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Housing in Glasgow facts for kids

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Dudley Drive - geograph.org.uk - 580164
A typical Glasgow tenement block

Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, has several distinct styles of residential buildings. Building styles reflect historical trends, such as rapid population growth in the 18th and 19th centuries, deindustrialization and growing poverty in the late 20th century, and civic rebound in the 21st century.

Overview

The city is known for its tenements, where a common stairwell is informally known as a close. These were the most popular form of housing in 19th- and 20th-century Glasgow and remain the most common form of dwelling in Glasgow today. Tenements are commonly bought by a wide range of social types and are favoured for their large rooms, high ceilings and original period features. The Hyndland area of Glasgow is the only tenement conservation area in the UK and includes some tenement houses with as many as six bedrooms.

Like many cities in the UK, Glasgow witnessed the construction of high-rise housing in tower blocks in the 1960s. These were built to replace the decaying tenement buildings originally constructed in the 1800s for workers who migrated from the surrounding countryside, the Scottish Highlands, the rest of the United Kingdom, particularly Ireland, and further afield (Italy, Lithuania, Poland) to smaller degrees, to feed the local demand for labour during the Industrial Revolution which saw the city's population and importance increase rapidly to the extent that it became the 'second city of the Empire'. The massive demand outstripped new building and many, originally fine, tenements often became overcrowded and unsanitary. Parts of inner city areas like Anderston, Cowcaddens, the Garngad, Townhead and particularly the Gorbals, as well as parts of the industrialised East End (Bridgeton, the Calton, Camlachie, the Gallowgate) deteriorated into slums in which disease thrived. Efforts to improve this housing situation, most successfully with the City Improvement Trust, cleared the slums of the old town. Between the two World Wars, the area of Glasgow doubled in size.

Subsequent urban renewal initiatives following World War II, such as those motivated by the Bruce Report, and the Abercrombie Plan, entailed the demolition of slum tenement areas, the development of new towns, the building of overspill estates on the periphery of the city, and the construction of tower blocks. Several districts of the city were designated 'Comprehensive Development Areas' with the intention to raze them and rebuild from scratch with entire communities dispersed. Although the new town option was accepted, with places such as East Kilbride and Cumbernauld being established, the need for thousands of new homes was becoming ever more pressing – almost half of the dwellings in the city had been judged as overcrowded in the 1951 census while in 1957, 97% of housing in the Gorbals was still described as 'unsatisfactory sanitorially' – and with the Glasgow Corporation keen for as many citizens to remain as taxpayers within their boundaries as possible despite limited space and funds available, the overspill and tower proposals were eagerly pursued, in contrast with the trend of lower-density housing which had been preferred prior to the war following the garden suburb model including a large proportion of cottage flats or 'four-in-a-block' housing with separate front doors (as at Balornock, Cardonald, Carntyne, Carnwadric, Croftfoot, Househillwood, Kelvindale, King's Park, Knightswood, Mosspark, Riddrie, Sandyhills) built by just a few firms, which were well-received and have largely survived to the present day, but were considered to take too long to build and use too much land in comparison with the urgent need to replace so much of the inner city.

The four main peripheral developments (Castlemilk, Drumchapel, Easterhouse and Pollok) grew to become among the largest in Europe, while other smaller but substantial neighbourhoods (Arden, Barlanark, Barmulloch, Cranhill, Eastwood, Garthamlock, Merrylee, Milton, Toryglen, South Nitshill) were also constructed, largely consisting of tenement-style housing of three or four storeys. The city's initial multi-storey residential experiments in the 1950s at Crathie Court, Moss Heights and Prospecthill were largely successful (and have survived into the 21st century) but their scale of only 10 floors did not address the availability issue sufficiently, and in the next decade the number of towers commissioned by Glasgow and the height of the structures, including ambitious projects in Dalmarnock, Hutchesontown, Kennishead, Pollokshaws, Red Road, Scotstounhill, Sighthill Woodside and Wyndford, was also one of the highest across the continent.

While the facilities in dwellings in the towers and the modern tenements were an improvement on the slum housing, the large 'schemes' lacked basic amenities and employment opportunities, and were often cheaply built using pre-fabricated concrete construction methods which were ill-suited to the intemperate climate of Western Scotland. Damp quickly penetrated and spread within the new buildings which caused health problems; this was also the case with many of the tower blocks (or 'high flats' as they typically referred to by Glaswegians), many of which were surrounded by low-rise housing on a common design theme from idealised plans which seldom matched reality – in some cases, existing amenities in older districts had been swept away to provide space for the modern 'upgrades', which sometimes never materialised or were inadequate. Many residents struggled with the lack of provision made for child welfare and social needs such as hairdressing and clothing shops, there were also issues arising from the lack of help given to older members of the community in adjusting to the new buildings and amenities. Some first generation 'emigrees' chose to return to their old neighbourhoods to socialise whenever possible, creating a strange situation where otherwise desolate environments such as post-demolition Gorbals retained thriving public houses on isolated corners, with their clientele having stayed loyal despite moving several miles away to estates with no such establishments. .....

As demonstrated elsewhere in the UK, the tower blocks gradually deteriorated, attracting crime and fostering a reputation for being undesirable low cost housing. Because many of the towers were of a standard "off the peg" design, it meant that design flaws were replicated in several areas of the city. The cost of maintaining the buildings was far higher than anticipated, and while some tower blocks were upgraded in the 1980s with apex roofs (to combat damp), secured entry and external cladding; by the 1990s demolition was becoming the preferred solution over repair and renovation. While some of the initial tenants were happy living in the towers and chose to stay, the low desirability of the accommodation meant that those who were dissatisfied and moved out were typically replaced by 'problem' tenants with little other option whose lifestyles led to the issues worsening, more original tenants left and the downward cycle continued until some of the blocks were almost empty. A major turning point in the city's policy towards such "schemes" was signalled when the decision was taken to demolish the Hutchesontown C tower blocks in 1993 – once regarded as flagship developments of their time, but now viewed as a monument to the planning mistakes of the 1950s and 1960s.

Red Road flats at Balornock - geograph.org.uk - 119968
The now demolished Red Road estate came to symbolise the mistakes of the city's 1960s housing policy.

Meanwhile, the policy of tenement demolition was now considered to have been short-sighted, wasteful and largely unsuccessful. In the East End, the Glasgow Eastern Area Renewal (GEAR) scheme which began in the late 1970s demonstrated that the tenements, if sympathetically refurbished, could be turned back into viable housing of a higher quality than many of the post-war concrete estates and towers. Following the GEAR initiative, many of Glasgow's worst tenements in areas such as Govan and Springburn also were refurbished into desirable accommodation in the 1970s and 1980s and the policy of demolition is considered to have destroyed many fine examples of a "universally admired architectural style", although this traditional style survives in many districts (with variations in design and quality) including Battlefield, Cathcart, Crosshill, Cessnock, Dennistoun, East Pollokshields, Finnieston, Govanhill, Hillhead, Hyndland, Linthouse, Partick, Possilpark, Shawlands, Shettleston, Woodlands, Yoker and Yorkhill. They have outlasted the vast majority of the inter-war rehousing grade (lower quality material) blocks intended to replace them, with developments at Barrowfield, Blackhill, the Calton, Cowlairs, Hamiltonhill, Lilybank, 'Maryhill Valley', Moorepark Oatlands and Teucharhill having to be rebuilt from scratch by the 2010s (pockets of this style remain at Battlefield, Bridgeton, Craigton, Germiston, Govanhill, Haghill, Ibrox, Riddrie, Scotstoun, Shawlands, Shettleston, Springburn etc., mostly refurbished or better appointed from the outset).

The Glasgow Housing Association took ownership of the housing stock from the city council on 7 March 2003, and began a £96 million programme to clear and demolish many of the high-rise flats and refurbish others; such programmes had already been implemented in most of the peripheral schemes, with some refurbishment and some replacement of tenements with individual houses, and this work also continued under the GHA and local housing co-operatives.

Glasgow tower blocks

The map and list concentrates on towers of at least 12 storeys in height built between the late 1950s and early 1970s within Glasgow. Also includes early 10-storey developments at Moss Heights and Toryglen due to their importance in the uptake of the method, but does not include numerous similar developments outside the city boundaries nor modern residential developments (e.g. Argyle Building, Glasgow Harbour, Lancefield Quay), nor contemporary buildings with other uses (e.g. Glasgow College of Building and Printing, Elmbank Gardens, Livingstone Tower and The Pinnacle – the latter was originally a commercial property before being converted to residential use in the early 21st century).

List of developments

  • Key:
  • Green dot = Existing development
  • Blue dot = Partially existing development (some blocks demolished, figures are for original completed total).
  • Red dot = Demolished development
  • ABC(4) = Code for development name (number of towers).


Development Neighbourhood Coordinates TB HT DB YB TS TD YD TR DR Refs.
Glasgow total N/A N/A 211 N/A 25330 N/A Some 81 N/A 130 13416
Blythswood Court Anderston 55°51′36″N 4°15′59″W / 55.860099°N 4.266424°W / 55.860099; -4.266424 (Blythswood Court) 3 47 336 1967 All 0 N/A 3 336
St Vincent Terrace Anderston 55°51′45″N 4°16′20″W / 55.862565°N 4.272279°W / 55.862565; -4.272279 (St Vincent Terrace) 2 52 176 1967 Some 1 2013 1 48
Anniesland Court Anniesland 55°53′28″N 4°19′31″W / 55.891020°N 4.325166°W / 55.891020; -4.325166 (Anniesland Court) 1 66 126 1966 All 0 N/A 1 126
Keal Drive Blairdardie 55°54′01″N 4°21′39″W / 55.900146°N 4.360947°W / 55.900146; -4.360947 (Keal Drive) 4 41 306 1960 All 0 N/A 4 306
Ruby Street Bridgeton 55°50′47″N 4°13′13″W / 55.846514°N 4.220330°W / 55.846514; -4.220330 (Ruby Street) 3 44 252 1967 All 0 N/A 3 252
Broomhill Drive Broomhill 55°52′26″N 4°19′22″W / 55.873967°N 4.322711°W / 55.873967; -4.322711 (Broomhill Drive) 5 49 510 1963 All 0 N/A 5 510
Moss Heights Halfway 55°50′53″N 4°20′26″W / 55.848032°N 4.340667°W / 55.848032; -4.340667 (Moss Heights) 3 28 219 1950 All 0 N/A 3 219
Queensland Drive Cardonald 55°51′08″N 4°20′37″W / 55.852180°N 4.343493°W / 55.852180; -4.343493 (Queensland Drive) 2 58 228 1965 All 0 N/A 2 228
Tarfside Oval Cardonald 55°50′33″N 4°20′14″W / 55.842401°N 4.337227°W / 55.842401; -4.337227 (Tarfside Oval) 4 63 396 1966 None 4 2015 0 0
Bogany Terrace Castlemilk 55°48′10″N 4°13′38″W / 55.802778°N 4.227222°W / 55.802778; -4.227222 (Bogany Terrace) 1 61 114 1966 None 1 1993 0 0
Dougrie Place Castlemilk 55°48′15″N 4°14′05″W / 55.804189°N 4.234835°W / 55.804189; -4.234835 (Dougrie Place) 3 58 231 1960 All 0 N/A 3 231
Mitchellhill Castlemilk 55°48′04″N 4°13′24″W / 55.801119°N 4.223322°W / 55.801119; -4.223322 (Mitchellhill) 5 58 570 1963 None 5 2005 0 0
Dundasvale Cowcaddens 55°52′10″N 4°15′32″W / 55.869337°N 4.258912°W / 55.869337; -4.258912 (Dundasvale) 3 69 411 1968 All 0 N/A 3 411
Cranhill Cranhill 55°52′02″N 4°09′55″W / 55.867258°N 4.165416°W / 55.867258; -4.165416 (Cranhill) 3 52 306 1963 All 0 N/A 3 306
Summerfield Dalmarnock 55°50′29″N 4°12′31″W / 55.841490°N 4.208628°W / 55.841490; -4.208628 (Summerfield) 4 66 528 1962 None 4 2002,
2007
0 0
Linkwood Drumchapel 55°54′40″N 4°22′05″W / 55.911165°N 4.367968°W / 55.911165; -4.367968 (Linkwood) 3 66 348 1962 Some 1 2016 2 216
Drumoyne Drumoyne 55°51′24″N 4°20′08″W / 55.856797°N 4.335500°W / 55.856797; -4.335500 (Drumoyne) 2 41 112 1960 All 0 N/A 2 112
Drygate Duke Street 55°51′36″N 4°14′05″W / 55.860074°N 4.234586°W / 55.860074; -4.234586 (Drygate) 3 44 246 1961 All 0 N/A 3 246
Dumbreck Dumbreck 55°50′32″N 4°18′44″W / 55.842253°N 4.312142°W / 55.842253; -4.312142 (Dumbreck) 2 63 198 1968 All 0 N/A 2 198
Bluevale & Whitevale Gallowgate 55°51′21″N 4°12′56″W / 55.855958°N 4.215552°W / 55.855958; -4.215552 (Gallowgate) 2 90 348 1963 None 2 2015 0 0
Germiston Germiston 55°52′33″N 4°12′32″W / 55.875812°N 4.208868°W / 55.875812; -4.208868 (Germiston) 3 52 306 1967 None 3 1992,
2008,
2011
0 0
Hutchie B / Riverside Hutchesontown 55°50′59″N 4°14′36″W / 55.849749°N 4.243384°W / 55.849749; -4.243384 (Hutchie B / Riverside) 4 52 308 1958 All 0 N/A 4 308
Hutchie C / Queen Elizabeth Square Hutchesontown 55°50′53″N 4°14′46″W / 55.848000°N 4.246000°W / 55.848000; -4.246000 (Hutchie C / Queen Elizabeth Square) 2 58 400 1960 None 2 1993 0 0
Hutchie D / Caledonia Road Hutchesontown 55°50′40″N 4°14′39″W / 55.844314°N 4.244205°W / 55.844314; -4.244205 (Hutchie D / Caledonia Road) 2 69 552 1965 Some 2 2006 2 276
Hutchie E / Sandiefield Gorbals 55°50′54″N 4°15′09″W / 55.848429°N 4.252622°W / 55.848429; -4.252622 (Hutchie E / Sandiefield) 2 69 384 1968 None 2 2013 0 0
Norfolk Court Laurieston 55°51′06″N 4°15′19″W / 55.851650°N 4.255282°W / 55.851650; -4.255282 (Norfolk Court) 4 69 1104 1970 None 4 2008,
2010,
2016
0 0
Iona Court Govan 55°51′26″N 4°18′34″W / 55.857330°N 4.309356°W / 55.857330; -4.309356 (Iona Court) 3 58 342 1967 None 3 2013 0 0
Berryknowes Avenue Halfway 55°50′48″N 4°20′13″W / 55.846567°N 4.336887°W / 55.846567; -4.336887 (Halfway) 1 58 134 1974 All 0 N/A 1 134
Broomloan Court Ibrox 55°51′03″N 4°18′47″W / 55.850907°N 4.313132°W / 55.850907; -4.313132 (Broomloan Court) 3 61 285 1963 None 3 2010 0 0
Ibroxholm Ibrox 55°51′06″N 4°18′09″W / 55.851770°N 4.302467°W / 55.851770; -4.302467 (Ibroxholm) 3 63 297 1962 Some 2 2012 1 99
Kennishead Avenue Kennishead 55°48′50″N 4°19′18″W / 55.813840°N 4.321637°W / 55.813840; -4.321637 (Kennishead) 5 66 660 1965 Some 2 2016 3 396
Kirkton Avenue Knightswood 55°53′16″N 4°21′24″W / 55.887736°N 4.356689°W / 55.887736; -4.356689 (Kirkton Avenue) 5 69 690 1965 All 0 N/A 5 690
Lincoln Avenue Knightswood 55°53′32″N 4°21′01″W / 55.892322°N 4.350197°W / 55.892322; -4.350197 (Lincoln Avenue) 6 58 684 1962 Some 2 2014 4 456
Collina Street Maryhill 55°53′33″N 4°17′56″W / 55.892409°N 4.298808°W / 55.892409; -4.298808 (Collina Street) 1 55 113 1974 All 0 N/A 1 113
Glenavon Road Maryhill 55°53′48″N 4°17′23″W / 55.896762°N 4.289659°W / 55.896762; -4.289659 (Glenavon Road) 3 61 360 1960 All 0 N/A 3 360
Glenfinnan Road Wyndford 55°53′20″N 4°17′21″W / 55.889010°N 4.289200°W / 55.889010; -4.289200 (Glenfinnan Road) 5 44 280 1961 All 0 N/A 5 280
Wyndford Road Wyndford 55°53′15″N 4°17′44″W / 55.887451°N 4.295517°W / 55.887451; -4.295517 (Wyndford Road) 4 74 600 1964 All 0 N/A 4 600
Castlebay Drive Milton 55°54′11″N 4°15′13″W / 55.902945°N 4.253587°W / 55.902945; -4.253587 (Castlebay Drive) 3 49 288 1966 All 0 N/A 3 288
Scaraway Drive Milton 55°54′07″N 4°14′33″W / 55.901812°N 4.242401°W / 55.901812; -4.242401 (Scaraway Drive) 3 49 288 1966 All 0 N/A 3 288
Cathkinview Mount Florida 55°49′29″N 4°15′33″W / 55.824651°N 4.259041°W / 55.824651; -4.259041 (Cathkinview) 2 58 228 1965 All 0 N/A 2 228
Cleeves Road Nitshill 55°48′46″N 4°21′33″W / 55.812778°N 4.359097°W / 55.812778; -4.359097 (Cleeves Road) 1 38 48 1967 All 0 N/A 1 48
Helenvale Parkhead 55°50′52″N 4°11′59″W / 55.847842°N 4.199744°W / 55.847842; -4.199744 (Helenvale) 3 44 252 1967 All 0 N/A 3 252
Cartcraigs Pollokshaws 55°49′14″N 4°18′16″W / 55.820516°N 4.304350°W / 55.820516; -4.304350 (Cartcraigs) 1 49 134 1969 All 0 N/A 1 134
Shawbridge Pollokshaws 55°49′25″N 4°17′57″W / 55.823512°N 4.299192°W / 55.823512; -4.299192 (Shawbridge) 9 66 809 1961,
1962,
1964,
1968
None 9 2008,
2009,
2014,
2016
0 0
Shawhill Pollokshaws 55°49′33″N 4°17′23″W / 55.825966°N 4.289657°W / 55.825966; -4.289657 (Shawhill) 4 63 454 1966 All 0 N/A 4 454
Wester Common Road Possilpark 55°53′00″N 4°15′51″W / 55.883444°N 4.264131°W / 55.883444; -4.264131 (Wester Common Road) 4 55 452 1967 All 0 N/A 4 452
Red Road Balornock 55°52′49″N 4°12′30″W / 55.880355°N 4.208291°W / 55.880355; -4.208291 (Red Road) 8 89 1326 1962 None 8 2012,
2013,
2015
0 0
Charles Street Royston 55°52′15″N 4°13′44″W / 55.870902°N 4.228855°W / 55.870902; -4.228855 (Charles Street) 5 58 579 1959,
1969
All 0 N/A 5 579
Rosemount Street Royston 55°52′03″N 4°13′26″W / 55.867604°N 4.223909°W / 55.867604; -4.223909 (Rosemount Street) 4 72 572 1966,
1970
None 4 1992,
2013,
2016
0 0
Sandyhills Sandyhills 55°50′46″N 4°09′16″W / 55.846145°N 4.154529°W / 55.846145; -4.154529 (Sandyhills) 4 66 528 1964 All 0 N/A 4 528
Kingsway Court Scotstoun 55°53′00″N 4°21′29″W / 55.883414°N 4.358110°W / 55.883414; -4.358110 (Kingsway Court) 6 58 684 1962 Some 2 2013 4 456
Plean Street Yoker 55°53′03″N 4°21′59″W / 55.884216°N 4.366418°W / 55.884216; -4.366418 (Plean Street) 2 58 228 1964 None 2 2010 0 0
Fountainwell Sighthill 55°52′31″N 4°14′28″W / 55.875139°N 4.241169°W / 55.875139; -4.241169 (Fountainwell) 5 58 1140 1963 None 5 2008,
2009
0 0
Pinkston Sighthill 55°52′18″N 4°14′16″W / 55.871785°N 4.237642°W / 55.871785; -4.237642 (Pinkston) 5 58 1140 1964,
1967
None 5 2013,
2014,
2016
0 0
Balgrayhill Springburn 55°53′28″N 4°13′48″W / 55.891233°N 4.229900°W / 55.891233; -4.229900 (Balgrayhill) 4 74 392 1964 All 0 N/A 4 392
Carron Street Springburn 55°53′16″N 4°14′12″W / 55.887661°N 4.236562°W / 55.887661; -4.236562 (Carron Street) 4 44 224 1961 All 0 N/A 4 224
Springburn Springburn 55°53′00″N 4°13′28″W / 55.883351°N 4.224550°W / 55.883351; -4.224550 (Springburn) 2 74 200 1966 All 0 N/A 2 200
Prospecthill Circus Toryglen 55°49′55″N 4°14′29″W / 55.831843°N 4.241326°W / 55.831843; -4.241326 (Prospecthill Circus) 3 66 468 1963 None 3 2007,
2016
0 0
Prospecthill Crescent Toryglen 55°49′47″N 4°13′57″W / 55.829860°N 4.232503°W / 55.829860; -4.232503 (Prospecthill Crescent) 6 44 232 1955,
1960
All 0 N/A 6 232
Townhead Townhead 55°51′54″N 4°14′39″W / 55.864951°N 4.244064°W / 55.864951; -4.244064 (Townhead) 4 72 768 1967 All 0 N/A 4 768
Curle Street Whiteinch 55°52′19″N 4°20′00″W / 55.871826°N 4.333419°W / 55.871826; -4.333419 (Curle Street) 1 61 120 1971 All 0 N/A 1 120
Cedar Street Woodside 55°52′27″N 4°15′52″W / 55.874271°N 4.264323°W / 55.874271; -4.264323 (Cedar Street) 3 66 315 1964 All 0 N/A 3 315

See also

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