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Pollokshaws was a bit different today.

The green mesh on the scaffolding was mainly gone or blowing in the fierce breeze.
The top poles of the scaffold were shaking and bits were flying all over the shop.

And the big crane was lying down at ground level.

Wish I had my camera with me.

when i passed it the scaffolding was further down and it looked like another chunk had been removed,which i was surprised considering the hellish weather and wind round this way today.

no camera for me either unfortunately

The weather was pretty hellish.

I had a dose of reverse vertigo looking up at 12 Riverford as I imagined the scaffolding peeling off and crashing down onto my puny body - nowhere to escape.

the date of the demolition which was set for sunday may 11 , has been abandoned they say the delay is due to them not being able to make as much use of the large crane as they would have liked , due to the strong winds of the past few months . yet again no one knows when a new date for demolition will be announced . . so there go my plans for selling up and moving house ... AGAIN !!!

I heard that they are bringing the whole side down, and not just to the seventh floor.

No date has been mentioned when the big day is tho

This montage compares 1955 and 2006 aerial views of the South West corner of Pollokshaws. I was interested to note how Shawbridge Street has been re-alligned further South to meet Nether Auldhouse Road and how Harriet Street became Harriet Place when Thornliebank Road was re-designed. Apologies to the moderators if this topic has been covered before.

it,s been a while since i posted any updates so here are my latest pic,s . 21 riverbank street is now finished and ready for demolition .

Old Kennishead road


Old Kennishead Road looking towards the round toll

Ancient woodland above Kennishead Road

21 riverbank street is now completely closed off , they have placed big metal plates over the locks on the gates into the site , and the ground floor is completely wrapped in heavy duty black plastic , and no workmen on site at all , and no way in or out now . look,s like it,s ready to go boom !!! soon .
12 riverford road seems to be getting closer too . the only activity over there seems to be the demolition of one side , using the crane to lower big sections of the building down to the ground , where they are loaded into skips and taken away . the ground floor look,s to be almost ready too . wall,s taken out and what remains is being wrapped in the same heavy duty black plastic sheeting . it has taken them from december until now , to demolish 11 floors on the one side . i hope we will not have to wait another five or six months for them to finish !

Vinegar Tom wrote:Sorry for the hot link.



Pollokshaws was a bit different today.

The green mesh on the scaffolding was mainly gone or blowing in the fierce breeze.
The top poles of the scaffold were shaking and bits were flying all over the shop.

And the big crane was lying down at ground level.

Wish I had my camera with me.

today the huge crane that has been used to part demolish one side of the multi at 12 riverford was dismantled and taken away . so it look,s like that,s as far down as they are taking it . according to a workman on site , it will be coming down next month , the exact date is still to be finalised .

I've been on reconnaissance again...

Yesterday I went to Shawbridge to case the joint. It is easily accessed by FirstGroup bus service 23 which runs from Jamaica Street by Central Station to Riverford Road. There are regular trains from Central Station to Pollokshaws West which is nearby.

12 Riverford Road had the big crane with it and there were satisfying sounds of things being hit very hard emanating from within. The crane had a small skip attached to it that was being raised and lowered in and out of the plastic sheeting that surrounds the scaffold. The southern elevation has been taken down to the seventh floor.


12 Riverford Road from Lidl car park

21 Riverbank Street is stripped and ready to rumble, it would seem. No bin bags, though.


21 Riverbank Street (left) from Lidl car park

124 ("McGill") and 142 ("Woodrow") Shawbridge Street both appear to be empty and boarded-up awaiting preparation. All four wear the GHA banner.


(l-r) 124 Shawbridge, 21 Riverbank and 142 Shawbridge

12 Riverford Road runs alongside Shawbridge Street which suggests that they'll have to tip it toward Lidl when they bring it down as there is a car park on that side to catch the "spread". Similarly, 21 Riverbank Street has a car park to the Shawbridge Street side into which it can be tipped. It looks as though they'll be dropping in opposite directions.


(l-r) 12 Riverford and 21 Riverbank from junction of Riverford Road and Shawbridge Street

I have a few vantage points lined up, but much depends on the exclusion zone.


Riverford Road, on the bridge between Lidl and Morrison's, Morrison's side


Riverford Road, on the bridge between Lidl and Morrison's, Lidl's side


Auldhouse Park, adjacent to Auldhouse Road


Cogan Street (between retail park and Shawbridge Street)


Pump no. 8, Morrison's filling station


Pollokshaws East railway station platform


Again, close up


I've not been to look at these yet, but they offer a commanding view. I believe they are located on Hillpark Drive.


These are the towers of Birness Drive. The two at right (nos. 19 and 31) are unsuitable as their view is blocked by No. 5 (left). 145 Shawhill Road (top) may offer a good view from the upper floors as might 5 Birness Drive, but none can view the base of 12 Riverford Road. There are many trees in the area to obscure the view.

I have heard a rumour that they're coming down on July 19th, but the gentleman who volunteered this seemed less than completely convinced since this happens to be a Saturday. I can't see either Morrison's or Lidl's being happy with that.

seeing as how I work in lidl Id be rather happy if we were shut on the saturday Curiously we have been told nothing about the demolition date and Im currently updating the higher ups in the company about the goings on via stuff Ive gleaned from this site! Also, I saw you taking these pictures outside and was wondering if you were a hidden glasgower!

I dont think theyll tip the buildings though, the aim will be for them to fall straight down within their own footprint, I really dont want to have to clean up all that crap from the car park!

deevlash wrote:I saw you taking these pictures outside and was wondering if you were a hidden glasgower!

I've been rumbled! Not as bad as being tapped by Plod at Sighthill last week, though...

By "tip" and "spread", I mean the most subtle of nudges. It should all come down right where it stands as you say, just a little bit of creeping away from the road to minimise the amount of debris that ends up in the road, much as they did at Stirlingfauld at the weekend where they tipped them slightly away from Gorbal's Street. The map of the exclusion zone betrayed their intentions as the buildings were noticeably toward one corner of the zone.

...and no, I hope you don't have to clear the debris out of your car park, either. You'd need a rather larger dustpan and brush than you sell in your premises!

Here is a pic of the exclusion zone area , that was going to be in place for the original may 11,th demolition day . the two dark grey rectangles are the two multis at 21 riverbank street ,a and 12 riverford road . it is huge , so finding a good spot to view it from is not going to be too easy . latest news i have from the new shaws housing groups annual report , just released today , says that the new demolition date will be in june or july , so still no definate date . btw the contract for the new build development has gone to a company called cruden , they are now said to be working on the plans for the new builds that will replace the old multis .

Excellent! Much as I expected and I believe most of my vantage points are still valid. The one in Shawbridge Street might not be, but the prime locations on the bridge in Riverford Road and Auldhouse Park are still viable. Still the possibility of a June blowdown? That's a nuisance. I was planning to go to Somerset in the next week or so to retrieve some essential equipment.