The Hidden Glasgow Forums

That really made me smile!!!

The memories...the shirts ...the stretchy stuff... sigh...

What a great picture!!!

Takes me back to wet afternoons in the early 90's.

I used to go to Whiplash Records (Ground floor, top right hand corner) and buy copies of Electric Soup!!!


Ahhh those were the days!!!

yeah bought all my soups in there. dont remember it being painted like that tho

i loved the galleries. i once went to enquire about getting a shop in there. The guy who ran (owned?) the place was a really creepy sleazy kinda man and i was terrified to be stuck in a room with him alone... it was only, however, £60 a week rent which was well within my budget.

I miss that place a lot - wish there was something similar now.

The pic brings back many memories - especially of balancing along the balconies terrified of the whole place collapsing!

Thought I'd re-post these here, for reasons of continuity, in case anyone missed them on the "Tunnel's" Thread

gap74 wrote:As I recall, even before M&S began their tunnel and extension, the building had already been repaired in the late 80s/early 90s, when part of the facade was replaced after a spell of being shored up. I remember being really annoyed when M&S then seemed surprised that their tunneling had again damaged it - they tunnel under a delicate building with a history of major subsidence and are shocked that it starts to sink?? It was once again substantially repaired, this time replacing about half of the stonework in the facade, which gave it a curious patchwork appearance of old and grotty and shiny and new!
It survived until last year, when the undermining problem resurfaced again, this time manifesting itself in by the facade starting to peel away from the main body of the building!

From what I was told today, it was the Contractor who was at fault and the subsequent compensation claims by the VG Traders were directed towards said Contractors. If M&S were being advised by the Contractor that all was well, why then would they not be surprised when "it started to sink"?

Crikey, nearly two years since I posted that and your response, HH, that's a personal record for me on HG I think!

BY M&S, I meant both the company and the contractors acting on their behalf - I'm no structural engineer, and I guessed before it happened that digging a hole that size next to a 200 year old building with a history of serious subsidence would probably be asking for trouble.

I still rank this as one of the greatest architectural losses to the city in recent memory, up there with Elgin Place Congregational....

Gary

gap74 wrote:Crikey, nearly two years since I posted that and your response, HH, that's a personal record for me on HG I think!

I know, I had black hair when I started the reply now I look like a 2000 year old Greek.

gap74 wrote:BY M&S, I meant both the company and the contractors acting on their behalf - I'm no structural engineer, and I guessed before it happened that digging a hole that size next to a 200 year old building with a history of serious subsidence would probably be asking for trouble.

Fortunate for you then that it was not your good self that undertook the structural survey and subsequent contract for M&S

gap74 wrote:I still rank this as one of the greatest architectural losses to the city in recent memory, up there with Elgin Place Congregational....
Gary

Gappy me boy, I can only agree with you here, how could I not? Judging by the many posts on this and related subjects, who would voice an objection? Cheers for your rather late reply though

Proposal for site of Virginia Galleries

Well cool, from what I can see. Coold have been so, so, much worser.

I was actually working in that store during my student days when this all first happened (1996-1999). I moved to Braehead in 1999 but continued with M&S for another 4 years, so was aware of the issues.

From what I recall, the fault lay solely with the structural engineers which were working for M&S.

The background was that the building next to Virginia Galleries was the "old store". I'm not sure when it was closed, but M&S continued to use it for storage of equipment. Had the pleasure of going over now and again for stuff and it had one dodgy old lift and various unsafe areas due to the state of the floor. The tunnel had been there for many years previously.

Anyway, M&S wanted to increase sales floor area by using the administration and staff areas which were on the 2nd Floor. Where the currency bit is on 2nd floor used to be the catering unit. I can still see the pillar near where the pool table used to be situated when I'm up there.

The extension at the far end of the Food hall, and the extension on the ground & 1st Floors directly above also meant a lot of warehouse space was going to be lost. The set of three lifts towards the back of the store were actually goods lifts in my day.

Therefore, they had to develop the "old store" in order to carry out the increase in sales floor space. M&S were advised by the structural engineers that the Virginia Galleries building would not collapse if they demolished the "old store" so they proceeded with the development. When the demolition begun around 1998, the building did begin to move (around 2-3 feet sideways by all accounts). This is when VG was closed for business. Supports were hastily erected and they entered a period of consultation with all parties to find a solution. M&S or their contractors began legal action agianst the structural engineers.

It wasn't until 2002 that the new M&S building was completed. This now houses the Collect-by-Car on the ground floor, food warehouse in the basement, canteen on the 1st Floor and administration and offices on the 2nd Floor.

Some movement yesterday...the Surveyors were in! Should be a nice study over the coming years



Scuse the qwality

I remember chatting with someone who used to have a shop in the galleries and he was convinced that M&S brought it down deliberately

cheesemonster wrote:he was convinced that M&S brought it down deliberately

Why? To what end?