The Hidden Glasgow Forums

Anorak wrote

What was there before?

it was a garage, with the entrance on Gourock St.

Anorak wrote:Appreciated your insights, Toaster.
Great stuff Guacho!

Guacho's memories make perfect sense when you look at the aerial photograph with Eglinton Toll in the middle.
There is a huge undeveloped gap over where the various railway lines split.


What was there before? What caused it to disappear?
We shall have to investigate!!

I have hazy childhood memories of a row of red sandstone tenements on the south side of Cardwell Street (the stub south of Gourock Street), where the big shed of the Saw Centre is now. That would be in the 70s, as my gran moved away after grandad died in 1981. It would be a different event from guacho's collapsed tenement where the monumental sculptor is now - I only remember that as a gap site or the sculptor. My memories of the area don't go back beyond 1975 though - must ask my mum or uncle next time I see them.

Guacho wrote:The shop would be Badger's
Not an explosion, but around 1970 Pollokshaws Road on the east side of Eglinton Toll collapsed into the railway tunnels. The repair work went on for almost 2 years as I recall, although I was very young

Spoke to my mum tonight - she can remember the garage collapsing in the early 70's pretty well, because it was a Saturday night and I had been staying with my gran that night, so when she heard about it she was in a panic (no-one had a phone)! I was all of about 1 or 2 years old though, so I knew nothing of it.
This might be the garage pictured at Virtual Mitchell: the building in the background on the left could be St Andrews Works, assuming the photographer is standing in Gourock Street.

http://www.mitchelllibrary.org/virtualmitchell/image.php?i=11467&r=2&t=4&x=1

According to mum, there was also a short block of tenements on the north side of Cardwell Street, because my grandparents remembered looking into back courts from their windows on Gourock Street.

Looks like your mum has solved the mystery of gdmcilvain’s “explosion”, Toaster!

Funny how all the different vague half memories come together to get the right answers.

There are still a few Hidden Glasgow mysteries we will never know the answer to....................

Anorak wrote:I had a wee look at your suggestion that Central Station (and probably St Enoch Station) could have been demolished and replaced with a new station on the south side.

Sounds totally crazy, but you were 100% correct according to this snippet form the Glasgow Herald from 16th March 1946.


The City Engineer referred to in the Herald was Sir Robert Bruce, the lunatic who proposed the total destruction of Glasgow city centre in the Bruce Report of 1945.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Report

If Sir Robert Bruce had got his way and Central Station had been demolished, missing streets could have been restored and we may have had a few less mysteries to discuss?

Defib Duncan has pics of the road collapse
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64429304@N ... 19241@N05/

I am sure this happened in 1972, and it was as a result of work being done in the tunnel to lay paved track to improve clearances in preparation for electrification, the work disturbed the structure of the tunnel and caused a collapse. The tunnel under the roads was reinstated but the bit under the garage was left open. There is a reference on the National Archive site http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=C10879775 which refers to land purchase in association with route restoration.

The Tunnel Collapsed on July 29 1972

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19770922&id=n_Y-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=TE0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=3972,4976603

I would have sworn this was earlier, but the Evening Times has the story here http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2 ... page&hl=en

Guacho wrote:Defib Duncan has pics of the road collapse
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64429304@N ... 19241@N05/

Just noted the wee lighting truck with a hydraulic platform in Duncan's pic. had forgotten they existed