A Street Under Argyle Street

[Ronnie]

Me and a few mates are going to the mitchel library to look up a few books/maps.

That's the attitude! Well done!

[Glesga_Steve]

There is no "normal" depth for a sewer - they can be anything from a couple of feet deep to hundreds of feet deep (they are sometimes even built above ground). In Glasgow city centre, most sewers are in the region of 10-20 feet deep.

I've never been in Argyle Street railway station so I can't form any sort of perspective of where the equivalent surface level point of this girder bridge would be (though not as far west as Dunlop Street would be my guess). I can't recall for certain from memory if there are any sewers that cross the railway tunnel in this vicinity but I don't think there are - I'll check next week when I'm back at work.

If there was a watercourse down as low as that (and I can't understand why there would be at this point - geology and all that) and it was running to the Clyde (which common sense would tell you it would have to be) then I would think the railway tunnel would/should be at serious risk of regular flooding (yes I know it has happened in the past, but only during extreme weather and due to floodwater making its way there from elsewhere in the tunnel network) due to the Clyde backing up via it.

Sorry, but I still don't believe there is any sort of natural watercourse down there. Is it not more likely to be something to do with man-made (track?) drainage perhaps? If not that, my next bet would be something to do with the sewerage network (though I have no knowledge of what that might be).

Any chance of a photo of this girder bridge?

PS - There is a sort of (sealed) bridge structure within the Argyle line railway tunnel further to the east, just past Glasgow Cross, where it passes over the Molendinar Burn culvert - the culvert decreases in height quite dramatically where the tunnel passes over it. I don't know if there are any obvious signs of this from within the railway tunnel.

[D17AVD]

From the tunnel side, I don't think so, as I'm pretty sure I'd have noticed it at some point over the years. There's certainly nothing as obvious as the the one at Argyle St, which you cant miss. I cant see it being drainage for the tunnel, because although the tunnel floor is now concrete, with drainage channels at the side which drain down through regular drain holes, remember the original floor was ballast, so then any water would drain down into the water table. Also, if it was drainage, then surely it would be built like a sump, and be at the tunnel's lowest point, not up a rise out of Central. I'm trying through contact in Network Rail to find out what it is. If I get any result, I'll let you know.

[My Kitten]

aye, well done! We'll see you in ten years mibbe! So easy to get waylaid by so many interesting things in there.

[toomse]

drains = red
water = blue

[toomse]

wide view of Howard Street (was looking for evidence of the Gott Burn)

[Glesga_Steve]

drains = blue
water = red

Typo on Toomse's part: it's the other way round - the sewerage system is shown in red and the water supply network is shown in blue.

[Lucky Poet]

Re: Grahamston, here's a quote from Jack House, who was cited way back in this thread:

The Central Station is built on top of what was once a village called Grahamston. [...] To this day, if you go down into the bowels of the Central Station, you can see the pavement kerbs and sometimes even the suggestion of a shop front which existed in the days of Grahamston.

Jack House, The Heart of Glasgow (Glasgow, 2005) p.136

I'm sure the term 'village' is used loosely; 'small settlement' or 'collection of buildings just outside the city limits' doesn't read as nicely.

PS Whether Mr House was knowingly talking bollocks or not is a different matter, but that's what he wrote.

[Dave]

Your all looking in the wrong st.
Pictures to follow

Like this one



All credit to pgcc93

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=69&p=500&hilit=GCLL#p500

[Fossil]

naw thats not it. Dont you think after all these years Ive seen most pictures posted here

[Davie Thistle]

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=69&p=500&hilit=GCLL#p500

Hello Folks,
just a wee pointer on this Pic,

I remember when I worked in the Saltmarket, (1974/5)
the old station was still there, tho closed,
but, I managed to get in to it via a loose panel on the door, (cough)
and walked the whole way along the old rail line from Glasgow cross to
the next junction from the Hope St/Argyle St junction that was open, (like the pic)

I think it was after the block that was then the Bank building?
at the old bus station?
the point I'm trying to make is, I did'nt see any old street!!
wish I had!!!!

[Dave]

This photo was taken as if stood in what is now a J.D. Wetherspoons pub on the corner of Argyle Street and Hope Street. That white building is now the 5* Radisson SAS Hotel. Are you thinking of the same spot?

Fossil - Where are the pictures you illuded to???

[Davie Thistle]

This photo was taken as if stood in what is now a J.D. Wetherspoons pub on the corner of Argyle Street and Hope Street. That white building is now the 5* Radisson SAS Hotel. Are you thinking of the same spot?

.........nope,
I,m talking about the other end of the block the waterloo bar is at.

I'm sure the ground there was open like as in the above pic,
then again, your mind does play tricks the aulder you get!!

that pic looks as if it's been taken from the street the waterloo is in?
Wellington Street?
or as near as dammit!

[Davie Thistle]

...........nice wee picter of the Glasgow X station?
in the times to-nite - 03/08/09

[Glasgogirl]

My mother's two brother's were Brit. Telecom engineers for a number of years from late 60s to late 80s. My unlce Joe told us stories of an underground street somewhere in the city centre... I can't recall all the details as I was still rather young, but he reckons many city workers with access to under the ground had knowledge of this, and many had seen it firsthand, including himself. ???