Hidden Cumbernauld.

[appleofglasgow]

Hi there the programme was about the top 25 worst buildings in the UK as voted for by the public through the Channel 4 website. I had it all recorded but unfortunately the tape has went nuts over the years and even if it was to work I couldn't get it onto the computer through lack of hardware.

It was very very interesting, 4 parts and some very lovely buildings that did not deserve to be shamed in it, as ever just being victims of the concrete war that's going on at the moment.

Final episode was dedicated to Cumbernauld.

As for pictures of Cumbernauld Centre I have a zillion going on later. Cheers.

[banjo]

a trillion....ive told you billions of times not to exagerate.

[appleofglasgow]

:)!

Yes well here we go, I've only managed to name and describe the first half before losing the will to live as it's tedious trying to describe it all.

Hope people 'enjoy' looking at this, in a sick sort of way.

I haven't been in ages as you can see from the date stamps on the pictures, looking at these images again has made my little bout of obsession for the place re-start.

Really really wish I could get up to Level 4 again, beyond irritating I was up there and took it for granted.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamegarbage/sets/72157626751876382/with/5734869496/

[BrigitDoon]

Are they making gazillobyte hard drives yet?

[Knightmare]

:)!

Yes well here we go, I've only managed to name and describe the first half before losing the will to live as it's tedious trying to describe it all.

Hope people 'enjoy' looking at this, in a sick sort of way.

I haven't been in ages as you can see from the date stamps on the pictures, looking at these images again has made my little bout of obsession for the place re-start.

Really really wish I could get up to Level 4 again, beyond irritating I was up there and took it for granted.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamegarbage/sets/72157626751876382/with/5734869496/

I'm not really getting this obsessive behaviour about the Fourth floor. Surley its just a bunch of offices....not very interesting. Its not like you're gonna go up there and discover the holy grail. It's really not all that old and hardly a hidden gem. If there are people really desperate to get up there, form a group, write a group letter to the council and ask if it would be okay to go up and take some photos for posterity.

If you do make it up there, beware of the very large, perfectly spherical boulder that will come tumbling towards you. Remember when you come out the lift that only the penitent man shall pass. Also, it would probably be worth taking a whip for swinging across the cavernous missing floorboard. Finally you might want to have a small bag of sand for putting down in place of the grail otherwise the whole place will come crashing down on top of you.

[BrigitDoon]

We're not using wrecking balls much these days, sadly

[appleofglasgow]

Isn't the whole point of this forum to discuss "hidden" Glasgow?

It's intriguing to see the corridors and apartments if they are still there, which we don't know seeing as we can't get up, and imagine in the mid 50's when the first tenants would have moved into them thinking they were really entering into the future of urban trendy living.

I don't know if it's just me that does that but when I walk around Cumbernauld I don't see the derelict poor state it is in now, I just try and imagine it when it was brand new, something extremely exciting, coming out of slum in Glasgow to something as striking as that place, takes a lot of imagination I will give you that but it just makes me see the place differently.

[craigx]

Isn't the whole point of this forum to discuss "hidden" Glasgow?

It's intriguing to see the corridors and apartments if they are still there, which we don't know seeing as we can't get up, and imagine in the mid 50's when the first tenants would have moved into them thinking they were really entering into the future of urban trendy living.

I don't know if it's just me that does that but when I walk around Cumbernauld I don't see the derelict poor state it is in now, I just try and imagine it when it was brand new, something extremely exciting, coming out of slum in Glasgow to something as striking as that place, takes a lot of imagination I will give you that but it just makes me see the place differently.

was just looking through your flickr when i saw your comment

"The floor guide of the Phase 1 building, Avon walk is unfortunately inaccessible although I can swear that once I pressed the floor 4 in the elevator and it allowed me to progress to the top floor. I was greeted by two locked door's and a very eery looking scene in the corridor behind them, a sign reading something along hte lines of "CARD HOLDERS ONLY" or "MEMBERS ONLY"."

thats the doors to the now defunt CDC club

craigx

[Knightmare]

Isn't the whole point of this forum to discuss "hidden" Glasgow?

It's intriguing to see the corridors and apartments if they are still there, which we don't know seeing as we can't get up, and imagine in the mid 50's when the first tenants would have moved into them thinking they were really entering into the future of urban trendy living.

I don't know if it's just me that does that but when I walk around Cumbernauld I don't see the derelict poor state it is in now, I just try and imagine it when it was brand new, something extremely exciting, coming out of slum in Glasgow to something as striking as that place, takes a lot of imagination I will give you that but it just makes me see the place differently.

Yep, you're right about the point of Hidden Glasgow. I really wasn't intending to criticise your endeavour. Good luck getting to level 4!!

[appleofglasgow]

I found a gallery of images of the place taken in 1968 by a Norwegian student of the time:

This appears to be level 3, further down from the library! Look at the very end of the corridor and you can see it was originally outdoors, the space outside the library:


Look at the top right of the picture and it matches up to my image found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamegarbage/5734336589/in/photostream

I was completely unaware that this area used to not contain those big seating area type things and you could look down onto the level below!

This appears to be the bridge over the Phase 2, again I have a shot of this area from modern times:


My shot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamegarbage/5406163298/in/set-72157625824174371

Next is an image of the now demolished area of Phase 1, but what I found extremely interesting about this is how it matches to the concept image!


And the sketch:


I found that particularly strange, also note the hustle of the sketch, remember this place was supposed to be city centre style busyness...that was the plan.

[appleofglasgow]

Another thing that interests me is that portions of the centre were originally outdoors, such as the ramp immediately outside the library, as can be seen in this picture:


Also, the bank and book shop were all once exposed also:


On the left of this you can just about make out The Royal Bank of Scotland (hopefully).

[purplepantman]

Thanks for posting these pics Ryan. I've not seen any of them before.

I'd no idea so much of the centre was uncovered. Must've been a draughty place in 1968.

[southsider52]

Ryan,

These pictures bring back memories. You can see the advert for the Falcon in one of them. I'd forgotten all about the Ten Pin bowling alley which was there. I spent many happy afternoons there when I should have been in school revising for exams. Its a shame it's life span was even more brief than the cinema. It still beats me why Cumbernauld can't seem to sustain any commercial entertainment undertaking.

[appleofglasgow]

It still puzzles me, the area of buildings underneath the bit on the stilt.

The red brick construction seems completely out of place with all the concrete, I was discussing earlier in the thread if these buildings were original but indeed they seem to be.

Still can't imagine what it must have been like in the early 60's to arrive at such a place, everything brand new and alien.

Someone likened it to the 'aircraft carrier city' by Hans Hollein:

[craigx]

love love love all of those pictures

craigx