.




Heading down Buchanan Street...

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Remember to look up!

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A small weekend market provides a welcome relief from the big fashion chains

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St. Enoch Square

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An old cast iron warehouse, now a chain pub

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Around Central Station

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Assorted others:

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George Square and Glasgow City Chambers

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Merchant City



The eastern part of the city centre is the oldest, and a settlement has existed at the lowest forded point of the River Clyde since pre-historic times, and the city as we know it first grew up from the river northwards along High Street to the Cathedral, when a religious site was founded there in the 6th century.




In the 17th century the cities first major growth spurt spread the city westwards as wealthy tobacco traders built their homes in the area now known as the Merchant city. Later during the Industrial Revolution this area was dominated by large warehouses and older tenements.



After becoming run down during much of the 20th century the area has been renewed. Fashion retailers, bars and restaraunts occupy old tenements and banks and markets and warehouses have been converted to loft apartments. New residential buildings have sprung up to fill in gaps although there is still ground left over, and the Trongate part of town near the original Glasgow Cross is dominated by discount stores.



Into the Merchant City from Buchanan Street

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Gallery of Modern Art, formerly a 'Tobacco Lord's' mansion, since considerably extended



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Infamous Duke of Wellington statue, who always has a cone on his head

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Another surviving traders house

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Ingram Street

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Around Glasgow Cross

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A small corner of the city with many independent stores and art galleries

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Old warehouses and commercial buildings

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Merchant City:


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City Centre:


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The 'International Financial Services District': (IFSD for short, presumably because no one actually calls it that.)


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Unfortunately the recession has decimated most of the high-rise proposals in the area, but new office buildings and refurbishment of nasty mid-20th century concrete structures have succeeded in bringing much investment and jobs to the area (still quite deserted in the evenings)

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Before: right - After: left

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Down by the river:

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^something of a love it or hate it building... I like it



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Blytheswood Hill




Laid out in the early 1800's, Blytheswood Hill represents the first large-scale movement of the wealthier classes to the west away from the unplanned core of the city (today the Merchant City) in a similar move to the Edinburgh New Town a few decades before. It is (obviously) set on a hill, primarily made up of Georgian townhouse accommodation dotted with more recent interventions, set on a very mini-American style grid-iron pattern of 92m x 90m (Compared to New York's 70m x 250m midtown grid)



Although established as a residential area it is, along with the Financial Services District down the hill, mainly used for office accommodation.



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At the top of the hill is Blytheswood Square...

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...from which rather nice views back down to the city below can be had.

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A nearby church of some note (now a bar/restaurant I believe),


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And the St. Vincent Street Church, designed by Alexander 'Greek' Thompson, built in 1859,

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a rather more gloomy, sombre church nearby for comparison,

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Glasgow School of Art building (built 1897-1909) by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who was known for obsessive attention to detail, love of Japanese designs, stylized motifs and symbols and being years ahead of his time. It's elegant, uncluttered and functional (yet still decorated) design has been described as a precursor to the Modernist movement.




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Entrance:

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Large windows to let in plenty of north light preferred by artists:

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The crap across the road is thankfully/finally scheduled for demolition and replacement with something a little more, erm... good:


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Eastern facade:

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Western facade:

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The southern side is difficult to photograph from the street, but it is a huge, gray render facade punched with smaller windows of varying size, not dissimilar to an old castle; indeed traditional Scots architecture was a big influence for Mackintosh:

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As I was there, I took a few pictures of the area around the art school campus, Garnethill. Perched on a hill on the northern edge of the city centre it is quiet and oft-overlooked outside the immediate art school campus, and is mainly residential.




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A little park/garden

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Although with quite a few decent, interesting buildings, the area could use some TLC, but luckily the atmosphere given off is one of scruffy charm rather than dereliction

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New school buildings

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It's a teeny tiny church

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Lest we forget


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Despite being on quite a steep hill, when the area was planned out the city grid was simply extended over the hill, rather than submitting to the contours, hence there are some pretty decent views over the West End and City Centre

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just a street or two away from the noise and clutter of Sauchiehall Street

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Autumn walk around the West End and Kelvingrove Park.



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Charing Cross/Finnieston

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New and old


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Along Argyle Street, a long tenement street in an increasingly 'bohemian' area

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New building, not too sure about it

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The often hidden backs of the tenements

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Kelvingrove Museum and the University

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Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum was opened in 1901 along with a major exhibition held in the park

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The entrance facing the street is actually the 'rear' entrance, as the building was meant to face toward the park and the rest of the exhibition. Despite this the entrance facing Argyle Street was (obviously) used more. There is an urban myth that the architect was so disapointed by this he jumped to his death from one of the buildings towers.

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Kelvin Hall, built opposite the museum shortly after, in a similar style

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Across the river, into Kelvingrove Park

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Overlooked by the main university building

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Up the hill to Park Circus

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On to Woodlands

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Another tenement area, this one has various streets with grass and trees planted down the middle

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fun fun fun!

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Braved the ice and cold to take some more...



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Almost slipped on an icy patch taking this, so appreciate it!


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The beauty of the grid-iron street system... long uninterrupted street views punctuated by landmarks, hills, and 'kinks' in the road line.

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And a few hours later, it snowed! So I got back out there...




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Merry Christmas!


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Another update, fairly short as these photos were taken while out on the street searching for a new job, so my heart's not really been in it. Mainly general streetscape shots from the Hillhead/Dowanhill/Partick areas of the West End.



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New Gorbals.



The Gorbals has had something of a difficult history. Originally an independent village south of the river, it became part of Glasgow during the cities industrial expansion. The area was rebuilt with grids of tenenments similar to the ones in the update above. It was essentially a southern extension of the city centre, with many shops, pubs, cinemas and industries. However it quickly deteriorated as overcrowding and poverty made it an infamous slum.




In a rather shortsighted decision, the entire area was demolished after recieving approval in 1957 (even the tenements that were still of a decent quality) and redeveloped with Modernist housing schemes and tower blocks that completely ignored the neighbourhood grid and surrounding city in their design and planning.



These too deteriorated (and have themselves mostly been demolished or significantly refurbished) and have since been replaced, from the 1990's up to the present day, with contemporary homes which seek to reinstate the idea of the Gorbals as an urban neighbourhood.The following images are of this most recent incarnation of the long-sufering part of Glasgow.



The area was laid out by a single ruling masterplan, with individual blocks designed by different architects. The home are a mixture of private and social flats and townhouses, in order to try and bring in a mix of people.



The bridge leading from Glasgow Green to the New Gorbals

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Looking toward the city centre

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My own favourite block...

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Artwork above the entrance

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Streetscape abruptly ends to the south, more land awaiting redevelopment

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The ruined Caledonia Road Church, damaged by bombing during WWII

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Crown Street, the "centre" of the area, with local shops and services.

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Attempt at traditional streetscape (piss-poor photo)

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Refurbished Modernist estate and tower blocks

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All in all? I'd say it's a success. The homes are attractive and reasoneably dense. As someone who has only lived in Glasgow for a few years it's hard to believe this was once one of the most infamous, dangerous areas in the city.



Much work is to be done, extending this urban area to cover nearby waste ground and underdeveloped Tradeston and Laurieston, but so far what's been done is pretty remarkeable. There was kids playing in the streets and courtyards and people stopping to chat in the street. Hardly sounds remarkeable but this is something which only happens in older, established communities usually so to see it in a modern development was genuinely uplifting.



I was a little annoyed at the "clashing" of architectural styles... I'd have preffered if the whole thing had been done by 2 or 3 architects following a pretty similar style, but that's entirely subjective. Also it's pretty quiet... having read up on the history of the area and the sheer urbanity it once possesed it was dissapointingly sleepy, as you can see in the pictures. If it hadn't been 4-5pm I'm sure there'd have been even less people.




But that's just nitpicking. Density builds up over time, and the population will change with it (although hopefully this wont destroy it's success at attracting families here). All in all, I think the beginnings of a succesful city neighbourhood have taken root here, and the Gorbals can finally look forward to a more succesful future.
A walk around town during my lunch break earlier.



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Glasgow Green is the oldest public park in the city, originally used in the 15th century as an area used for animal grazing, until eventually the marshy land was drained and levelled. After coal deposits were discovered beneath the Green in the 19th century it was very nearly mined several times, but always saved due to public opposition to such plans. I spent a good chunk of my day here.




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The McLennan Arch at the entrance to the Green.

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The following pictures are about the closest you'll get to 'street photography' from me.

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Phew, now thats out the way, the following pictures were taken from the Glasgow Metropolitan College building, one of the taller buildings in the city centre.



These three buildings are what little remains of Cathedral Street prior to mass redevelopment in the 1960s.

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Toward the Cowcaddens tower blocks to the north and a few newer developments.

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Whisky distillery chimney

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A lesser seen angle of the city centre and its skyline. (or lack of) The building to the right-ish is under going refurbishment and recladding.


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Back down...

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Friday afternoon gridlock

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Back on the Green!

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The Peoples Palace museum and winter garden, built as a gift to the citizens of the city in 1898 during its industrial heyday.

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The adjascent Doulton Fountain, largest terracotta fountain in the world.

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The Templeton Carpet Factory building, modelled on the Doge's Palace in Venice, since extended and redeveloped as a business centre and apartments (as well as an excellent microbrewery and pub, which I unfortunately didn't get to visit that day)

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On a good day like this the sight of families relaxing in the park with high rise housing schemes and industry (the chimney is another whisky distillery) nearby creates an unusual contrast.

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