Demolition at Templeton's

Moderators: John, Sharon, Fossil, Lucky Poet, crusty_bint, Jazza, dazza

Demolition at Templeton's

Postby Apollo » Sat Mar 05, 2005 11:56 pm

Found after I wrote this post: http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedo ... leid=87807
Been sold for £6.7 million for a £22 milliion development.


Walking along London Rd, a glance down Templeton St had me staggering to the nearest pub to recover with a good stiff malt, or two.

At first glance, it looked as if a chunk of Templeton's carpet factory had been demolished, and new building wark was already underway.

After the paramedics patched up the defibrillator burns, they let me wander down for a closer look. The demolition was confined to the modern part of the building, which had been a leisure centre in recent years. According to the signs around the site, the development is of a number of luxury flats (why are they always 'luxury' nowadays?). Doesn't look as if it will take long, the sections in place look like prefab or ready-pour concrete, assembled from the inside outwards.

Hope they look after the exposed end of the 1930s section.

Image

Image

They've added the memorial Templeton Gate along from the old station fascade in Binnie Place, in memory of the 29 women killed in adjacent weaving sheds, 1 Nov 1889, when the factory fascade collapsed due to insecure fixings. The story is carved in the light section of stone across the base of the gate.

Image

And the licencing application for the public house and beer garden is in place too.

Image
User avatar
Apollo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby DickyHart » Sun Mar 06, 2005 3:52 am

the leisure centre was called ' marcos' they have got another part of the building now. , there was also a lazerquest thing there for a short time.

never mind the beergarden re-open the 'new monaco' thats what i say....NOT!!
Is this gonna be a standup fight, sir, or another bughunt?
User avatar
DickyHart
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1505
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2004 6:30 pm
Location: Carstairs

Postby viceroy » Sun Mar 06, 2005 11:10 am

I worked for James Templeton for a short while anno 1968 and I remember that the modern building which eventually became Marcos Leisure Centre was at that time the factory's despatch department. The carpets were warehoused and sent out from there. The entrance to the leisure centre was then the loading ramp. The building was put up in 1963 I believe. There was another building [long demolished] on the opposite side of Templeton St. which contained - such was the social stratification in those days - a works canteen, a staff restaurant and a dining room for directors and senior management.
One would like to think that the new 'luxury' flats will complement Leiper's original design as successfully as the 1920's/1930's wings by George Boswell. What's the betting we will be sorely disappointed in that respect?
User avatar
viceroy
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1048
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 8:23 pm
Location: Glasgow no more

Postby Apollo » Sun Mar 06, 2005 11:59 am

Viceroy, do you know what the big glass bay window that jutted out above the despatch door served? Now that you've described the function of the 'new' extension building, its destroyed my illusion that it was the director's board room, to give them a nice view as they discussed the business.

The window under the clock at the corner of Templeton St and London Rd is open to the gym area, and you can look in at the excercise machine etc. I would have said members too, but only ever 2 or 3 when I've looked in.

The window used to showcase a sample of Templeton's wares.
User avatar
Apollo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby viceroy » Sun Mar 06, 2005 12:56 pm

It was a very long time ago and I can't really remember. In fact I had completely forgotten about the large window above the loading bay. My feeling is that the whole building was part of the warehousing/despatch operation at the factory. On the other hand maybe it was part of the design department. This would have been an ideal place for it, with plenty of light. But it certainly wasn't the boardroom. This was in the upper echelons of the main office block on Templeton St. where the directors had their own rooms.

I remember the showcase window. There was a showroom on the first floor, above the entrance in Templeton St., but I think this may have been for trade only, not retail.

By the way, Templeton's had recently bought a computer which was shown to me just after I joined. It had a large office all to itself and was attended by a couple of guys in white coats who were referred to in terms of hushed reverence.
User avatar
viceroy
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1048
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 8:23 pm
Location: Glasgow no more

Postby paladin » Sun Mar 06, 2005 2:01 pm

viceroy wrote: Templeton's had recently bought a computer which was shown to me just after I joined. It had a large office all to itself and was attended by a couple of guys in white coats who were referred to in terms of hushed reverence.


How times change, now it's multiple computers attended by a solitary soul known as something that doesn't resemble hushed reverance (and white coats were dispensed with to save on laundry bills).

On the building front, it seems that a pattern is emerging where the heart is ripped from them for development purposes whilst the frontage remains for cosmetic reasons. Masked developments.
paladin
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1080
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 6:35 am

Postby My Kitten » Tue Mar 08, 2005 4:16 pm

DickyHart wrote:the leisure centre was called ' marcos' they have got another part of the building now.


I used to be a member of that gym, I used the like the view from the machines across to the green. The bar downstairs was the best bit tho :)
User avatar
My Kitten
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 6105
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2004 10:10 am

Postby Apollo » Thu Aug 25, 2005 6:23 pm

Looks like the original development was much more of an act of vandalism than the final project, a news item I just found from 2003:

Proposals by developers to convert the former Templeton carpet factory into flats and offices - which were branded "architectural vandalism" - have been withdrawn. They would have meant constructing a 15-storey modern office block in the car park and adding roof-top penthouses to the 19th century A-listed building, which is structure, clad in multi-coloured tiles, overlooks Glasgow Green and is a major tourist attraction in the city. The architects have now dropped the glass roof-top apartments and reduced the height of the planned tower block.
User avatar
Apollo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby crusty_bint » Thu Aug 25, 2005 7:14 pm

Heres whats going up:

http://www.verde-glasgow.co.uk/
Image

yeeeeeeesh
crusty_bint
-
-
 
Posts: 4425
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2004 3:52 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby Apollo » Thu Aug 25, 2005 7:26 pm

It could be a lot worse :roll:

Losing a storey or two, to make the original building dominant would have helped too.

I'm guessing they've tried to echo some of the original colours, but what on earth are they thinking of with the lime green or whatever it is?

The colour's naff, and the structure it's on doesn't even nod towards any styling of the early or later parts of the original.
User avatar
Apollo
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun May 09, 2004 10:26 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby james73 » Fri Aug 26, 2005 12:24 am

crusty_bint wrote:Heres whats going up:

http://www.verde-glasgow.co.uk/
Image

yeeeeeeesh

Image



James H
james73
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 2035
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2003 4:08 pm
Location: urbanglasgow.co.uk - come & join us.....

Postby Vladimir » Fri Aug 26, 2005 8:27 am

Looks like something in Leeds to me...

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=169122

:? :x
User avatar
Vladimir
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 1830
Joined: Mon May 02, 2005 9:40 am
Location: Confédération Générale du Travail

Postby mooshimooshisan » Fri Aug 26, 2005 10:10 am

It looks bloody horrific. Can't believe they thought this was a good idea. :(
mooshimooshisan
Second Stripe
Second Stripe
 
Posts: 371
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2005 12:32 pm

Postby Fat Cat » Fri Aug 26, 2005 11:24 am

"Luxury Flats"

Why is there never enough room to swing a cat.

I remember visiting a friend who lived in a "luxury flat" in town and the bath was half the size of a normal bath. Oooh, the luxury.

Who lives in a house like this then?

GCC need a good arse kicking.
User avatar
Fat Cat
Third Stripe
Third Stripe
 
Posts: 840
Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2005 3:09 pm
Location: Glasgow

Postby trudger » Sun Aug 28, 2005 1:08 am

Where the fuck are they going to find enough lego to build that thing?
Last edited by trudger on Sun Sep 11, 2005 9:40 am, edited 2 times in total.
trudger
Second Stripe
Second Stripe
 
Posts: 142
Joined: Tue May 18, 2004 9:12 am

Next

Return to Hidden Glasgow Projects

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 49 guests