Local folk passing the unloved and empty Poundworld shopfront on Kilmarnock Rd may not know of its colourful past and the contribution it made to the Scottish music scene in the 1970s and 1980s.

Some key and influential names in Scottish, UK and global rock and pop plied their musical skills and mingled in their early days in the compact surrounds of this now vacant retail unit, which has gone through a number of changes…

The Kilmarnock Rd site began life as a F.W. Woolworth & Co Ltd store in 1936.

In the 1960s, Woolworths (as it became known as) relocated to bigger premises on the opposite side of the road, in the newly built Shawlands Arcade.

The old Woolworths building became a pub called Doune Castle, and sadly they plastered over the unlisted Art Deco stone facade, making it more fashionable but a somewhat less timeless building.

The Doune Castle was part of the Rio Stakis group of hotels and restaurants. Upstairs was a bar and restaurant and downstairs was a beer cellar. It was here that many upcoming musicians got an early experience of playing live.

Simple Minds, Horse McDonald, Ian Donaldson of H20, Tom Rafferty of the Primevals, Brian McNeill of China Crisis and James Grant of Love and Money all played the gloomy beer cellar along with many others.

Tom Rafferty recalls the early days of the Doune Castle and its role in the Glasgow music scene:

“My earliest public gigs were at the Doune Castle. I now realise that the room was a challenging space for bands to perform in, with stone walls, a fairly low ceiling and the stage set up so bands played across the narrowest part of the cellar. But the venue was a chance for pretty much anyone to ask for a gig and get what was usually a Tuesday night slot for a small fee.”

The venue was where many musicians started out sometimes working with others that would become successful in their own right. Tom Rafferty’s first gig was in 1979 in a band called Kashmir whose personnel also included James Grant, who went on to have chart success with Friends Again, Love and Money and is now a popular solo artist.

Simple Minds played the Doune Castle in their early days. The Herald Diary on the 11th Feb 2004 carried this memory from the band-

“The original line-up of Scots group Simple Minds was reunited this week for the first time in 20 years at the 60th birthday party of their manager, Bruce Findlay.

Guests naturally reminisced about the good old days like the time in 1978 when the Minds gigged at the Doune Castle pub in Shawlands, Glasgow, for a fee of (pounds) 25 plus a tray of filled rolls.

Sadly, the band’s performance was repeatedly interrupted by the pub’s management, asking them to turn the volume down as they were playing loudly enough to cause peas to leap off diners’ plates in the steakhouse upstairs.”

Young musicians would cut their teeth in this venue and move on to other bands, and many have crossed paths later in their career.

Brian McNeill, who went on to play keyboards with China Crisis, the Silencers, the Proclaimers, and now is Belle and Sebastian’s music producer, started out playing at the Doune around the same time as Horse McDonald was playing gigs in an earlier band. Their paths crossed again later when Brian played keyboards for Horse on their successful 1990 album ‘The Same Sky’.

Members of what would become Primal Scream also had some of their earliest live experiences in this Southside venue. Tom Rafferty recalls selling a bass amplifier to Robert Young of the band, and of meeting Robert years later at the height of their Screamadelica fame.

“I went over to say hello at a gig in Glasgow, not expecting him to remember me. He did and said ‘that Marshall amp is why I’m still doing this’.”

The Doune Castle’s legacy is more about the community that it helped to create. It gave many young musicians a chance to play live and to watch and meet other aspiring musicians, share experiences and learn their craft.

So, next time you walk past the empty shopfront on Kilmarnock Road, remember how many famous musicians that shaped Scottish music played this tiny venue before they were famous and how lucky Glasgow was to have this local music venue.

Did you ever frequent Doune Castle… what bands did you see, or did you play there? Do you have any photos from back then? Let us know in the comments.

By Dougie McLellan

Published: 1st December 2022

—

Image credits:

Kilmarnock Road, Shawlands (colour and black & white photos), circa 1969-70 – copyright of Colin Duncan.

Woolworth, Kilmarnock Rd, 1939 – copyright of Glasgow City Archives, Virtual Mitchell website.

Present day closed-down Poundworld & Kilmarnock Rd photos, 27 November 2022 – Deirdre Molloy, SGHET.

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This is not dissimilar SGHET’s own mission ‘to recognise the importance of heritage, history, and environment issues in South Glasgow and to implement a strategy towards greater knowledge for all.’ [2]

But while historic and heritage trusts are founded on the belief that historic places matter, the work to preserve and protect South Glasgow’s built environment is not solely the purview of heritage organisations.

Kinning Park Complex

For example, on 3 May 1996, residents of South Glasgow began a 55-day sit-in to save the Kinning Park Complex, built in 1911 as an addition to the Lambhill Street School.  In 1976, it was converted to a neighbourhood centre that offered a significant benefit to local residents.

However, when the Council scheduled it for closure in 1996, the community rallied and was eventually given stewardship of the building.  Though it has seen challenges with funding and maintenance since then, due to community involvement and heritage funding, a newly refurbished centre is scheduled to reopen this year. [3]

Govanhill Baths

Likewise, the Govanhill Baths, built in 1914, were threatened with closure in 2001.  On 21 March 2001, several residents occupied the building , some even chaining themselves to the cubicles.  On 7 August 2001, the Battle of Calder Street ensued when the Council and police tried to forcibly remove the Save Our Pool protestors. (N.B. The original protest website has been preserved online and can be viewed here.)

The successful occupation lasted a total of 140 days, the longest ever of a British public building, and in 2004, the Govanhill Baths Community Trust was formed to refurbish the building and return it to public use. [4]

The campaign to reopen the baths has gone on for over 20 years with adaptive restoration now finally commenced, and in the meantime, Govanhill Baths, a grass-roots activist organisation, used the space – and uses other places locally –  to provide ‘wide-ranging health, wellbeing, arts, environmental and heritage projects’ in an effort to regenerate the neighbourhood and meet the needs of the community. [5]

Govanhill Baths’ current website includes an archive of the building’s importance to Govanhill over the past 100+ years, which includes oral histories of residents describing their experiences at the Baths. [6]

It is clear that historic places matter, not only as heritage from the past but as part of our present and future well-being.  They are places where people come together and where a sense of community thrives, especially when they are championed by neighbourhood-based groups.

While we may come from vastly different backgrounds, the built heritage of South Glasgow is something we all share.  Part of the purpose of the South Glasgow Heritage and Environment Trust is to foster this sense of community among the people who live south of the Clyde, whether we have lived here for generations or are new arrivals.

Our built heritage has an impact on us, whether we are fully aware of it or not.  But why is this?  Why do historic places matter? And why should city planners and urban developers care?

These very questions were posed in a study led by Dr Rebecca Madgin of the University of Glasgow.  In their recent report Why Do Historic Places Matter? Emotional Attachments to Urban Heritage, Dr Madgin and her team sought to answer two questions:

1. How and why do people develop emotional attachments to historic urban places?
2. How do these attachments influence decision making within the urban environment?

Using evidence from Scotland and England primarily focused on the time period from 1975 to 2019, the findings of the report were supported by analyses of documents, as well as oral histories and ‘workshops which captured the thoughts and feelings of people involved with and/or impacted by urban change, including built environment professionals and local residents.’ [7]

Emotional connections are magnified in times of change

Dr Madgin’s project recognised the fact that emotional attachments are often not worn on our sleeves and rise to the surface most often during times of change.  This is clearly demonstrated by the efforts to save community buildings in Kinning Park and Govanhill and the continued work of groups like SGHET and the National Trust for Scotland. [8]

The report noted that previous research had tended to focus on economic or sustainability outcomes, but it argued for the need of ‘more engagement with the emotional dimensions of heritage by demonstrating just some of the ways in which emotion…shapes the reasons why and extent to which historic urban places can continue to matter.’ [9]

It is of note that this is exactly how the Kinning Park Complex addressed its own refurbishment, by hiring New Practice, an architectural group that aims ‘to connect people with the decision making processes that underpin the urban experience.’ [10]

Unfortunately, though, urban developers have often not given much regard to the emotional impact of change on communities, whether it be positive, negative, or neutral.  This was one of the major issues during the housing development boom in mid-century Glasgow, when residents were moved from homes in communities where they had lived, sometimes for generations, and alienated in high-rise flats that were likened to ‘an architectural representation of a filing cabinet’ by Jimmy Reid in 1972. [11]

Instead, Dr Madgin’s team, among others working in heritage, notes that more value can be given to people-centred approaches, rather than solely relying on top-down, expert-based decision-making processes.  Doing so would offer ‘a rebalance between what is valued and who ascribes value [in order to increase] focus on pluralising heritage values in ways that can include different voices and places.’ [12]  In other words, the communities where historic places exist would have some say in determining the landscape of their built heritage.

Old Victoria Infirmary incident in February 2022

It is clear, however, that developers and the Council are still hit-and-miss in the ways they engage communities in meaningful ways before selling, repurposing, closing down, or demolishing the South Glasgow built heritage.

Most recently, there was public outcry when Sanctuary tore down the iconic 133-year-old cupolas of the Old Victoria Infirmary after failing to adequately engage with community groups who proactively sought to give input and were largely ignored.

In 2018, a community-led group called the Victoria Forum made several public attempts to address Sanctuary’s masterplan with regard to development of the formerly public-owned building, noting specifically the insufficient attention paid to a ‘lack of social or economic analysis’ and ‘public realm and place-making outside the site boundary.’ [13]

While the group made recommendations that were generally more focused on best use and outcomes, they also acknowledged the impact redevelopment of the Old Victoria Infirmary would have on social bonds and identity.

Sanctuary, rather than meeting with the Victoria Forum or attending any of the many community sessions they hosted, responded that their ‘wide-ranging consultation process saw more than 600 people attend a series of open sessions to express their views on the design and redevelopment of the site’ and that the ‘vast majority of local residents [were] happy with the outcome and cannot wait to see our plans come to life.’ [14]

However, 600 people is arguably not an adequate representation of the community, and there is no indication as to what was discussed at these sessions or what the local residents were specifically ‘happy with’. [15]  One can convincingly argue, though, that based on the sustained response from the Victoria Forum and the shock exhibited by locals when the cupolas were destroyed, neither Sanctuary nor the Council adequately addressed public needs and emotional attachments to the old building.

On Twitter, Past Glasgow wrote, ‘I was standing near the gate and nearly every person who walked past was looking at and talking about the destruction.  The sense that something has been lost was palpable.’1⁶  Luckily, the B-listed administrative block, the Gatehouse building, and the Nightingale Pavilions will escape the same fate.

Langside Hall

In contrast, a larger segment of the community has already been engaged to provide input regarding changes in use at Langside Hall, which is owned by the Council and managed by Glasgow Life.  In 1902, the building was painstakingly moved from Queen Street to its current location in Queen’s Park to fulfil the Council’s commitment to provide the Southside with a public building.

There was little investment in the upkeep of the building from about the 1970s on, and once the upper floor had deteriorated to unsafe conditions and the boiler failed in 2017, the building was closed.  Langside Halls Trust has taken on the responsibility of conducting a feasibility study, securing funding, and ensuring community engagement to reopen the building as ‘a fully accessible, larger (40%) and more flexible venue, with more social space and one that is environmentally sustainable for a building that is Grade A listed.’ [17]

As the Trust began to gather feedback from the community, they found that of the respondents to a questionnaire regarding use, over 80% would like to see films and live music, 79% would like a theatre, 74% wanted space for art exhibitions, and over 60% were interested in comedy shows and classes for exercise, arts, and crafts. [18]

While full funding has yet to be fully secured, both Architectural Heritage Fund Scotland and Glasgow City Heritage Trust are currently on board, and there is hope that some funding might be forthcoming from the Council’s People Make Glasgow Communities initiative. [19]

So while the preservation of historic sites is difficult to guarantee, it seems clear that such places are important to the heritage and well-being of local communities.  The desire of so many local residents to maintain the use and their everyday experience of places such as the Kinning Park Complex, Govanhill Baths, and Langside Hall, as well as the dismay at the loss of the everyday sight of the Old Victoria Infirmary cupolas on the Southside’s landscape demonstrate that historic places do matter.

The people of the Southside do have emotional attachments to their built heritage, and developers and government entities should, as Dr Madgin urges, take a greater interest in this reality as they plan for inevitable change.

By Erin Burrows

Published 16th March 2022

References

[1] National Trust for Scotland, ‘What We Do’, National Trust for Scotland (National Trust for Scotland, 2022), https://www.nts.org.uk/ <https://www.nts.org.uk/what-we-do> [accessed 14 February 2022].

[2] ‘About Us’, SGHET <https://sghet.com/about-us/> [accessed 14 February 2022].

[3] ‘About’, Kinning Park Complex <https://www.kinningparkcomplex.org/about> [accessed 14 February 2022].

[4] ‘Occupy: 20th Anniversary Celebrations’, Govanhill Baths, 2021 <https://www.govanhillbaths.com/archive/occupy-2/> [accessed 14 February 2022].

[5] ‘Govanhill Baths’, Govanhill Baths <https://www.govanhillbaths.com/> [accessed 14 February 2022].

[6] ‘Before Closure’, Govanhill Baths, 2020 <https://www.govanhillbaths.com/archive/before-closure/> [accessed 14 February 2022].

[7] Rebecca Madgin, Why Do Historic Places Matter? Emotional Attachments to Urban Heritage <https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/research/urbanstudies/projects/whydohistoricplacesmatter/> [accessed 16 March 2022], (Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 2021), p. 1.

[8] Madgin, p. 8.

[9] Madgin, p. 8.

[10] ‘New Practice’, New Practice <https://new-practice.co.uk> [accessed 14 February 2022].

[11] James Reid, Alienation (Glasgow: University of Glasgow, 1972), p. 10.

[12] Madgin, p. 1.

[13] Victoria Forum, ‘Victoria Forum Responds to Developer Masterplan’, Victoria Forum, 2018 <https://newoldvickydotorg.wordpress.com/2018/01/21/victoria-forum-responds-to-developer-masterplan/> [accessed 4 March 2022].

[14] ‘Council Criticised for Failure to Support Community during Victoria Infirmary Development’, Glasgow Times <https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/16832820.council-criticised-failure-support-community-victoria-infirmary-development/> [accessed 4 March 2022].

[15] ‘Council Criticised’.

[16] Past Glasgow (@PastGlasgow, 21 February 2022), ‘I was standing near the gate and nearly every person who walked past was looking at and talking about the destruction.  The sense that something has been lost was palpable.’ (tweet) <https://twitter.com/PastGlasgow/status/1495844779363549190> [accessed 4 March 2022].

[17] Langside Area Partnership, ‘Update, Langside Halls Trust’ (Glasgow City Council, 2021) <https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/Councillorsandcommittees/viewDoc.asp?c=P62AFQDNZL2U0GT1DN> [accessed 4 March 2022].

[18] Drew Sandelands and Gary Armstrong, ‘Langside Halls Revamp Proposal Released as Glaswegians Asked to Give Their Views’, GlasgowLive, 2021 <https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/langside-halls-revamp-proposal-released-19821827> [accessed 4 March 2022].

[19] Langside Area Partnership, p. 1.

Further reading:

Borysławski, Rafał, and Alicja Bemben, eds., Emotions as Engines of History (Oxon: Routledge, 2022)

Contested Histories in Public Spaces: Principles, Processes, Best Practices (London: International Bar Association, 2021)

Maerker, Anna, Simon Sleight, and Adam Sutcliffe, eds., History, Memory and Public Life: The Past in the Present (London: Routledge, 2018)

Marchant, Alicia, ed., Historicising Heritage and Emotions: The Affective Histories of Blood, Stone and Land (Oxon: Routledge, 2019)

Martin, Claire, and Charles Landry, ‘Charles Landry: Applying Emotional Intelligence’, Landscape Architecture Australia, 151, 2016, 40–43

Scottish Government, Our Place in Time: The Historic Environment Strategy for Scotland (Edinburgh: Scottish Government, 2014)

Sullivan, Gavin Brent, ‘Collective Pride, Happiness, and Celebratory Emotions’, in Collective Emotions, ed. by Christian von Scheve and Mikko Salmela (Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 266–80

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There have been many arguments about the boundaries of Strathbungo over the years, but this is because it has never had any formal designation, and still doesn’t. It has claimed to be in Renfrewshire mostly, Lanarkshire when it suited, in Govan Parish, but claimed by Cathcart.

The east side of Pollokshaws Road was absorbed into Crosshill Police Burgh in 1871, before both Crosshill and Strathbungo were annexed to Glasgow in 1891. So the tenements across the road on the west side, known then as Regent Park Terrace, were in Strathbungo, and the tenements on the east side, called Bute Terrace, were in Crosshill.

You will see this is reflected in the details of the street name signs on the street corners, although many on the east side have the designating text mysteriously covered up – most likely the residents objected to being placed in Crosshill, when they felt more attached to Strathbungo.

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Originally opened on Christmas Day 1922 The Waverley Picture House was a 1320 capacity cinema that was designed by Watson, Salmond & Gray for Shawlands Picture House Ltd. The prominent corner dome with Egyptian columns makes it a handsome building. Inside is/was just as impressive with a barrel roof ceiling and columns along the sides.

As well as a cinema the Waverley also contained tea rooms in the early years. In 1928 a Christie two-manual theatre organ was installed in the cinema before the building was taken over by Associated British Cinemas (ABC) a year later. The organ was removed in 1953 and the name was changed from Waverley to ABC in 1964.

The cinema was eventually closed in 1973 before being converted into a Bingo hall and then a Snooker club before closing again in the late 1990s. It was derelict until 2002 when it was bought by G1 Group and where it served as a nightclub called ‘Tusk’ as well as the ‘Waverley Tea Rooms’ which operated as a separate business just slightly further along Moss-side Road. Tusk was closed in 2009 and Waverley Tea Rooms suffered the same fate in 2017.

Thankfully the beautiful exterior of this building will be retained as it was Grade B and then Grade A Listed by Historic Environment Scotland in 1992/3, and in 2019 it was announced that a ‘national operator’ would be taking on the building. Nothing has happened since then however, and the exterior of the building is in a visibly ever-deteriorating condition.

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Queen’s Park and Langside synagogues form a fascinating part of South Glasgow’s heritage.

Scotland’s Jewish Community

Many Jewish people moved to the UK in the twenty years leading up to World War I, fleeing the Russian pogroms, with later generations moving to Glasgow, as a result of Nazi persecution. The Scottish Jewish community was once considerable, with about 15,000 Jewish people living in Glasgow in 1939. While some communities were established in Garnethill, many settled in areas such as the Gorbals, Govanhill, Battlefield, Langside, and Shawlands. The Gorbals was a real hub, with a Zionist Centre (which later moved to Queen Square), the Jewish Institute, the Jewish Board of Guardians, and the majority of the synagogues, kosher butchers, bakers, and Jewish grocery shops. Sophie Geneen also ran Geneen’s Hotel in the Gorbals, where she dispensed charity and food to those in need.

Synagogues in the Southside

Further south, Queen’s Park Synagogue was founded in 1906, and moved to a substantial new building in Falloch Road in 1926. About the same time, Langside Synagogue, originally founded in 1915, moved to Niddrie Road. In later years synagogues were established in Pollokshields (1929), Giffnock and Newlands (1934), Netherlee and Clarkston (1940) and Newton Mearns (1954). A Reform synagogue opened in Pollokshields in 1931, and later moved to Newton Mearns. A short-lived community was also established in Hillington, Mosspark and Cardonald (1937). Queen’s Park eventually closed in 2002; Langside Synagogue remained active for longer but closed in 2014.

Queen’s Park Synagogue

Land in Lochleven Road, donated by Sir John Stirling Maxwell for a nominal sum, was to become the Queen’s Park Synagogue. Plans were put on hold during World War I. A ‘tin Shool’ of concrete with a corrugated metal roof was constructed temporarily. Surviving plans show a simple building with pitched roof covered with asbestos tiles. The official Queen’s Park synagogue opened in the mid-1920s. It was designed by McWhannell & Smellie, with a red-painted and rendered Romanesque artificial stone façade. It was closed in 2003 and was converted into flats. The synagogue’s stained-glass windows by the Scottish glassmaker John K. Clark, made to mark Glasgow City of Culture in 1989, were moved to Giffnock Synagogue, and the Ark was salvaged and re-used in a new-build synagogue in Manchester.

Langside Synagogue

Langside Synagogue was established on Langside Road in 1915. The synagogue moved to 125 Niddrie Road, to a design by architects Jeffrey Waddell & Young with a Romanesque style façade. It re-opened in 1927, and was home to the Langside Hebrew Congregation. The building has a traditional immigrant shul interior. The Ark (two-tiers made of timber and gilding in traditional Eastern European style), bimah and decorative details including the clock on the gallery front were carved by a Lithuanian-born cabinet-maker called Harris Berkovitch (c. 1876–1956), who was a member of the congregation. Woodcarving and wall-painting in folk-art style was a characteristic of synagogue building particularly in Poland, Ukraine, and Romania. The tall upper tier includes large gilded Luhot (Tablets of the Law) with painted glass panels to either side, and the pediment contains a Keter Torah (Crown of the Torah) with gilded sunrays, both motifs found in traditional Jewish art. It is one of the only two (the other being in London) truly Eastern European-style synagogue interiors in Britain!

Contribute to Our Archive of the Southside

If you have memories or any artefacts relating to South Glasgow’s synagogues and Jewish history, please get in touch with us: info@sghet.com. We are seeking memories, local knowledge, donations and photocopies of material relating to the Southside for our archive of South Glasgow!

Sources:

• Canmore
• Kenneth E. Collins, Ephraim Borowski, and Leah Granat. Scotland’s Jews: A Guide to The History and Community of The Jews in Scotland. 2^nd ed. (Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, 2008).
• Sharman Kadish. ‘Jewish Heritage in Scotland’. Jewish Historical Studies 47 (2015): 179-216
• Langside Hebrew Congregation
• Scottish Jewish Archives Centre
• The Glasgow Story

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This elaborate cast-iron Moorish canopy was erected in 1893 to honour James Martin (1815-92). James Martin was a senior councillor (local bailie) represented Whitevale Ward from 1870, the Town’s Master of Works, a member of the Clyde Navigation Trust, a Justice of the Peace and a highly respected Police Judge. It was erected in 1893 and dedicated to him on 26th May 1894. It was removed from outside Langside Halls and is now located beside the old Templeton carpet factory on Glasgow Green. He is remembered for his opposition to the council`s speculative development on Woodlands Hill. This expensive building venture was undertaken to provide homes for the rich at a time when the East End`s housing was in an appalling state.  represented Whitevale Ward from 1870. A Radical in his politics, he was nicknamed “the East End Tribune”.

The fountain is decorated with the city`s coat of arms, flowers, birds, lions and various strange-looking beasts, and was made in the Possilpark area of Glasgow in the world-famous Saracen iron foundry of Walter Macfarlane.

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Memories of Crossmyloof Ice Rink, Glasgow.
by Kenny McKie.

It wasn’t much, but it was home.

I first laced on a pair of skates at the old Crossmyloof Ice Rink in Glasgow.
Nothing exceptional in that you might think, unless you had been there.

It was a dump.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the place and still have many fond memories of playing there, but I won’t beat about the bush, it was a dump.

Early Years

Early morning games had to be played around the Zamboni at the top corner of the rink. This was because there was no garage outside to park it in.
I’ll save the blushes of the player who on more than one occasion skated towards it at full tilt with his head down.
Well, you can imagine the rest!

The building also had two Curling rinks, which were pristine. However the skating and hockey rink had all the charm and décor of a Beirut Post Office.
It really did resemble a bomb site with an ice pad stuck in the middle.

As such, as young players we dreamt of playing in a proper arena, with glass and electric scoreboards etc. The type of facility that thankfully is commonplace these days. In fact so keen were we, many of us spent the summer months helping to paint the exterior just to please the owner, so that we would have ice to play on the following year. We were just kids. It creates a Dickensian image does it not? Thank God there were no chimneys, or I daresay he would have had us scuttling up them with a sweep in our hands.

Moving on

It’s now a supermarket and despite not being particularly close to where we live, my wife and I sometimes shop there.
Although Claire must be bored rigid with me pointing out to the spot just in front of the Delicatessen counter where I scored my first ever goal against Dundee’s Peewee team at the age of eleven.

The tireless work put in by the late Sam Stevenson meant that we always had teams to progress to. Almost to a man, as junior players, we moved from the Pee-Wee Mustangs through the Junior Redwings and finally the Dynamos at senior level. It was the natural progression, and something all of us looked forward to with relish. Our heroes were John Hester and Martin Shields, and to later play on the same team as them, was to realise a childhood dream.

Although the hockey club produced an almost limitless pool of talent from the late seventies through to the rink’s demise and the clubs subsequent move to the ill-fated Summit Centre in the mid-eighties, unfortunately, many players left the club and moved away to other clubs to play.
In fact, when you think of the players who left, what a team we could have had. Almost a full team left over the space of a few years.
Perhaps for some of our ‘more mature’ readers, these names will re-kindle some memories.

Goaltenders;
John Tague, Gerry Anderson, Ian Appleby, John Matassa.
Defence;
Paul Heavey, Bobby McEwan, Ali Rodgers.
Forwards;
Kenny Redmond, Tony Redmond, Kenny McKie, Gary Smith, Colin Wilson, Kevin King, Gary McEwan, Gary Shearer.
To name just a few.

Size isn’t everything, however…

As I mentioned earlier, the rink was far from perfect.
The size of the ice pad, 237’ by 100’ meant that it took the Zamboni too long to clean the ice between periods. It didn’t get done.
We took on an old timers team from Canada once, and as they entered the rink, a fellow by the name of Moe Mantha took one look at the length of the rink and drawled;
“Jeez, I’m gonna need a motorcycle to get to the far end.”

The locker rooms were up on the balcony, and the only way down to the ice was via an unlit stairway. An unlit concrete stairway!!
There were about 8 rubber mats randomly placed on the stairs and while we knew where they were, I’m not so sure our opponents did. Sparks literally flew before the game had even started. Oh and by the way, that was after you had squeezed by the couple winchin’ on the stairs!

Christmas in Crossmyloof
One Christmas, and you have to believe me, this story really is true, we had to play around a huge Christmas tree at centre ice!

A real Christmas tree, pine needles and all.
The hoist that was supposed to raise the tree wasn’t working, and the only way we could get a game, was to play around it.
I kid you not, the same guy who tried to lay out the Zamboni, nearly brought down a 15 foot Christmas tree.

Whenever former Glasgow players meet, you can guarantee that the stories about the old rink flow.
In fact if you ever come across someone who played there, ask him about it, then sit back and be prepared to spend some time listening to tales that will have you wide eyed with amazement.
It really was that kind of place.
Like I said, it wasn’t much, but it was home.

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The National Bank of Scotland (NBS) was established in 1825 and after a failure to acquire the Glasgow and Ship Bank, the NBS undertook to open their first Glasgow branch in 1843. Occupying temporary accommodation in the first instance the bank launched a public competition to design a more suitable building.

By the midpoint of the 19th century successful businesses wished to build offices that reflected their optimism, growing wealth and confidence, especially at a time when Glasgow was cementing its position as the second city of the Empire. A young London architect, John Gibson (1817-92), then working under Charles Barry, entered the competition and his plan was unanimously chosen as the winner. On Gibson’s first official trip to the city he was treated to a public dinner given by the ‘principal gentlemen of Glasgow’ and commented that ‘I was much gratified by the kindness shown to me in Glasgow, and surprised to see so many public monuments, and alJ by the best sculptors’. After the final plans were approved construction of the new building began that winter and was completed within 4 years.

According to The Glasgow Tourist and ltinerary (1850) the completed building was ‘commodious and elegant; the telling-room being elaborately ornamented, and its polychromatic decorations (executed by H. Bogle & Co., Glasgow, house painters to the Queen) are tasteful and appropriate’. An article in The Civil Engineer and Architect’s Journal in September 1849 confidently stated that there is not yet one building of the class in all the metropolis which offers anything like the same degree and completeness of embellishment ‘.

The exterior of the building was similarly lauded for its beauty. The building’ s inspiration was to be found in the work of Vincenzo Scamozzi, the Venetian architect , with the ground floor rusticated with five arched openings, the centre opening housing the doorway. The entrance is flanked by double Ionic columns. The windows are separated by pilasters (flat columns, flush to wall), which appear in double form at the comers of the building. The original door was of a bronze-green colour and was ornamented with bronze paterae (circular ornaments) and studs.

The architectural design of the building was impressive but was further improved by the addition of sculptures designed by London’ s John Thomas (1818- 62), who was to work often within Glasgow , and worked on the Houses of Parliament Balmoral, Windsor, and Buckingham Palace , and became a favourite artist of Prince Albert.  The Prince commissioned Thomas to create two large bas-reliefs of ‘Peace’ and ‘War’ for the latter palace. Thomas was to create the Graeco-Egyptian Houldsworth Mausoleum at the Necropolis and the designs for the industrialist Houldsworth’s new home at 1 Park Terrace. For the National Bank. Thomas ornamented the windows with carved keystones representing major rivers of Britain (the Clyde, Thames, Tweed, Severn & Humber – although there has been some dispute as to whether the latter two were in fact the Shannon and Wye).

A small bust of Queen Victoria was placed in the centre of the attic frieze. Portland stone Vase finials and the Royal Arms, supported by a unicorn and lion, ornament the roof frontage of the building which was faced with stone with a light-grey tint, supplied by the Binnie Quarries near Edinburgh, and the masonry was executed by John Buchanan. The side of the building was similar in design to the front but had only three windows per floor, divided by double pilasters. The rear of the bank had an out-standing gallery, within which stood another entrance which was ornamented by Ionic columns.

The interior of the building was resplendent with the telling-room of the bank boasting a 23-foot in diameter dome filled with colourful stained glass, provided by Ballantine & Allan of Edinburgh, who had also provided the stained glass for the House of Lords. The walls were decorated with columns and pilasters painted a deep red, with white bases and tops. Near the base of the pilasters a band of black marble framed the flooring. The frieze above the columns was adorned with roses, shamrocks d thistles. The ceiling, following this colourful design, was crimson, blue and gold, with this work being undertaken by the Glasgow firm, Bogle & Co. The floor between telling counters (carved from mahogany), directly beneath the dome, was paved with coloured marbles, which in the centre formed a radiating star. The telling-room was positioned to the rear of the building and the front area was to be found along a handsome corridor, adorned with panels of contrasting colours. which led to a committee room, manager’s room. and waiting room.

So enthralled with the design of the building, The Civil Engineer and Architect’s Journal (1849) enthused that ‘the Scotch seem to have got greatly ahead of us in tasteful as well as liberal decoration of places of public business’. However, such splendour, which had initially excited the Bank’s directors, was to lose its appeal as the 19th century progressed. By 1896 the NBS was seeking new and more suitable premises for its business in Buchanan Street, at the junction of Buchanan Street and St Vincent’s Street. In a letter to architects a representative of the Bank’s directors stated ‘My directors do not favour the idea of anything of the nature of elaborate decoration… and have expressed a leaning towards a thoroughly businesslike building… of chaste design’.

Thus, the future of the building appeared bleak by the tail end of the century. However, efforts were already underway to purchase the building from the NBS. In November 1896 an offer from Mr Richard H. Hunter, philanthropist and chairman of Hunter, Barr & Co Ltd, wholesale warehousemen & shipowners, was accepted on the provision that the Bank could continue to occupy the building for a further 4 years, while their new premises were constructed. However, this initial bid failed, but the same company made a further offer in July 1898 to purchase the building for £59,000. The Bank rejected this bid and was holding out for an offer of £60,000, which it received in August the same year with provision to allow the bank to remain in the premises until 190I. Hunter was to retain the land from the sale and on this built the Hunter Barr Building (which still occupies the site today, the Guild Hall) designed by David Barclay.

One of the problems Glasgow Corporation faced in supplying a public building for Langside, Battlefield, Shawlands and Mount Florida was where to build. After exationa committee was appointed by the ratepayers of the districts to negotiate with the corporation. After much discussion, bickering and frank exchange of opinions 3 main ‘preferred’ sites were identified: 1. The north side of Battle Place, on the Camphill Estate 2. The south side of Battle Place on ground owned by two proprietors 3. At the junction of Langside Avenue and Pollokshaws Road, also in the grounds of Camphill (the least preferred). Alternative locations had been suggested; just north of the Victoria Infirmary; and on the east side of Grange Road, but were dismissed for a variety of reasons. Positioning the halls at the place of Queen Mary’s defeat at the Battle of Langside was initially viewed by the corporation as the victory of sentiment over practicality.

In 1899 Bailie John Oatts suggested that the south side of Battle Place was the most preferred site but purchasing the ground would prove to be too expensive. The north side was problematic as the elevation of the ground would prove troublesome to builders. The triangular piece of land at the junction of Langside Avenue and Pollokshaws Road, formerly occupied by a dairy, was problematic as the position of the new balls would favour the residents of one district It would appear that the chosen site, the latter of the options, was a compromise. Yet, the decision met with considerable protest from sections of the local community who took exception on two grounds: the encroachment onto the Camphill grounds & the geographical positioning of the new halls. Indeed, in 1901 a committee of ratepayers took their objections before Sheriff Guthrie and the corporation were accused of being ‘high handed’ while the objectors were accused of ‘humbugging’. Further, the objectors did not believe that the former National Bank building, newly acquired by the corporation, was fit for purpose. However, these appeals were unsuccessful and the corporation sought to purchase the materials from the former National Bank building which was being demolished to make way for the Hunter Barr Building.

Once the lengthy discussions had ceased and legal objections had been rejected Alexander Beith McDonald was instructed to re-design the building’s interior (although the bulk of the work was undertaken by Robert Hom) and architectural plans were provided in March 1902. A utilitarian building was needed so, regrettably, much of lavish interior was removed (the interior had previously been altered under the direction of James Salmon in the mid 1850s).

The entrance led to a green-tiled hallway and a double staircase was constructed which led up to the lesser hall (with gallery), which when finished could house 320. The upper hall was designed to accommodate a further I00 souls, while the former telling-room was turned into the large hali which could accommodate 850. Sadly, the splendid stained glass-filled dome was removed entirely and the plasterwork replaced. A reception room was designed to accommodate around 20 people, and several smaller spaces were created. The new Langside Public Halls were also equipped with cloakrooms, a buffet, kitchen and dressing rooms for visiting artists on the ground and basement levels.

After much delay, deliberation and some dissent, the new halls for Langside were officially opened on the 24 December 1903. The Lord Provost John Ure Primrose, Baronet, was unable to attend due to a prior commitment and his place was taken by Councillor William Martin, the convener of the special committee of halls, Councillor W.F. Anderson and Bailey Finlay, acting on behalf of the Watching and Lighting Committee, accepted custody of the halls. Councillor Anderson informed the gathered crowd that the builders who had re-erected the building using the 70,000 numbered stones recovered from the demolished bank building did so without seeking a farthing of profit, which was met with applause. Those attending the opening were treated to vocal and orchestral concert. This grand opening was covered by the Glasgow Herald and The Scotsman newspapers, amongst others, in their Christmas Day 1903 editions.

Over the past century Langside Public Halls have played a significant role in the south Glasgow community. The halls have figured prominently in the rich and diverse social and political history of the city, playing host to John MacLean and the famous Red Clydesiders (MacLean was arrested 4 times outside the halls), Sylvia Pankhurst and the Scottish branch of the Women’s Social and Political Union, and the Scottish Young Conservatives annual conference. It has been a true community hall where Glasgow Progressive Synagogue was temporarily based, where the annual Glasgow Congress ‘International’ chess event packed out the main halls, where the world famous Smetana Quartet of Prague performed in concert, and where the resident band The Crackerjacks filled the floor of the large hall in the 1950s.

The story of Langside Public Halls is a truly remarkable one. It is a story of architectural excellence and a story of survival. With the removal of the National Bank of Scotland, Queen Street Office to the southside of the city one of Glasgow’s most admired buildings survived to play a central role in the social and community history of the area.

[This is an abridged version of a longer article written by Dr Jeffrey Meek]

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Queen’s Park Arena (originally Bandstand) started life towards the end of the 1800s. Saracen Foundry of Walter Macfarlane & Co were commissioned to create a circular cast and wrought iron construction that was originally installed west of Pathhead Farm (the current council buildings in Queens Park) before being moved to the ‘bandstand field’ in 1912, which is the current arena site. The bandstand was originally used for concerts, public meetings, political rallies and many other events. The original bandstand was moved to Duchess Park, Motherwell in the 1920s and the site lay vacant until 1930 when the second bandstand was installed. This was a rendered brick building with the stage facing south (looking up Camp Hill towards the flagpole), with wide terraces carved to give it a natural amphitheatre feel. The tiers formed were spacious enough for folding chairs and even tables.

In 1960 the May Day marchers marched from George Square to Queen’s Park and welcomed a global celebrity in the form of sport, movie and singing star Paul Robeson. Robeson, born in 1898, had a long and proud record of social and political activism, a record that saw him black-listed and shunned in America. At one point, to stop him travelling the world, the US authorities even confiscated his passport. Robeson was so inspired by tales of Red Clydeside that he accepted the STUC’s invitation to join them in marking International Workers Day. The annual march had been taking place in Glasgow since the 1890s when crowds up to 100,000-strong would march to Glasgow Green, there to party, picnic, and listen to political speakers. On arrival at Queen’s Park, Robeson serenaded the crowd with ‘Ol’ Man River’, the lyrics of which work as well for the Clyde as they do for the mighty Mississippi.

Ol’ man river,
Dat ol’ man river
He mus’know sumpin’
But don’t say nuthin’,
He jes’keeps rollin’
He keeps on rollin’ along.

In 1996 the bandstand was destroyed by fire and fell into a terrible state of dilapidation and it wasn’t until 2009, when four community councils explored the possibility of a restoration project, that we finally had plans for a new bandstand or ‘arena’ and by 2013 the final arena was completed.

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We are interested to hear from anyone with memories of ‘Marlborough House’ (now known as The Shed) on Langside Avenue in Shawlands. The building was, in its heyday, frequently used as a venue for weddings, receptions, dinners, dances and social functions.

Within the Marlborough there were different suites named after the famous Duke of Marlborough`s great victories over the French in the Low Countries and Germany-Malplaquet, Oudenarde, Ramillies and Blenheim etc. The landmark was built circa 1920 and became a Category C listed building in June 1992.

Anyone out there with photographs, memories and anecdotes about this unique building’s past vibrant life please get in touch at info@sghet.com or leave a comment below.

Published 27th August 2015

Update October 2024: The Shed nightclub closed after its final night on Sunday 15th September 2024. The future use of the building is uncertain. Has the dancing era of this purpose-built landmark come to an end? What would you like to see for its future..?

Update 16th February 2025:

On the cusp of The Marlborough’s reopening later this week, after 26 years rebranded as The Shed, we’ve a mission for you to help make Southside history – can you help identify the un-named people in the photos from the 1920s and 1940s below?

We’ve been sent 3 photographs taken in what appears to be the same spot in the Shawlands / Crossmyloof venue and YOU can help identify the un-named participants and share any connected or similar stories.

After many years as The Shed, the 1920-built venue re-opens with its original name on Friday 21st February – having uncovered some of the ballroom area’s original features in the process of its internal updating. We’re intrigued to get a look at what’s been revealed and how it’s been adapted while keeping these unique features intact.

We’ve also been send further photos since then, including one of a newspaper advertisement from the 1920s from William & R.S. Kerr caterers who owned Marlborough House as well as numerous other outlets across Glasgow.

Style spotting

In turn, check out the ladies fashions of the 1920s photos and later decades. 2025 is the Art Deco Centenary aligning exactly with year of the first wedding in 1925… and by the time of the second wedding in 1929 the bobbed hair and women’s dropped waist modernist dress styles were ubiquitous (men’s fashion didn’t change much).

By the late 1940s, the styles have moved on considerably. Interesting when you compare differences between 2005 and 2025 – have our prevailing fashions changed as much in a similar 20-year time span?

1920s weddings photos – courtesy of Clare M Clark

The 1925 wedding of Clare’s husband’s great aunt Jessie Graham to Alexander Mitchell in The Marlborough, with her husband’s grandmother Daisy Graham as bridesmaid.

Back row: Alexander Mitchell (father-in-law), Alexander Mitchell (groom), Jessie Graham (bride), unknown (best man), George Graham (father). Front row: Daisy Graham (sister), Agnes Mitchell née Lyall (mother-in-law), unknown (child), Jessie Graham née Campbell (mother), Marion Graham (sister).

Clare also gives details about the fathers of the groom and bride: “Alexander Mitchell (father-in-law) was a drapery salesman and George Graham (father) was a grocer in the southside of Glasgow.” However Clare and her family don’t know the names of the best man or the pageboy… can you help?

A related development is that the child in the 1929 photo below is Jessie Campbell Mitchell born 1926 and is the daughter of the couple in the 1925 wedding photo!

The 1929 wedding of Clare’s husband’s grandparents Daisy Graham and William Milne

Bride Daisy Graham and groom William Milne with their bridesmaid Marion Graham, best man Alastair MacIntyre, and child Jessie Campbell Mitchell born 1926 (daughter of the couple in the 1925 wedding photo) in what appears to be The Marlborough ballroom Shawlands. Everyone in this photo is identified.

Regarding this 1929 photo Clare tells us: “William Milne (groom) was a railway clerk in Glasgow. William Milne’s (groom) mother had died in 1922 and his father William Milne was a policeman in Glasgow (East End then Partick) who had been injured in the line of duty and was in a wheelchair thus may not have attended the wedding.”

Clare has also shared a photo taken on the day of the bride Daisy Graham’s parents below:

This photo of Daisy’s parents George Graham and Jessie Campbell was also taken in Marlborough House, Glasgow, but we’re not sure if it’s in the same room as the larger wedding group pictures.

1947 Scout dance photo – courtesy of Roger Gann

Roger Gann sent us this this photo in late December 2024 showing a large group in what he thought was The Marlborough, from which he has only identified his mother whose possessions it was among. The wall panelling seems to have the same details, but there are no curtains in one area so windows are shown.

Roger had the following remarks and queries to share: “I would be very interested in hearing more about it, particularly if anyone… might recognise other people in the photo, particularly the minister, which might help identify any church connection and who the group might be.

My mother is in the 2nd back row 6th from the right hand side [or 8th standing overall], two men behind her and two ladies either side, dark hair no glasses and seems to have something [a pin or brooch?] on the left breast of her jacket.

Mum… was born 25th July 1925, Elizabeth Mitchell Dunlop and lived in King’s Park and would have attended Mount Florida Church, but the minister is not from that church as I have photos of all the MFC ministers from 1888 to 2010. The only other piece of information I have about my mother is that she attended Hutcheson’s Girls Grammar School but left about 1943 or 44 to join the Timber Corps, and worked down in Garlieston, Wigtownshire till the end of the war.”

Can you help identify the minister sitting in the front row or any of the 38 other people in the group? Do you have any old photos of The Marlborough yourself? The surname Mitchell also recurs in both families – could it be that they are somehow related?

On 6th January 2025 Roger got back in touch with an update: “I have interesting news concerning the photo with my mother in the Marlborough. I found the original in our loft, and discovered print details on the back of the photo.” He added that his mother had written elsewhere on the sleeve: “Scout Dance at the Marleborough – post war – late 1940’s”

This stamp on the back of the 1947 photograph dates it to 18th April 1947 and bears the name of the photographers ‘Ellbee Studios 633 Govan Road’, with the with the re-order number 18/4/47-1. We’re not sure if this was the photograph’s development date, or the date the photo was taken.

The address 633 Govan Road no longer exists due to redevelopment of the area. From initial online searches, the only other mention of Ellbee Studios on Govan Road we can find is this item at University of Glasgow Archives and Collections:
Walter Elliot and Rhoda Fullerton [Vice-President, Queen Margaret Section, SRC] at Elliot’s Rectorial Ball [?] c1948

Do you know anything more about Ellbee Studios, or have any leads or contacts who may help us discover more about this bygone Govan photographers business?

1955 wedding reception of Mary Whyte & William Middleton

Heather Middleton has sent us these photographs of her parents’ wedding reception in the Marlborough following their official marriage ceremony at Cathcart Registry Office.

Spot the same decorative wall panels in the background, the changing hair and dress styles, and the removable sleeves of the bride’s dress… perhaps for the post-cake dancing as the night warms up! Were removable sleeves a common feature at the time? Any fashion history buffs among you (expert or amateur) are welcome to tell us in the comments box below the story.

1920s Marlborough House newspaper ad from W & R. S. Kerr

Alison Kerr has sent us this newspaper advertisement from her family’s archives for ‘The Marlborough House’ from William and R. S. Kerr caterers who were its proprietors. The ad features an illustration of the building and the adjoining Corona Bar, and gives a description of its purpose and facilities, naming the interior function rooms and describing its design.

The advertisement further lists four of their other Glasgow outlets, one of which was on Victoria Rd in Govanhill, and all of which were restaurants, plus their company registered office address on Renfield St. The newspaper ad clipping is courtesy of Alison’s father Donnie Kerr.

Acknowledgements & how to contribute:

Many thanks to Clare M. Clark, Roger Gann, Heather Middleton, and Alison and Donnie Kerr for providing these fantastic photos and newspaper ad, all of which shine a light on the use and story of The Marlborough in former times by the south Glasgow community.

To contribute, please either leave a comment below here on this blog, contact us on social media (all links here https://linktr.ee/sghet), or email us (https://sghet.com/contact/).

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Updates published: Sunday 16th February 2025, Sunday 2nd March 2025
Updates author: Deirdre Molloy

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