On re-reading Jean Marshall’s history of Cathcart ‘Why Cathcart?’ (published 1969) I puzzled again over this mention of the change in local industry towards the end of the 19th Century … “several local firms closed down, among them …Verel’s Photographic Works and the Cassel (Castle?) Gold Extracting Company …”

I knew about the local Mills, Dye and Carpet works; however, I had never thought about the possibility of Gold from the White Cart! Clearly I needed to do some digging (pun intended).

Verel’s Photographic Works

Searching business sources and Ordnance Survey maps for mid to late 1800s, I discovered an Albion Albumenizing Co., founded in 1864 and located at Cathcart. Albumen was used for paper photography and Gelatine was an ideal binder.  It became F.W. Vérel & Co. around 1891 when the manufacturing company spun-off.  Verel’s works were until then part of the Albion Gelatine/Dry Plate manufactory.

The factory was located close to a source of water in the White Cart for use in the manufacturing process. It was demolished before World War One to make way for the extended G And J Weir’s Holm Foundry. This itself has recently been demolished to make way for a new housing development. I was making some progress, with the Photographic Works now located, but I could not find any location for the Cassel Company.

Pumping Gas

Time for a name search. First up was a British publisher, coffee merchant and social campaigner named John Cassell, who had struck liquid Gold – Oil – in Pennsylvania in 1859 and began importing it into the UK under a variant of his own name – Cazeline.

On 27th November 1862 he placed an advertisement in The Times of London for: “…the Patent Cazeline Oil, safe, economical, and brilliant […] possesses all the requisites which have so long been desired as a means of powerful artificial light.”  [Source: Wikipedia]

A slight difference in spelling of surname but he still had a connection to the chemical industry… perhaps there was still a link? I then found note of court proceedings around the patent for the oil. It turns out that sales of the oil had taken a major downturn during 1863, specifically in Dublin.

It transpired that a Mr Samuel Boyd was selling counterfeit Cazeline, changing the name by adding a stroke onto the letter C to ‘create’ Gazeline. Mr Boyd denied imitation. The court ruled in Cassell’s favour – but it’s believed to be the source of a new word to the English language – Gasoline – which is ubiquitous in its use in North America.

The Treasure of the Sierra Tharsis

However, that Cassell would appear to have no connection with Scotland, let alone Glasgow and Cathcart. A sideways search revealed that a Charles Tennant had shares in the Cassel Gold Extracting Company, as well as a mineral mining venture in Huelva Province in Spain, a place known to the Romans as Tharsis.

Charles Clow Tennant (1823–1906) was the grandson of Charles Tennant (1768-1838), the founder of the St. Rollox Chemical Works, and succeeded him in the business.

The mines, in the Sierra de Tharsis, were rediscovered by a French engineer Ernest Deligny in 1853. However, by 1860 there were difficulties especially in relation to transport, and approaches were made to a group of British alkali makers, headed by the second Charles Tennant, to acquire the venture.

The alkali makers were primarily interested in the business as a means of obtaining sulphur, a by-product of the process whereby copper is extracted from pyrites. Importantly, gold could also be recovered from the residue. It was agreed and Tennant renamed the company – the Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Co. Ltd., with its Head Office at 136, West George Street, Glasgow.

Fast forward 20 years and by the 1880s the world’s gold industry was in a precarious state due to the low yields from ores from mines.  Tennant and his partners turned to Henry Rennel Cassel; a German-born metallurgist from New York. The Cassel Gold Extracting Company was formed in Glasgow in 1884 to exploit Cassel’s patents for an electrochemical process. However:

“… his activities proved wholly fraudulent. As The Glasgow Herald noted, ‘Yankee cuteness has been too much for Scotch credulity’. Cassel, having swindled the Glasgow adventurers out of some £8 million at today’s value, absconded to the USA…” [Source: New Scientist 29/6/1996]

This was more a major blow to pride rather than finances, as it is noted of the Tharsis Company that:

“…During the twenty-one years ending December 31st, 1887, the company’s gross profits from all actual industrial and commercial undertakings, have amounted to £5,983,082, of which £3,942,318 have been distributed in dividends. These dividends have, in many instances, been remarkable in their eminently satisfactory character.” [Source: Glasgow Index of Firms, 1888]

‘MacArthur’s’ Gold

What could be done about the existential problem of low recovery rates from ore..? Step forward Glaswegian chemist, John Stewart MacArthur, who was then working in the laboratory of the Tharsis Company as an apprentice chemist.

He entered into a partnership with Doctors William and Robert Forest to develop a process using a dilute cyanide solution and then zinc, to dissolve gold, silver and other ores. On the 19th of October 1887, a patent (No. 14,174 of 1887) was granted to J MacArthur and Wm. Forrest for an invention of “Improvements in obtaining gold and silver from ores and other compounds.”

It soon became the global standard.  Within two years of its introduction in South Africa the total weight of gold produced had risen from forty thousand to one hundred thousand ounces per month. Stagnation in the gold-mining industry was arrested and the new process had striking effects. Instead of being able to refine only around 45% of metal from complex ores, as before, 98% extraction could now be achieved.

John Stewart MacArthur went on to develop processes for the use of radium compounds in medicine, and for luminous paints, and died in 1920 at the age of 63 in his home at 12 Knowe Terrace (now Shields Road) in Pollokshields.

Gold or Poison?

The process development was initially housed in doctors William and Robert Forest’s office in the Gorbals. So how did it end up in Cathcart? I went back to the records for the Tharsis Company (which had a stake in Cassel) to look at its ownership and management.

“…very large and handsome offices are occupied in West George Street, and the routine business of the concern receives the attention of an executive staff, consisting of Mr. Jonathan Thomson Secretary; Mr. William A. Verel, General Manager; and Mr. Theodore Merz, Technical Manager. At the head of the directorate appears the well-known name of Sir Charles Tennant”  [Source: Bart Glasgow Index of Firms, 1888]

So, the connection seems to be Mr William Verel, the owner of the Photographic works. It would be likely that his company would be well suited to this enterprise, given its background in chemicals and the location close to a supply of both power and water.

The ‘Spanish’ Connection

An interesting aside is that the Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Co. Ltd base in Huelva encouraged a flow of students to the University of Glasgow. As a blog post from the University in December 2012 says,

“…while looking at the Spanish-born students from the late nineteenth-century, we spotted a increased number of those students born in the province of Huelva … Among the students born in Tharsis around that period were Mercedes Margaret Morton, the daughter of Alexander Young Morton, a medical graduate of the University and a doctor for the Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Company Ltd. She returned to the University, following in her father’s footsteps, and graduated MB ChB in 1917…” [Source: University of Glasgow’s International Story, blog post, December 2012]

As well as students coming to Glasgow, Glasgow’s rail infrastructure was added to Spain!

“The company added infrastructure, constructing the Tharsis railway along the river Odiel, which was completed and in use by 1871. Its unusual dimensions also had a direct Glasgow connection: with a width of 4 feet, or 1.220 mm, they were the same dimensions used exclusively for the Glasgow underground. The railway had 53 steam locomotives, serving both industry and passengers, and is today the only mining railway in Huelva that is still used for industrial freight.”  [Source: ibid]

Cathcart’s long association with Spain continued until ScottishPower, part of the Spanish owned Iberdrola Group, moved to its new offices in the centre of Glasgow.

The White Cart is the golden thread that interweaves the industrial, economic and social history of Old and New Cathcart, and indeed much of the Southside. It also created a golden link to a much older story, connecting the Phoenicians who established mining operations in Huelva with Victorian engineering, entrepreneurial expertise and a generous helping of Glaswegian verve.

—

By Graeme Boyle

Published 14th September 2024

The post Gas, Petrol and Alchemy in Cathcart appeared first on SGHET.

With #LoveYourLibraries month drawing to a close, World Book Day fast approaching on 3rd March and Covid restrictions easing, there’s no better time to visit a local library and find a good book.

The Southside of Glasgow boasts several historic libraries which have provided its communities with fiction, information and welcoming reading space down the decades. This article takes a look at the built heritage of some of these libraries, most of which are still functioning to this day.

(former) Hutchesontown Library

The first building on this list, though not functioning as a library anymore, is of such a striking design that it’s worth a much closer look. The Hutchesontown District Library located on McNeil Street in the Gorbals opened in 1906 and was the last of the libraires designed by James Robert Rhind.

Rhind, an Inverness-born architect, was chosen to design seven of the twelve libraries using the £150,000 gifted to Glasgow by Andrew Carnegie in 1901. The Edwardian Renaissance style, with its exaggerated arches and domed corner rooftops, heavily influenced Rhind’s designs and is beautifully displayed in this grand building.

The library’s stock began at 9,600 books and grew due to several donations from private donors. Above the main entrance, St. Mungo is depicted, accompanied by 6 figures holding the Glasgow Coat of Arms emblems: the bird, the bell, the fish and the tree.

These emblems such as the tree and fish can also be seen further up the building, just below the domed rooftops.

The largest of these rooftops, guarded by four winged lions, is topped with a bronze angel holding an opened book. This sculpture was designed by Glasgow-born William Brown, who worked with Rhind on a number of his libraries.

Though unfortunately we are no longer able to use this building as a library, as it closed in 1964, we may still walk past and admire its impressive design.

Govanhill Library

Govanhill library, located on the corner of Calder St and Langside Rd and opened in 1906, is another of the Carnegie libraries designed by Rhind. This majestic but compact building boasts a large sandstone dome as well as several columns and statues.

Once again Rhind’s particular renaissance style is on display, resulting in an impressive building which is still used as a library and open to the public 5 days a week. This library was initially split into four main parts, these being a general reading room, ladies reading room and separate reading rooms for boys and girls. The library had space for 10,000 books and stocked many newspapers, periodicals, magazines and reference books.

At the top of the dome, we can see another example of William Brown’s sculpture-making, this bronze angel stands on one foot and extends one arm. In 1995 this sculpture was stolen by 4 men posing as workmen, fortunately it was recovered by police and still stands in its rightful place.

The statues on the roof of the building depict a mother reading to her children and so reiterate the buildings intended purpose, as a place of learning.

The entrance of the building is an arched doorway, complete with a decorative keystone and lunette stating the libraries name. Above this, you can see two cherubs welcoming you inside. Why not take them up on this offer and give this historic library a visit?

Pollokshields Library

This library dates back to 1907 when it was opened by Sir John Stirling Maxwell. Located on Leslie Street, the plans for Pollokshields Library were prepared by Thomas Gilmor and Alexander McDonald. Notably, the library stocks books and magazines in Urdu to accommodate for locals of Indian, Pakistan and Sri Lankan origin.

On the outside of the building there are three plaques inscribed with ‘The Arts’, ‘History’ and ‘Literature’, these give an insight into the main categories of books the library originally stocked.

Above these plaques we can admire the large, arched windows and the accompanying decorative features. These include stone laurels and the heads of a lion and a dragon.

Similar to the Hutchesontown Library, St. Mungo can be seen depicted above the doorway, but this time he is seen integrated more typically into the Glasgow Coat of Arms design.

This library is open 5 days a week and so whether you’re wanting to browse for a novel, brush up on your Urdu or simply admire the architecture, it is worth a visit!

We’ll explore more historic Southside Libraries in a future post.

By Harry Sittlington

Photos by Deirdre Molloy

Published 21st February 2022

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Find these and other Glasgow Libraries current opening hours here.

Become a member of Glasgow Libraries – join here.

For #WorldBookDay and every day, remember to also support your local bookshops in the Southside:

Mount Florida Books, 1069 Cathcart Rd, Glasgow G42 9AF (Website / Twitter / Instagram)

Outwith Books, 14 Albert Road, Govanhill, Glasgow G42 8DN (Facebook  / Twitter / Instagram)

Young’s Interesting Books, 18 Skirving St, Shawlands, Glasgow G41 3AB (Facebook)

The post Southside Libraries : Pollokshields, Hutchesontown & Govanhill’s historic public buildings appeared first on SGHET.

In August last year I posted an article on our blog attempting to give an overview of the story of the Pollok Free State. It spoke about the protest camp and the campaigns in the 1980s and early 1990s against the M77 motorway extension through southside communities. Since the article we have received some incredible donations to the SGHET Archive to help document and illustrate this story and piece of local heritage.

Donations of newspaper clippings, grassroots zines, posters and publications give some great details and insight into the story. Media clippings show the varying ways the media portrayed the protestors and the camp and items from the camp itself, like the PFS University enrolment form, give insight into the driving forces behind the movement. The collection also shows the work involved in organising the campaign of protest and how to inform and engage individuals and communities.

Thanks to these generous donations there is a lot to be found within the archive. The selection here speaks to the legacy of the protests and the camp, and  is punctuated throughout with memories and reflections on Pollok Free State from individuals who spent time in the camp.

Protests in the Media

A double-page spread in the Evening Times, October 1994, showing a photograph of the road construction cutting through large green fields with houses in the distance. A graphic on the left charts the route of the motorway through different communities amidst opposition, and includes an image of Arden bridge with the words “No death M-way. We don’t need” spray painted in red.

“The planned concrete will swallow up 95,000 square yards of rural land – some of it in Pollok estate. The land is recognised by Glasgow City Council as an important site of interest to nature conservation. The region can do nothing about this.”

The hotline listed also reported 68% of callers as being opposed to the road but also reported some individuals flooding the phone lines and voting repeatedly.

This poster was created as part of the S.T.A.R.R (Stop The Ayr Road Route) campaign to inform and engage Glasgow’s southside communities in opposition of the motorway extension. Designed to be hung in windows as a show of support, one side shows an image of trees in Pollok Estate and the words NO M77 overlaid. On the other, a timeline traces the proposals for and protests against, the motorway. It starts with the gifting of the Pollok Estate to the people of Glasgow and ends with the formation of the Pollok Free State camp.

The poster also details the aims of the S.T.A.R.R group, the organisations that form it, what people could do to get involved, and upcoming events of note. The events include a family day, a big shared meal at the camp, and a public meeting in City Halls. Notably, it also declares August 20^th as Pollok Free State Independence Day (by complete coincidence we were only 4 days off sharing our original blog post).

This 1994 photograph from The Scotsman shows protestors sitting with the NO M77 posters outside a council meeting. The story below reports on protestors breaking into the meeting.

The Scottish Daily Mail (March 1995) has a front-page banner dedicated to the “dramatic report and pictures.”

Researcher Dr Wallace McNeish on the legacies of Pollok Free State:

“While the anti-M77 alliance was ultimately unsuccessful in achieving its aims of stopping this particular motorway from being built, it was nevertheless part of a successful UK-wide protest movement against the then Tory government’s £23bn Roads for Prosperity programme. At its height in the mid-1990s, this movement included over 300 local opposition groups, with high-profile direct-action protests taking place at Twyford Down, Wanstead, Batheaston, Newbury and Fairmile as well as the south-side of Glasgow. What protests like those centred on the Pollok Free State showed was that very different constituencies of people can be together in dialogue and united action around a common cause. In the run-up to the 1997 General Election the government was under such political pressure that it slashed its unpopular road-building programme by more than two-thirds to £6bn and abandoned the most contentious of its remaining plans.”

Photograph showing women wearing face masks and holding a hand-painted banner that reads “for our children NO M77” with the lower half of the banner obscured. The article states that the protest was part of International Women’s Day and notes that the Pollok area is above average for asthma rates in children.

Women’s Environmental Network flyer with overleaf giving information on air pollution and offering advice on how to protest and take action against air pollution.

An image in the Daily Record (1994) shows a pair of protestors passing the time with some music at the offices of a construction firm Tarmac on Nithsdale Road.

Wallace McNeish:

“Sometimes environmentalism is painted as a middle-class type of politics that is cut off from the lives of so called ‘ordinary people.’  What the Pollok protests showed was that this is far from always the case. The residents of the Free State were often locals themselves – including its founder Colin MacLeod – and it simply could not have been developed over approximately two years without support from the adjacent working-class estates. Indeed, a key legacy of the Free State is the Gal-Gael Trust which grew out of Colin and Gehan Macleod’s commitment to providing training for the unemployed in Glasgow’s south-side communities.”

“It is notable that the eco-activism of the mid-1990s around the roads issue did not tend to frame the issue in terms of climate change – instead the issues of sustainability, pollution and amenity were to the forefront. It is also the case that new non-violent direct-action tactics were pioneered by Free State activists and other anti-road protesters, and have become part and parcel of the tactical repertoire of subsequent generations of eco-activists protesting unsustainable development, like the Extinction Rebellion movement.”

Inside the Camp

The Pollok Free State Passport above shows the symbol of PFS with figures in a circular emblem and details of foliage, animals, plants, and tools. In August 1994, when PFS declared independence these passports were handed out to over 1000 “citizens.”

The passport has sections inside to fill out details of passport number, Pollok name, adopted tree, and folds out into the Declaration of Independence, featuring a quote from Robert Burns’ “The Tree of Liberty.” The declaration references the history of land ownership in Scotland and outlines the need for connection to place and land for health and wellbeing.

Local protestor Helen Melone on her memories of a Free State:

“When I first visited Pollok as part of the protests, my favourite area was a patch of trees which were all cut down at the St Valentine’s Day Massacre. I’d adopted one of those trees as my own friendly tree and climbed it every time I went, even though there were a few rotten branches at the top. I’d put a rope round the trunk to help me climb it more easily.”

Above is a 3D scan of a stone carving by Colin Macleod from Pollok Free State. You can view the model in ‘matcap’ through the model inspector to see the skill of the stonework and the detail of the design. The design features Pollok Free State symbols, Earth First logos, elements referencing Native American and Aboriginal land rights, and Celtic stone carving akin to the medieval Govan school of design featuring interlace and hunter figures.

Feature on Pollok Free State campsite in the Spectrum section of Scotland on Sunday (1995). Images show a treehouse in Pollok Free State, with windows and a tarpaulin roof, and a banner hanging from the tree reading ‘RESPECT’, and view of the camp with a fire in the centre, seats, ladders, sculptures and sun coming through the trees. The journalist recalls spending time in the camp and speaking to those involved, giving a feel of the atmosphere:

“The gain outweighs the sacrifice. It’s a community, with warmth, companionship, shared meals around the fire, the healthy tiredness of the fresh air at the end of the day, the self-esteem of doing something worthwhile […] for every set of dreadlocks, every Visigoth t-shirt or willie winkie knitted hat, there is a campaigner in a Gore-tex anorak with newsreader hair. The startling thing is how wide a cross-section – of nationality, class, subculture – the campaigners represent.”

Wallace McNeish:

“During 1995 and 1996 I was a young Glasgow University PhD student who spent considerable time researching the protests against the M77 extension as part of a wider sociology project on the then burgeoning anti-roads protest movement in the UK. The Pollok Free State was the epicentre hub that facilitated and sustained a vital alliance between young radical eco-activists and community activists from the surrounding estates of Pollok and Corkerhill. I observed as the Free State morphed from a few tents around a campfire into a fortified encampment with outposts along the M77 route during its protest-action phase, to eventually become a colourful education oriented eco-hamlet with a wood-workshop, large central tree-house, public artworks, gardens, paths, and even a compost-toilet. My daughter Catriona was only a toddler at the time, and I remember her joy at the totem poles, walkways, and colourful spectacle of this ‘dear green place’ in the woods. Most of all though I remember the warmth and helpfulness of the people involved.”

Pollok Free State University enrolment form. Describes some of the activities at the camp that would have involved workshops and talks. The curriculum includes social history, living skills and creativity.

Postcard references the Criminal Justice Bill. Overleaf is handwritten note that reads “Hi Bigs, Got your call, hope to see you soon. I am going to Pollok this weekend. Tell Robo I miss him very much!!! Lots of love and peace, your big pal Big Ben”. The protests at Pollok Free State were also tied into protesting the Criminal Justice Act as it was passed in part to quell public gatherings and could be used to disband and remove the camp.

Helen Melone :

“I did spend a few overnights in tree houses and I’ve never been so cold in my life. My own flat in the West End was pretty poverty-stricken as well (no hot water and only a gas heater to stay warm) but it was better than staying in the camp. I remember having good conversations with Walter Morrison and he was the one who explained it best – how whole communities, like Corkerhill, were going to be cut off from each other by a huge, big road and cut off from their green spaces too. It was hard to imagine this, as plans and drawings didn’t quite convey the enormity of it all.”

Photo in Scotland on Sunday (February 1995), of carhenge stunt, showing upended and burnt out car, spray painted with NO M77, dug into the construction landscape for the motorway. The article details attempts by campaigners to drum up support, and quotes a conversation with a local woman and her children protesting in the camp.

Helen Melone:

“I remember there being a good balance of people from the local area at various points. I would meet interesting women who had different experiences of activism than me – I made some friends I’m still in touch with today many years later! The poverty-stricken flat I shared with my pal Iain hosted a load of people from Manchester Earth First, who came along to show their support and offered to help out – this was also the same night where a few of us stayed up all night making banners out of hospital sheets (saying No M77) with the intent of hanging them from the Finnieston crane the next day. All the people I met, whether fun, interesting or dangerous were worth getting to know, and all brought something different to my life.”

Earth First! “Busted in defence of mother earth?” leaflet giving advice on what to do if arrested during a protest. Offers contacts for legal support, and gives advice on rights if stopped, detained, or arrested.

The collection also holds a selection of documents from the Earth First offices (not pictured) that give great insight into the practicalities of organising the campaign of opposition to the M77, such as a booklet on how to liaise with the media, so how to contact news desks and journalists, and the importance of making sure your version of events reaches audiences. It also included different iterations of “the phone tree”’ a handwritten document with a changing series of numbers to call when security arrived at the camp, so that they could get people down to the camp to oppose eviction attempts or tree cuttings.

Helen Melone :

“I remember the day of 14th February (Valentine’s Day Massacre) where they activated the phone tree early – might have been as early as 5am, saying the diggers were coming into the camp. I don’t remember exactly how I got there from the West End, bus maybe – but I remember running through the back woods trying to get there faster, amid the awful sound of trees groaning as they were cut down (I still remember that to this day – a horrible groaning noise that could be heard from far away). When I got to the camp, all the trees on the other side of the wood (including my friendly tree) were all down and it was a mess over there – looked like a wasteland.”

Image in Scotland on Sunday (1995) of construction workers with chainsaws. Caption reads: “Chainsaw massacre…In the face of mounting protests the company is considering bypassing the gathering of tree houses, teepees and totem poles known as the Pollok Free State.”

Legacy and Changing Relationships with Green Space

This photograph of a protestor dressed as death holding sign that says M77 pollution kills, is featured in an article in The Evening Times (March 1995) written by the Secretary at the north Pollok community council. They write about the adverse effects on the low health of the disadvantaged areas involved and about media attempts to smear the camp as outsiders and rent-a-mob.

Helen Melone :

“I think perhaps people took their outdoor space for granted, until recently with COVID-19 and lots of lockdowns, people are really discovering their local areas and valuing them much more. I think Pollok Park is different from many other parks in Glasgow because it’s a country park and it really does feel that you are away from the city and the traffic when you’re in it.

I remember one night at the camp, there was a party on, and I walked along the pre-road surface right to the river Cart and I sat down at the edge of the bank for hours. It felt like a different planet.

Now, my favourite part of the park is Rhododendron Walk and the continuation Lime Avenue over the hill down towards Pollok House. If you go in May, the rhododendrons are flowering and they’re so beautiful and colourful. So my first connection with Pollok Park was a feeling of having something wild, feeling like it belongs to me and the second time it gave me the feeling of being away from the city.

While we didn’t stop the road, it showed what we can do when we work together. It also shows what power the press has (which we were speaking to as much as we could) so there’s many skills I have from that campaign – working with people who could be really difficult to engage with, and it was really difficult to get consensus and agreement on things. It felt like one of those forming experiences you have in your life – it might not be pleasant, there’s good and there’s bad but you come away from it and know that something has fundamentally changed in you.”

This photograph shows protestors on the Finnieston crane and the title accompanying it reads “I’ll go back to the peace camps!” – Stewart’s promise after an incident where the councillor brandished an axe at protestors in the camp. (Unknown paper or date).

Conclusion

We would like to extend a massive thank you for the generous donations from the people from the Earth First Glasgow offices and Helen Melone, for holding on to such a fascinating treasure trove of documents and cuttings over the years. And to Wallace McNeish for sharing documents and experiences from his research at the time. The protests and campaigns from Pollok Free State continue to have a legacy of community and commitment to your local environment and its people.

Keep an eye out for the next post in this series with Pollok Artists in Residence Hannah Brackston and Dan Sambo, who will share how they are drawing upon this piece of local heritage in workshops with young people in Pollok.

We are working to digitise aspects of our archive and create an online platform to browse the SGHET collections. In the meantime, if you would like to view any of the collection, for research or personal interests, or if you would like to donate anything, please do get in touch.

If this has brought up any memories of the time for you, we would love to hear from you, get in touch at info@sghet.com or via Facebook or Twitter.

By Romy Galloway

SGHET Board Member

Read the previous article: Pollok Free State and its Legacy

The post Pollok Free State: Archive Selections and Reflections appeared first on SGHET.

Maxwell Park and Pollokshields Burgh Hall have a fascinating history, involving barrage balloons, West Indies slave plantations, and freemasons.

Maxwell Park

In 1887, Scottish politician, baronet, and philanthropist Sir John Stirling Maxwell gifted the land that is now Maxwell Park to the burgh of Pollokshields, for the development of Pollokshields Burgh Halls and public gardens. The area was entirely agricultural until 1850. The park contains a variety of different plants and flowers that were taken from the gardens of his home Pollok House, in what is now Pollok Country Park. These species are believed to have been brought back from around the world by botanist and explorer George Forrest. Many of the flowers can be found in the ornamental bed that used to be the base of the Hamilton memorial fountain. Forrest’s expeditions to the Himalayas were responsible for many unique species becoming part of Scotland’s garden heritage at Pollok House and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Building on this heritage, the community launched a plant nursery with the support of the Friends of Maxwell Park in 2012.

Not many people know that there was a barrage balloon mooring site in the South West section of Maxwell Park. This site was part of a network that protected the people and war-time industry of central Glasgow and the Clyde from low flying enemy bombers during World War II. The park has many significant features including Pollokshields Burgh Hall, ornamental horticultural bedding displays, a formal play area, and a commemorative George Forrest display plant bed. There’s also a pond with wildlife, and what the local Helen Millar and her friends called the ‘elephant stone’, when growing up – a large rock for children to play on – nearby.

The Stirling Maxwells

The Maxwells/Stirling Maxwells of Pollok House in Pollok Park were one of the most eminent families in South Glasgow. Sir John Maxwell, 2^nd Baronet, had Pollok House (now A listed) built from 1747-1752. The 10^th Baronet, Sir John Stirling Maxwell (1866-1956) inherited Pollok House in 1887, and opened the estate to the public in 1911. He gifted land that now contains Maxwell Park to the burgh of Pollokshields in 1887; you can still see the Maxwell family motto, ‘Do Good While the Holly is Green,’ carved on the wall of Pollokshields Burgh Hall (also A listed), in the park. He was Chairman of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland, and a Trustee of the National Galleries of Scotland, one of the founding members of The National Trust (and one of its first Presidents) and became a noted art collector. After he died in 1956, his daughter Anne gave Pollok House, the art collection, library, and 361 acres of surrounding land, to the City of Glasgow.

Links to Slavery

The Stirling Maxwells inherited their wealth in part from Archibald Stirling the elder (1710-1783), who made his fortune through his sugar plantations, using slave labour, in Jamaica. Archibald Stirling the younger (1768-1847) was also planter and slaveowner in Jamaica. After the British Abolition of Slavery Act of 1833 the younger Archibald Stirling was awarded £12,517 in compensation (over £50 million in today’s money) for the 690 enslaved people across his estates: Hampden in St. James, Frontier in St. Mary, Kerr or Keir Settlement in Trelawney, and Grange Hill in Westmoreland, all in Jamaica. He returned to Scotland and married Elizabeth Maxwell (daughter of Sir John Maxwell (7th Baronet) and sister of Sir John Maxwell (8th Baronet of Pollok). Their son Sir William Stirling of Keir went on to become Sir William Stirling Maxwell (9th Baronet of Pollok). You can learn more about this family in our July 2020 blog on the Maxwells.

Architect Henry Clifford

Pollokshields Burgh Hall was exhibited in 1890, and officially complete in 1893, to a design by architect Henry (Harry) Edward Clifford (1852-1932). Clifford has connections to slavery both through his family and his work for the Stirling Maxwells. He was born in Trinidad to a family of sugar plantation holders. When his father died, the Cliffords moved to Glasgow. He studied and taught at Glasgow School of Art, won prizes for his work, and set up his architecture partnership Landless & Clifford, before going solo. He lived with his mother and sisters in Pollokshields. Clifford achieved national fame in 1901 by winning the Glasgow Royal Infirmary competition, although the commission was eventually given to James Miller. Clifford designed Pollokshields Burgh Hall in the Scottish Renaissance style. He clearly remembered his time in the Caribbean fondly as well, and named two of his buildings Woodbrook House after the Trinidad estate, one on Elphinstone Road, Whitecraigs, the other at Reigate.

Pollokshields Burgh Hall

The A listed halls form an asymmetrical composition of 17th-century towers and wings, made of dark red sandstone (in contrast to the blond sandstone of many surrounding villas). The buildings include an adjoining Jacobean lodge (refurbished 1996), and gate leading to the Maxwell Park drive. The Maxwell coat of arms appears on the entrance archway, flanked by lions, and is set in marble on the floor of the building entrance. You can see Maxwell’s motto ‘Do Good While the Holly is Green’ carved on the wall outside the building, and in the large east window. The halls feature a range of stained glass windows gifted by Pollokshields residents, a Venetian window, a 1935 west window bearing the emblem of the Corporation of Glasgow, and 17th-century-style Masonic stained glass. The building is maintained by Pollokshields Burgh Hall Trust.

Freemasons

The building has been used as a masonic lodge since it was built, and the arch built into the back wall displays several carved Masonic emblems and the Masonic symbol. The Memorial Window in the main hall depicts the glory of the afterlife, with the two pillars on the side panels representing the entrance to the Sanctum. The inscription on the centre panel reads:

“To the memory of departed brethren”.

The Minor Hall features a window dedicated to Saint John, Patron Saint of Freemasonry with the motto ‘Gloria in Excelsis’, presented by Morris Carswell, First Master of Lodge Pollok. The other window is dedicated to St. Andrew the Patron Saint of Scotland, with the motto ‘Virtute in Silentio’, and was also presented by a freemason, David R. Clark. Both windows display masonic emblems, and were gifted in 1890.

Southside Slavery Legacies project 2020

South Glasgow Heritage and Environment Trust are currently working on the #SouthsideSlaveryLegacies project, including a potential heritage trail and walks, as well as blogs on our website, and published articles.

If you would like to know more or become involved, please subscribe to our mailing list, message us on Facebook or Twitter or contact info@sghet.com

Sources:

Canmore: Maxwell Park

Canmore: Pollokshields Burgh Hall

Discover Glasgow

Friends of Maxwell Park

Legacies of British Slave-ownership

MeasuringWorth.com

Pollokshields Burgh Hall

Pollokshields Trust

Rias.Org

Runaway Slaves in Britain.

Scotland and the Slave Trade

Scottish Architects

Slavery, Abolition and the University of Glasgow

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Tramway is a contemporary theatre and art space that used to be a Transport Museum, and before that, a tram shed. It is, as the venue boasts on its website:

”An industrial cathedral that connects art with humanity…It’s real, it speaks of the city’s history, it speaks of Glasgow.”

Glasgow was once a city with over a thousand trams. For only a few pennies, the trams took people across the city, and out of it, as far as Milngavie, Paisley, Renfrew, Clydebank, Uddingston and Airdrie. Tramway was established as Coplawhill tram shed in 1893, and was once the city’s main terminus, depot, and factory. But in 1962, crowds of up to 250,000 gathered in the rain to watch a parade of the last trams in Glasgow. They drove from the east end, through the city centre, to be scrapped at South Side Car Works. People were ‘hanging out of tenement windows’ (Black), with children climbing over each other to see the trams off.

The Last Days of the Trams

Glasgow was not just losing the trams, it was losing a way of life. Women had been driving or working as conductors on many of the trams since the First World War, but they could not get work on the buses that replaced the old trams. Glasgow’s transport corporation did not employ women in the 1960s. The new buses were also more expensive, making it harder for poorer people to take trips out of the city. The old trams, or ‘caurs’ as the locals called them, had had some of the cheapest travel rates in world. The staff of the old trams held a funeral wake at Dalmarnock depot, where they danced and drank to the end of an era. You can see footage of the last trams here, in a short video about the final days of the network.

Museum of Transport

Once the trams had been scrapped, the Tramway was converted into the Museum of Transport. In 1986 this museum was relocated to Kelvinhall in the west end of Glasgow, before being moved again to its current location in including Glasgow’s Riverside Museum. Today you can visit the museum, and see a few of the trams that avoided the scrapyard.

Tramway

In the 1980s, the Tramway was vacant and facing demolition. It was relaunched in 1988 – in preparation for Glasgow’s year as City of Culture 1990 – as a performance and arts space. The venue opened with Peter Brook’s Mahabharata, a nine-hour long stage adaptation of the Hindu epic poem. In the years that followed, Tramway established its reputation for showcasing innovative work. Tramway featured British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy’s Snowballs in Summer, work by Canadian director Robert Lepage, and the development of a major exhibitions programme including pieces by British artist David Mach, and several Italian artists. By 1991, The Independent stated that ‘The brightest legacy of Glasgow’s year as City of Culture is surely the survival of Tramway’.

Since then, Tramway has hosted, exhibited, and commissioned innovative work by both emerging and established contemporary artists and performers, from Scotland and the rest of the world. The venue has multiple exhibition and performance spaces, where you can see theatre, dance, drag, site-specific installations, film, painting, sculpture, and everything else in between. Numerous artists commissioned by Tramway have received international acclaim for their work, such as Turner Prize winner Douglas Gordon, and Scotland’s Venice Biennale 2007 representative Henry Coombes.

Today

Tramway is also now one of the main venues for Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Art. The venue reopened after renovations in 2000, with upgraded stage and exhibition spaces, a café, and residency, rehearsal, and workshop spaces. In 2003, the award-winning Hidden Gardens opened just behind the Tramway, featuring original artworks, and acting as an event and workshop space. The Tramway has continued expanding. In 2009, the venue became the new headquarters for Scottish Ballet. The building now also hosts family-friendly and youth-focused events, and residencies, including its own award-winning youth-theatre, Junction 25; the Tramway Young Critics programme; and Time for Art, a practical art workshop for over 55s. The venue continues to showcase innovative contemporary works, with shows regularly selling out. I would recommend a visit if you can, to see some of the incredible performances and exhibitions, and explore this incredible historic venue for yourself.

Saskia McCracken

Sources:

Tramway: A History

Riverside Museum

BBC News

History Scotland

The Last Trams

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