The Hidden Glasgow Forums

A few more rotunda shots...

Pedestrian tunnel, 1955
http://www.theglasgowstory.com/imageview.php?inum=TGSE01300

North Rotunda, sometime between 1906 - 1912
http://www.theglasgowstory.com/imageview.php?inum=TGSE00164


Tim.

Well, I remember seeing an episode of Taggart, and there was one scene where they were chasing some guy through the tunnel. Can anyone else remember this??

Don't recall Taggart, but i do have 2 cool pictures of the elevators in the rotundas i'll post soon.

S

The Rotundas are a mystery to me. Lots of people told me last summer when I was in Glasgow that those tunnels are now flooded. But an engineer from the City of Glasgow told me that 2 tunnels were flooded and one is maintain because of the pipes. He also told me that he could not help me to go down there but that is was feasible and mentionned that I would need to make sure I have boots and a flashlight...

I guess I should work on that and do some exploration when I'll be in Glasgow...I'm sure this tunnel is still there and maintained...

Pgcc93 wrote:

Looks like access is pretty easy, is that a recent pic? I thought one of the 2 rotundas was now a restaurant/boutique... ???

Restauraunt and a casino, is it not? I'm fascinated with these thing too, i'd love to get down into the tunnels.

Pgcc wrote:1979

That rotunda is actually the one that functions as a restraunt/casino, notice Skypark, pre-shiny cladding, peeking out on the left hand side. The other (south) one is part of construction site at the moment so access would be doubtful Im afraid.

Crusty

There certainly is a maintained tunnel, which carries water pipes.

I spoke to guys working on it last year, they were ripping out the remainder of teh victorian stairways and replacing them with safe and non-rusting steel ladders...

Anyway many thanks to Colin Findlay for digging up these 2 wonders from the June 1895 issue of Glasgow Harbour Engineering.

Fascinating pics of the construction.

You can see it in action here: Glasgow Gets to Work (1935)

(6.41) car driving into lift into the Finnieston Tunnel, and driving out again

http://www.bestlaidschemes.com/moviezone/glasgow-gets-to-work

mustardman wrote:Well, I remember seeing an episode of Taggart, and there was one scene where they were chasing some guy through the tunnel. Can anyone else remember this??

I remember this one. Mark McManus was chasing an IRA hitman through the tunnel, when the terrorist detonated a bomb on himself. The awaiting detectives beleived Jim Taggart to have perished in the explosion, only for the cult hero to appear covered in suit from a doorway to utter the words "Happy New Year."

Class

The Yen Teppenyaki (sp?) restaurant in the North Rotunda is an absolute must for a dining experience. Been a few times and it's hard to believe tha the first time I went there there was a running sewer and a dank, musty hell-hole of a tunnel.

This may belong in the Garden Festival thread, but did anyone else sample the food on offer in the South Rotunda at the time?

I had a colleague who was working in the ribs bar, but can't remember it's name at the mo.

It's funny to see how the North side is all re-developed, while the South side is still pretty much as it was after the end of the Garden Festival.

Festina Lente seems to be the watchword for some parts of the city

I remember some of the stuff in the new Science Centre was also in the South Rotunda for a few years after the Garden Festival. The whispering satellite dish things for one. So I guess the South Rotunda was abandoned some time in the early nineties.

Hi guys,

I was just at the abandonned rotundas and I just saw, with my own eyes, one of the three tunnels, the one usd for utilitis and it as NOT flooded. Access to the rutonda is relatively easy at night right now...But maybe the easiest point of access is not IN the rotunda...

Gimme a rope and I'm down there walking it!

Don't know if you have seen them before, but there are a couple of colour photographs of the Tunnel here:
http://www.mackenzieconstruction.com/Brochures.asp