Anderston Centre

[skintobalinto]

Your right Foss, I had forgotton about that. There was a moving walkway and if I remember right I was quite long.

[My Kitten]

I don't really remember much from the centre when it was occupied as being from noddyland we used Buchanan Bus Station and never ventured that far along Argyle St - kinda an unwritten rule that Sauchiehall St was much safer . We only went that way when the Kelvin buses moved to the centre (1990??) and I remember always being scared out of my wits hanging around there (1).

(1) read here country bumpkin who's mammy tells her not to hang about these bad places having to stand waiting for a bus and seeing bad women.[/img]

[duncan]

... seeing bad women.[/img]

unfortunately your image of the 'bad women' didn't show up, disappointing many of us, I'm sure. can you please try posting it again, purely for our research purposes of course.

;-)

[turbozutek]

I too would like to see bad women.

Thanks.

Chris...

[Cyclo2000]

I used to do business with Robox who were originally calculator specialists.
Yes, really, that's all they sold when they opened. There was another office equipment business there for a few years called Clydeforth, who were Glasgow's Olivetti typewriter dealer.

McConomys was quite the place to go for a while. I remember buying an album there, "The Hobos play Sounds Like Slade". Christ, you should of heard it! Whenever someone mentions McConomys to me now I always pair it in my mind with Woolco in Cumbernauld which was similarly "destination" shopping in the mid seventies. IE people used to go there for an afternoon out. Woolco is of course, no longer with us either.

I am very surprised that no-one has mentioned the Travelators in the Anderson Centre yet. Yes, the place was so space age that shoppers weren't really expected to walk. There were Travelators to move you about. Admittedly, they were hardlly ever switched on.

[Apollo]

There's a memory, where would you find a travelator today?

I don't recall the probelm being that the travelator wasn't on, so much as there only being the one operating in the direction of the shops. In other words, we'll get you there to spend as quick as possible, but you're on your own once you're loaded up with parcels and stuff. to be fair, the ecalators did run both ways.

[DMcNay]

There's a memory, where would you find a travelator today?

Airports?

[rosco]

Buchanan St Underground, at the Queen St station entrance.

[DMcNay]

Buchanan St Underground, at the Queen St station entrance.

Is that ever switched on?

[rosco]

i heard they're linked to the trains; when a train stops, they stop too

dont know which is joined to inner or outer circle though

[skintobalinto]

Nobody has mentioned the moving walkway it had
You got on at ground level and it took you up to the shopping centre.
The first I think in Glasgow.
Bloody unusual at the time BTW.


-Fossil-

I think Foss had the travelator covered in an earlier post.

[escotregen]

I worked there for a couple of years in the late 70s for the old Scottish Special Housing Association. We were in Rankin House on the floor below the Radio Clyde suite (oh to be so near fame). The construction was classic system-built 60s; all steel frame and concrete curtains and slabbing. The heating was by air-assisted electric storage heaters and single glazed windows. Consequence was that you either baked in the summer heat because of the lack of ventilation or froze in the winter because the expensive electric heating could not compete with the really poor u (thermal) values of the steel and concrete structure. I also remember that things got increasingly difficult for the female employees being mistaken for the street girls plying their trade in and around the complex. The original concept was that this would be a multi-function hub of public transport, housing, office and shops complete with piazas - and it would "move the focus of the city centre westward". Mind you, every cloud has a silver lining. The one in this case, was Eddie the opera and C&W singing driver of the old number 75 red bus to Cambuslang that left from the bus station.

[Gus]

Filmed a tv commercial for Scot FM in one of the flats. It was really poor and was supposed to be a Polish guy juggling gerkins.... We also super-imposed a shipyard outside the window. Ah the magic !

[Apollo]

You got on at ground level and it took you up to the shopping centre.
-Fossil-

Not ground level...

From Argyle St (and Douglas St or the next one along) there was a pair of escalators that gave access to the first level next to the snooker club and first lot of shops. You walked a few yards past the club and headed right and that took you to the one-way travelator, on and up to Robox, McOnomy and the disco shop, and the fire station if you forgot to stop

[Gazzathecoigne]

I remember the Anderston Centre as being a very dark, dull and frightening place to visit. My Grandfather lived in the flats and relied on my Mum (his daughter), and my brother and I to visit him and bring up his dinner.

We stayed in Houldsworth Street just up the road, and often trapsed down there with his mince n' tatties. I remember the entrance from Argyle Street, it was very dark and there were always drunks around.

We found him dead behind his door one morning around 1988 and I hav'nt been back since. I was only 10 at the time, but remember thinking "at least I won't have to come back?"

When will the flats and the centre be demolished??