MAY 2, 2017

Angela Catlin: Natural Light II @HillheadLibrary

• Angela Catlin’s first book Natural Light was published in 1985 alongside an exhibition at the Edinburgh International Book Festival that later toured Scotland, writes Ginny Clark.

Catlin’s powerful and atmospheric portraits of Scottish authors captured a golden era of Scottish literature. Now, just over 30 years later, the award-winning Glasgow-based photographer and photo-journalist has revisited the theme and her subjects – such as Alasdair Gray, James Kelman and Liz Lockheed – in Natural Light II.

However, for this latest book Catlin has also focused on another generation of literary greats including Denise Mina, Ali Smith, AL Kennedy and Alan Warner.

The Natural Light II exhibition including 68 images of 58 authors opens at Hillhead Library on Friday, May 5, the first time the whole project has been exhibited in Glasgow.

Catlin said: “I’m happy the exhibition is going to be on show at Hillhead Library, we’re lucky to have a venue that is so supportive of photography in Glasgow’s vibrant west end.”

Pictures: James Kelman, 1985 and, below, 30 years on. By Angela Catlin

* Natural Light II is at Hillhead Library, Friday, May 5 until Sunday, June 25. Free. The book Natural Light II, by Anglea Catlin, published by  Freight Books, £20, available online at freightbooks.co.uk

MAY 1, 2017

The Botanic Gardens – 10 things you possibly didn’t know

The hugely-popular Botanic Gardens are 200 this year and the anniversary will be marked by a special celebration on Saturday, May 20, writes Ginny Clark.

It’s a great chance to find out more about the glorious gardens, with free entry to the all-day event, featuring stalls, entertainment, exhibitions and refreshments.

But how much do you really know about the Botanic Gardens, this great green place and its magnificent glass palaces that has been enjoyed by local people and by visitors through 200 years of drama and transformation?

1 The Botanic Gardens may be 200 but have not always been in their current corner of the West End. Renowned Glasgow botanist and lithographer Thomas Hopkirk, of the Dalbeth Estate in the city’s East End, began the original plant collection and was one of the founders of the Royal Botanic Institution of Glasgow. A stretch of land at Sandyford, near Sauchiehall Street, was used for the gardens, which also had links with the University of Glasgow.

2 As the collection flourished, and the city grew, the Botanic Gardens were moved to their new home at the junction of Queen Margaret Drive and Great Western Road, 21 acres on the banks of the River Kelvin, in 1842. The area had been part of the Kelvinside Estate, land which had been bought in 1839 by Glasgow law partners John Park Fleming and Matthew Montgomery for development. See here for more info westendreport.com/kelvinside-house-a-towering-success

3 The Kibble Palace, the jewel in the gardens’ glittering crystal crown, was bought by the Royal Botanic Institution of Glasgow in 1871. The glass building was carefully taken apart at its original setting, where it had been built by Victorian engineer and entrepreneur John Kibble at his home in Coalport, Long Long, and then transported by barge down the coast and along the River Clyde to be rebuilt in the Botanic Gardens, opening in 1873. The iron sections were cast by a Glasgow firm, Walter Macfarlane at his Saracen Foundry in Possilpark.

4 This major expense meant the Royal Botanic Institution were under financial pressure as they funded the rebuilding of the other glass plant houses. In 1887, the Corporation of the City of Glasgow began running the Botanic Gardens and brought it fully into ownership four years later after the Burgh of Hillhead was absorbed within city’s expanding boundary.

5 The Caledonian Railway began work on their Glasgow Central Railway route in 1888, to connect Maryhill in the north west with Dalmarnock in the east – and in 1896 the line through the Botanic Gardens was opened. It closed in 1939 but, even after nationalisation in 1948, a service still ran to Kelvinbridge until 1964. You can see look down on the old platforms and track bed from the Botanic Gardens above. The beautiful red-brick station with its two distinctive towers, was next to the main gate house facing onto Great Western Road.

6 On January 24, 1914, a series of explosions rocked the Kibble Palace, shattering 27 panes of glass and causing slight damage to the plants. Described as a “bomb outrage”, the Daily Record and Mail in the following days reported evidence “clearly indicates this was the work of militant Suffragettes”. Evidence appeared to be based on the fact “Pieces of cake and an empty champagne bottle were recovered from the shrubbery” and that footprints “clearly indicate the high heels of ladies shoes”. See here for more info westendreport.com/january-24-1914-bomb-outrage-glasgow

7 World famous Scottish sculptor George Henry Paulin created the statue of King Robert of Sicily, a fictional character from the work of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,  installed in the Kibble Palace in the 1920s. Among GHP’s many major commissions here and abroad, was the family headstone on Andrew Carnegie’s grave in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, New York.

8 The disused Glasgow Central Railway station building became home to two popular West End haunts – the Silver Slipper Cafe and the club and gig venue Sgt Pepper’s. However, this building was destroyed and lost when it burned down in 1970.

9 The existing Ha’Penny Bridge across the Kelvin was built in 2002 to replace the old wrought-iron toll bridge, built in 1886. At that time there was a ha’penny fee to cross the river at this particular point, to the developing areas of housing in Kelvinside and Kirklee, and then to Kirklee station, the next stop in the Glasgow Central Railway route. The old bridge was washed away on December 10, 1994, when the Kelvin waters flooded following heavy rainfall.

10 At the Botanic Gardens, significant plants include the national collections of begonias, tree ferns (some planted more than 125 years ago) and orchids, plus medicinal plants and a wide collection of trees. In the Kibble of course, you will also find the goldfish pond – all the fish had to be temporarily rehoused when the palace underwent a £7million restoration programme to repair the corroded ironwork in 2003.

* Find out more with charity The Friends of Glasgow Botanic Gardens at glasgowbotanicgardens

* Botanic Gardens, 200th Anniversary, all day on Saturday, May 20, 10am-5pm.

MAY 1, 2017

Maryhill – 5 reasons you should follow this team

Famous Glasgow juniors side Maryhill , founded in 1884, play at Lochburn Park, Lochburn Road. writes Ginny Clark. Here are five more reasons to support this tenacious local team …

1 Maryhill midfielder Gavin Stokes scored one of the world’s fastest recorded goals in a home game against Clydebank – into the top corner from the halfway line in 3.2 seconds. Maryhill won the match 3-0 at Lochburn Park, on April 8.

2 Having climbed their way back through the ranks in recent years, Maryhill play in the Super League First Division. After a slow start to the season, John Hughes’ side head into the last games of the campaign after five victories from seven games in April.

3 Some wet winters the Hill’s toughest opponent can seem to be a heavy-going Lochburn pitch. But this season, Maryhill are playing catch-up on their league fixtures partly due to a good  run in the Scottish Junior Cup, reaching the fifth round before being beaten 4-2 by Linlithgow Rose.

4 Many famous names have lined up for Maryhill in the past. Former players include Jimmy Speirs, Tommy Burns, Davie Meiklejohn, Danny McGrain and Paul Wilson.

5 A home win against Blantyre Vics this Saturday, May 6, would be another step towards Maryhill’s Super League First Division survival.

* See maryhillfootballclub and follow them on Twitter @Maryhill_FC

APR 26, 2017

Researching your home’s history – new five-week course

Who would live in a home like this? You can go ‘through the keyhole’ by researching the history of your home with the help of a new course that begins next week on Wednesday, May 5.

This process can be both interesting and rewarding as not only can you learn about the landowner and developer – and the subsequent owners and inhabitants – but also about the history of the neighbourhood and how it grew and developed over the years.

Title deeds, land registers, sasines, testaments, inventories, maps and newspapers can all help tell the story of your house or flat.

Writer and historian – and regular westendreport.com contributor – Dr Ronnie Scott will guide you through the steps of unlocking the history of your home each week, as you share and discuss your findings.

And if you own your home, a well-presented house history could be a valuable asset when it comes to marketing your property.

Introduction to Researching House History (5-week course), from Wednesday May 3, 1-3pm, University of Glasgow – £57.50, book online glasgow.ac.uk/short/book

Pic: The former North West Fire Station, built in 1936 in Kelbourne Street, North Kelvinside, and converted to flats in the 1990s. By Ronnie Scott

JUN 9, 2016

Gallipoli: Remembrance at Oran Mor

This morning two of our associate schools Glasgow and Kelvinside Academies met for a joint Remembrance event, writes Hugh Barrow of Glasgow Hawks. 

On this morning of Thursday June 9, 2016, the CCF units of the Glasgow Academy and Kelvinside Academy held a joint event to commemorate the former pupils of both schools who fell at Gallipoli in 1915.

The event was originally planned for last year but had to be postponed due to the untimely death of Kelvinside’s rector, Robert Karling.

The rescheduled event started at 10am with a parade of representatives from each CCF unit through the Botanic Gardens towards Oran Mor at the top of Byres Road.

Oran Mor was formerly Kelvinside Parish Church, where a peal of bells was dedicated in 1918 as a memorial to the men who fell from both schools and from the church congregation. A commemoration service then took place in Oran Mor at 10.45am.

At the Hawks Dinner just passed, held across Byres Rd from Oran Mor, we specifically remembered Tommy Stout who was a hugely talented rugby player who played for Glasgow Accies and was a Scottish reserve.

Tommy fell on June 28, 1915 at Gallipoli along with two fellow Accies and Scottish caps Eric Young and William Church.  Tommy is listed on the roll of honour at both Glasgow and Kelvinside Academies and symbolises a lost generation of rugby players and is one of hundreds remembered this morning.

So as the memorial bells tolled once more we remembered them …

“When you go home, tell them of us and say

For their tomorrow, we gave our today.”

From the original epitaph by John Maxwell Edmonds (21 January 1875 – 18 March 1958)

MAY 23, 2016

Space to let at historic Barclay Curle site

Another chapter unfolds at the former Barclay Curle shipbuilding and engineering complex with office suites and large industrial units available to let at the South Street site.

An important part of Glasgow’s shipbuilding heritage, the Barclay Curle Complex features office suites over three floors of the building that once housed the administration side of the  business.

The open plan industrial space is in shell condition, the units have large roller shutter doors at the front or rear of the building.

Barclay Curle was founded by Robert Barclay at Stobcross in Glasgow during 1818 and in 1862, the company built a large engineering works at Stobcross.

In 1876, the company moved its yard down the river to Whiteinch. It was incorporated in 1884 as Barclay Curle and in 1912, acquired the nearby Elderslie Shipyard in Scotstoun from John Shearer & Sons to take the excess orders that the firm’s existing Clydeholm yard in Whiteinch could not handle.

Barclay Curle itself was acquired in 1912 by Swan Hunter. During the First World War, the Barclay Curle yard built several’insect class gunboats for the Royal Navy.

The Swan Hunter-owned Barclay Curle ceased building ships in its Clydeholm Shipyard at Whiteinch, Glasgow in 1968, focusing its operations on its Tyneside yards. The Elderslie Dockyard, which lay further west on the other side of Scotstoun and operated by Barclay Curle, was acquired by Yarrow Shipbuilders in 1974.

The North British Diesel Engine Works continued and was bought by the marine engineering company Sulzer until it was nationalised as part of British Shipbuilders and transferred production to naval weapon systems in the late 1970s – finally becoming an industrial estate in the mid-1980s.

Businesses already occupying the Barclay Curle Complex include Clydeforth Engineering & Contractors Ltd, Scottish Opera, Glasgow Wood Recycling, Glasgow City Bus and Amerex.

To Let – There are multiple office suites available, ranging in size from 103 sq ftto 4,474 sq ft. In addition, there is a large dedicated on-site car park. There is also a variety of mid and end terraced industrial units ranging in size from 5,798 sq ft to 21,774 sq ft within a single storey multi-let building available to let.

Sandy Lightbody, head of agency at sole letting agents Shepherd, said: “With excellent transport links, the Barclay Curle Complex is a superb commercial location. And its large flexible floor-plates, high eaves warehousing with cranage available, making it an attractive industrial proposition.”

* The Barclay Curle Complex is three miles west of Glasgow city centre and just one mile from the Clydeside Expressway, with road links via the Clyde Tunnel and motorway networks. Offers of £7.00 sq ft for the offices and £2.50 sq ft for the industrial accommodation are invited. Contact Shepherd on 0141 331 2807.

MAY 12, 2016

Florence Foster Jenkins is curiously inspiring – and stars Kelvingrove

Gloriously entertaining, Florence Foster Jenkins “celebrates the human spirit, the power of music and the passion of amateurs”, writes Ruth Allen.

And it puts Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum – posing as New York’s Carnegie Hall – firmly in the spotlight …

FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS (PG)

(Run time: 110mins; Director: Stephen Frears; Cast: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson)

 Synopsis: World renowned as a virtuosic pianist, Florence Foster Jenkins has a new dream: to become a famous opera singer. Her voice, however, leaves a lot to be desired and she becomes famous for her lack of talent. Despite constant criticism from her peers and audiences which Florence’s manager and partner St. Clair Bayfield endeavours to keep from her, Florence battles on and with St. Clair’s help, she conquers the New York stage to become a household name.  www.pathe.co.uk

Director Stephen Frears [Philomena (2013), The Queen (2006), The Program (2015), High Fidelity (2000)] directs this curiously inspiring true story of the legendary New York heiress, socialite and patron of the arts who dreamed of becoming an opera singer despite having a voice which was far from bel canto. 

Meryl Streep gives a gloriously entertaining performance as Florence Foster Jenkins, the eponymous matronly heroine who obsessively pursued her dream of becoming a great opera singer. The voice she heard in her head was beautiful but to everyone else it was hilariously awful.

Her “husband” and manager, St Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant in perhaps his best ever role) an aristocratic English actor, was determined to protect his beloved Florence from the truth. But when Florence decided to give a public concert at Carnegie Hall in 1944, St Clair knew he faced his greatest challenge.

The film has a witty script from Nicholas Martin and meticulous mise-en-scène recreating wartime New York with UK cities doubling as locations – including streets in Glasgow and the city’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum replicating the exterior of Carnegie Hall. 

Interior sequences of the sold-out Carnegie Hall concert were shot in the Hammersmith Apollo, London.

The superb supporting cast includes Simon Helberg as Cosmé McMoon, the concert pianist and composer who became Florence’s accompanist and Rebecca Ferguson as Kathleen, St Clair Bayfield’s lover.

Despite the hilarity, it is revealed that Florence had overcome great personal tragedies but never lost sight of pursuing her dream, and this film celebrates the human spirit, the power of music and the passion of amateurs everywhere.

APR 25, 2016

Belle and Sebastian back for West End Festival shows

The West End Festival – Glasgow’s largest multi-cultural event – launches a month-long programme today marking their 21st anniversary.

And the city’s own Belle and Sebastian will feature in a special collaboration with a series of shows (from June 10-15) as they celebrate their own 20th anniversary.

Belle and Sebastian will perform at the West End Festival before heading to the Royal Albert Hall for two sell-out shows on June 22 and 23.

Also featured in this year’s Festival are two free events at the Kelvingrove Bandstand …

‘Summer Arts Community Stage’ on June 5, with arts groups from across Glasgow’s north west featuring samba drumming, singing, dance and young people’s theatre.

And  ‘A celebration of singing’ on June 18, a day of song for everyone to enjoy as local choirs take to the stage of the iconic venue.

Michael Dale, West End Festival director, said: “Over the last 21 years, we have not only played to over a million people in free and ticketed events, but we have given birth to a number of important mini-festivals such as the Bard in the Botanics, the Cottier Chamber Project, the Gibson Street Gala, the Partick Farmers’ Markets and The Electric Gardens.

“All have their origins in the West End Festival and all of which have gone on to bigger things.”

The Festival announced last month it was reviewing its development with options such as the winter festival,  The Electric Gardens at the Botanic Gardens, which was very successful in year one but pounded by bad weather in year two.

As a result the hugely popular Byres Road parade has been suspended this year – with the Festival committee promising it will return bigger and better in the future.

Five things not to miss
June 3-26 – Festival of Architecture 2016, The Ideal Hut Show exhibition at Botanic Gardens.
June 4 – Maryhill Community Hall will host the voice of Capercaillie, Karen Matheson.
June 19 – Oran Mor’s All Dayer.
June 3 – Sounds of Shakespeare, commemorating 400 years since William Shakespeare’s death,  at St. Brides Church.
June 19 – Gibson Street Gala.

Liz Scobie, West End Festival chairman, said: “A festival as dynamic as WEF in a city as dynamic as Glasgow can’t stand still and as well as new venues and new performers, we hope you notice the ever-increasing section on singing. This year there are at least 29 choirs and singing groups – a whole festival in its own right!

“The West End Festival is 21 today and all of us connected with it feel very happy that we’ve reached this major milestone. Over the years we’ve grown to become the largest community festival in Scotland and this is due to the efforts of a small army of dedicated staff, volunteers who donate their time and effort, and numerous supporters and sponsors who give us their money and encouragement.

“We must thank Glasgow Life, the W M Mann Foundation, the Hugh Fraser Foundation, the Cross Foundation and the Scottish Book Trust for their contributions. But special thanks must be reserved for Glasgow City Council whose confidence in the WEF has never wavered.”

Lorraine Wilson, Senior Arts Officer, Glasgow Life said, “It’s fantastic to be presenting these music and fun packed days at Kelvingrove Bandstand for everyone to enjoy as part of this year’s West End Festival, as we look forwards to a summer of great events for all the family at this iconic and much loved venue.”

This year, the West End Festival is also supporting The Big Lunch, which takes place across the UK on June 12.

The full programme will be available later this week in outlets across the west end and is available on the mobile-friendly website from today www.westendfestival.co.uk

10 GREAT VENUES by Russell Stewart

There’s no question why Glasgow is one of UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) music capitals of the world. We have a brilliantly vibrant, constantly renewing music scene, hosting acts both local and international from all genres and walks of life.

While there are many famed places to go for live music in the city – Nice n Sleazies, Variety Bar, O2 ABC and Academy, and the list goes on – there are a number of venues here in the West End that also showcase the brilliant talent Glasgow has to offer and in a great setting to boot.

Here are some of the best places in the West End to catch live music.

The 78

the78cafebar.com 10-14 Kelvinhaugh St, G3 8NU

This vegan bar and restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere with music nights a plenty. Samson Sounds host Dub n Grub every Thursday, the pre-party for the Mungos Hifi club night at Berkeley Suite. There are also selected local DJs playing Friday and Saturday nights, with a cosy Jazz night on Sundays to round off the week.

La Bodega

labodegaglasgow.com 1120 South Street, G14 0AP

On top of the authentic Spanish cuisine and dance classes in the studio, La Bodega hosts weekends packed with music, including Salsa Night on Fridays, gigs from various bands on Saturdays and a Sunday Jazz session. There is also the weekly Raspberry Jam on Tuesdays, a brilliant night to hear local featured musicians of all kinds followed by an ever-changing jam session. One of Glasgow’s hidden gems.

Dukes Bar

dukes-bar.co.uk 41 Old Dumbarton Road, G3 8RB

Dukes is a brilliant wee bar in Yorkhill, with open mic nights on Wednesdays and the Dukebox every second week showcasing the best Glasgow has to offer. Sounds of Jazz present Glasgow’s finest jazz musicians showcasing a different theme or setting of music every Thursday. Coupled with a great selection of local drinks and pop-up food, Dukes is a place you’ll be returning to week after week.

The Hug & Pint

thehugandpint.com 171 Great Western Rd, G4 9AW

This excellent venue is another place where you can spend a whole evening, with the vegan restaurant and bar upstairs, and the intimate gig space downstairs. There are performances from a variety of acts every night, with some larger touring acts also making a stop at The Hug & Pint.

The Kelvingrove Bandstand

The refurbished bandstand is one of the jewels in the crown of Glasgow’s music heritage. Since reopening, the venue has been reliving its heyday of the summers of the 70s & 80s, playing host to international stars such as Sister Sledge and Van Morrison – with Chaka Khan on the  way – as well giving the chance to community projects and local musicians to perform on its renowned stage. Keep an eye out for the gigs coming up as part of the West End Festival, it’s the best way to spend those Sunny Afternoons and Summer Nights.

Lockhouse

lockhouseglasgow.co.uk 1397 Maryhill Road, G20 9AA

This pub is a brilliant place to spend the night having a drink, a sing and maybe even a wee dance. With a variety of different music events organised each week, great food on offer and the open mic night and jam every Monday, you’re guaranteed to have a great time at the Lockhouse where people of all ages get together to celebrate their love of music.

Oran Mor

oran-mor.co.uk Byres Road, G12 8QX

Oran Mor lives up to its Gaelic namesake, ‘great melody of life’, by showcasing fantastic music of all kinds. From small up and coming acts to international touring bands, the variety  ensures a different musical experience every time you go. Along with comedy and theatre nights, and brilliant interiors and architecture, this former church has been transformed into one of the city’s best venues.

SWG3 

swg3.tv 100 Eastvale Place, G3 8QG

There’s more to this warehouse than just club nights. SWG3 hosts a wide array of events including smaller gigs in The Poetry Club downstairs, high capacity concerts in the studio upstairs, charity fundraisers, community festivals and arts exhibitions. It’s always an idea to keep an eye out for the next event down beside the train tracks, as it’s sure to be a good one.

The Record Factory

recordfactory.co.uk 17 Byres Rd, G11 UK

With its unassuming small entrance at the bottom of Byres Road, you wouldn’t expect to be greeted with such a huge space as you enter the Record Factory. This basement venue hosts many gigs throughout the week, with touring and local bands, and features a beer garden out the back and a pool table inside. Throw in some good food and you have a great all-round venue.

Tchai Ovna

tchaiovna.com 42 Otago Lane, G12 8PB

This cosy, wee teahouse at the end of Otago Lane hosts a great selection of live acts throughout the week, along with its selection of vegan food and up to 100 international teas. With a warm and friendly atmosphere, Tchai Ovna is perfect if you’re looking to chill out to music while sinking back into the comfy seats.

Russell Stewart is a singer-songwriter, currently performing and gigging around his hometown of Glasgow.

facebook.com/russellstewartmusic soundcloud.com/russell_stewart

MAR 21, 2016

Sustainable Futures – Children’s Wood fundraiser

The Childrens Woods are holding a fundraising event at the Project Cafe in Renfrew Street tomorrow night (Tue, March 22) – to help finance work on their Sustainable Futures Project at North Kelvin Meadow.

Tickets for the cheese and wine fundraiser are £20 (eventbrite), with entertainment including performances from poet Nalini Paul,  violinist Sandie Bishop and the Art of Falling with Andy Alston and David Peschek.

There will be be a talk about what the Childrens Wood has achieved and the plans for the future along with a silent community auction andraffle.

Money raised will go to the Sustainable Futures Project to allow grassroots community work to continue and grow, be helping to match fund a part-time paid position.

All of the Children’s Wood activities rely solely on volunteers and they want to make the project sustainable and continue to deliver outdoor learning sessions, growing projects, links with other community initiatives, community events and intergenerational work.

MAR 16, 2016

Partick Salvation Army showcases designer upcycled clothing

The Salvation Army Trading Company’s flagship store in Partick is showcasing work by two Scottish designers who have transformed unwanted clothing donated to the charity into striking high-fashion collections.

These specially-created  Zero Waste fashion collections, challenging perceptions of textile waste, are the result of a 12-week residency by print specialists Aimee Kent and Black Cherry Studio with Zero Waste Scotland using pre-loved garments.

And those collections – modelled by former Miss Scotland Nicola Mimnagh in the window of the Salvation Army store in Dumbarton Road – are now estimated by the designers to be worth at least  £4000.

Lynn Wilson, textiles manager, Zero Waste Scotland, said: “We are really impressed by the final collections. Both designers have completely transformed old, unwanted garments into gorgeous new garments which are completely unrecognisable.

“All textiles have a value and can be used again and again. Clothing should never be put in the general waste bin and I believe our talented designers have spectacularly proved with this chic collection, inspired by the Salvation Army, that there’s an inherent value in clothing – and if you’re finished with it, someone else can use it!”

An expert fashion panel will now appraise the collections and deliver their professional valuations on how much the newly created pieces are worth. The collections will then be sold with proceeds shared between the designers and the Salvation Army Trading Company.

Both designers specialise in printed textiles and have brought this element to the project. Aimee Kent has worked with sustainable fashion brands and designers such as Johari, Henrietta Ludgate and Niki Taylor of Olanic and The Top Project while Black Cherry Studio has supplied Kookai, Jaques Vert and Primark.

Aimee Kent said: “I found inspiration for my collection in the architectural facades of the Salvation Army Trading Company’s headquarters in New York, as well as retro Salvation Army logos and graphic artwork.

“Using inspiration from the art-deco features, I created hand drawn artwork which was then transformed into repeat patterns and placement prints. All of the garments, panelling and embroidered details are inspired by the symmetrical geometric art deco structures.”

And Jemma Wood, from Black Cherry Studio said: “As we are a studio who specialise in print design we wanted this to be our main focus within the collection.

“Ours is a mix of simply adding prints to an existing garment to completely deconstructing an item and making it into a useable accessory to give it a whole new lease of life. We wanted to demonstrate how simple and easy it can be to transform an already existing item into something new and wearable again.”

In the UK alone, garments have an estimated life span of two years, three months. The average Scottish household owns around £4000 worth of clothes, but wear only 70 percent of that each year, most commonly because it no longer fits.

Recent research from the Love Your Clothes campaign found women in Scotland were already good at looking after their clothing to make it last longer with 65 per cent stating they will attempt to mend or fix an item so that they can wear it again. However this same trend does not apply to donations with only 19 per cent fixing items before donating to charity.

The Salvation Army Trading Company is one of the largest clothing recyclers in the UK with 52 charity shops in Scotland as well as thousands of recycling banks. Each year they receive around 30,000 tonnes of donated textiles in the UK, which helps raise vital funds for the charity’s work with vulnerable people.

Catherine Hamou from the Salvation Army Trading Company said: “The final collections are stunning; they really surpassed all expectations. I’m particularly impressed at how the two designers used inspiration from The Salvation Army in the design stages.

“It’s been a privilege to be involved in this project. It has shown us all that the value and life within textiles can actually go further than we, as consumers, tend to allow.

“The simple acts of donating your unwanted items to charity and buying from our charity shops, means you’re helping us raise millions of pounds each year for extremely vulnerable people in the UK.

“Not only that, donating your old items helps prevent them going to landfill, and repurposing second-hand clothes – rather than continually buying new ones – begins to change the cycle of disposable fashion. The social and monetary value goes on and on.

“Little did some of our generous donors know that their unwanted pieces of clothing would end up being a part of something so special!”

The charity is well known across the country, helping to fund programmes with homelessness and addiction services, care for older people, help at emergency incidents, support for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales, a Family Tracing Service and more.

Aimee Kent collection includes:

Art-Deco Gold Foil Print Sweater, Blue & Yellow Panelled Print Sweater, A-Line Embroidered Panel Skirt, Modular Salvation Eagle Print Dress With Removable Waistcoat, Gold Foiled Printed Art-Deco Cut-Out Top, Geometric Flared Sleeve Orange & Copper Foil Print Top, Geometric Flared Sleeve Orange & Copper Foil Print Bolero, Monochrome Print Upcycled Blouse, Two Piece Colour Blocked Print Dress, Upcycled Colour Block Print Dress, Upcycled Denim Shirts Featuring Gold Foil Eagle Artwork, Salvation Army Headquarters inspired Anorak.

Black Cherry Studio collection includes:  Black jersey skirt, sleeveless top with black and blue panel; Ivory note print scarf, blue star print t-shirt, pale blue denim jeans with gold printed turn ups, large red printed messenger bag; White dress with camouflage panels, camouflage clutch bag; Blue pinstripe blazer, yellow star print vest, yellow tote handbag, white texture print trousers; White cropped t-shirt, red musical note printed vest, ripped knee bootleg, jeans, star print laptop bag; Black dress with white musical note printed bib, black star printed handbag; Black star print leather jacket, black chiffon vest, black camouflage print trousers, note print jersey bag; Black shiny leggings, black cotton long vest, grey camouflage cardigan, grey camouflage scarf red print ipad sleeve; White vest with yellow star print pocket, denim skirt, blue pinstripe handbag with star print scarf.

Love Your Clothes  is an initiative created by WRAP and delivered by Zero Waste Scotland that aims to raise awareness of the value of your garments and helps you make the most of the clothing you already have by encouraging people to think about the way they purchase, use and dispose of clothes.

Visit the website for tips and ideas on fixing, upcycling and caring for your clothes at http://www.loveyourclothes.org.uk www.facebook.com/LoveYourClothesUK/ @loveyourclothes

FEB 24, 2016

Partick Thistle Football Club Trust: Power to the fans

Patrick Thistle fans have the “best chance of a genuine and transparent two-way dialogue” through the club trust says supporters representative Pauline Graham.

The Partick Thistle Football Club Trust – set up last year as part of the club’s bid to become debt free – will meet for the first time next month.

And through fan-appointed representatives on the trust’s board, it will give supporters the opportunity to have a greater say in the running of the Firhill club.

The initial board is being set up with five trustees, three Thistle directors and two from the supporter base. But the club says this is just to get the trust up and running, with more able to join depending on the level of activity they take on.

Graham and Foster Evans – Thistle fans since the early 1970s who both also sit on the Partick Thistle Community Trust Board – represent the supporters with Thistle directors Greig Brown and Jacqui Low along with managing director Ian Maxwell making up the five trustees.

Graham said: “It’s early days, we are just at the start of a process to explore what supporters want and what they can expect from the Trust.

“As the representatives for the supporter base Foster and I have the role of ensuring fans have a greater voice and influence in relation to the club and how it is run. We believe the Trust gives us the best chance of a genuine and transparent two-way dialogue that should empower Thistle supporters and reflect the level of shareholding they now have in the club.

“This isn’t a fully formed Trust, in the sense we have the model but now want to engage with supporters, from the outset, to make sure we know what they want and what their aspirations are for the Trust going forward. We hope they grasp this opportunity to have their say.”

And David Beattie, Thistle chairman, added: “We are delighted the Trust is now officially up and running. In one significant move, supporters are now the largest single shareholder in the club, with nearly one in five of the share capital. 

“Supporters should see this as a signal of the importance we place on their involvement with the club and the value we place on their input to what we do. On and off the pitch this season, Thistle has been making quiet progress in terms of its long term ambitions.

“To have a clear route to communicate with those supporters regularly on an open and accountable basis, through a direct channel to them, is essential if we are to continue to progress as a club. Nothing has been decided in advance of the first Trust meeting so we are starting as we mean to go on, in an open and accountable way.” 

* The Trust is the single biggest shareholder in the club, holding 19.28 per cent – the  result of a share gift by Colin and Christine Weir following their investment in the club in November last year. .

* Trust work is defined as: “… for the purpose of holding shares in the company to safeguard the long-term benefit and integrity of the association football club operated by the company, while promoting its growth and financial wellbeing.”

* Trust beneficiaries are supporters aged 18 or over who hold a season ticket to watch the home fixtures for the current season. He or she must have held such a season ticket for each of the three immediately preceding seasons.

Foster Evans first started going to Firhill in the late 1960s and has been a supporter ever since, he now goes to the games with his son and sometimes his two grandchildren. He is treasurer of Partick Thistle Community Trust and chair of Senscot Legal, as well as being a member of the parent board, Senscot, a charity supporting social entrepreneurs and networks in Scotland.

Pauline Graham has been a Jags fan since her Thistle-mad dad took her to Firhill in 1970. She has been a loyal supporter ever since, along with two of her brothers. She has been chief executive of Social Firms Scotland for almost eight years – a national charity supporting social businesses to create jobs for people who have a disability, mental ill-health, are ex-offenders or have substance misuse issues.

Also a founding director of Ready for Business Procurement, which delivers a national programme on behalf of the Scottish government to support social enterprises and charities to enter public service markets, she currently represents social enterprise on a range of Scottish government forums. In a voluntary capacity, she is chair of Partick Thistle Community Trust. 

JAN 18, 2016

Polluted streets: Dumbarton Road in failing top 8

Friends of the Earth Scotland have released a list of the most polluted streets in Scotland – including Dumbarton Road and Hope Street – and says many are still failing to meet Scottish safety standards.

They say the Scottish Government could face legal action as a result of these figures and are calling for more support at national and local level to tackle the problem.

The environmental campaign group analysed official Scottish Government data for two harmful pollutants, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and coarse particles (PM10) which are known to be linked with serious health problems including heart attacks, strokes, respiratory illness and early death.

Air Pollution campaigner Emilia Hanna said: “Streets are breaking legal limits in each major city in Scotland, demonstrating just how serious and widespread Scotland’s air pollution health crisis is.

“Air pollution causes over 2000 early deaths in Scotland each year at a cost of over £1.1 billion to the economy. Air pollution increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and asthma attacks and the main culprit is traffic.

“The Scottish Government’s Clean Air Strategy has good aspirations but needs resources and energy behind it to tackle the scourge of dirty air in our towns and cities. The government must support local authorities with funding to implement low emission zones in all major cities.”

??Top 8 most polluted streets for nitrogen dioxide in 2015 (microgrammes per cubic metre (?g/m3), European legal limit 40, annual mean)

Edinburgh St John’s Road – 65
Glasgow Hope Street – 60
Dundee Seagate – 50
Perth Atholl Street – 48
Dundee Lochee Road – 48
Aberdeen Union Street – 46
Edinburgh Queensferry Road – 41
Aberdeen Wellington Road – 41

The Scottish air quality objective is 40 (?g/m3), so all sites fail the objective. The Air Quality (Scotland) Regulations 2000 required this objective to have been met by 2005.

Small Particles (PM10)
Top 8 most polluted streets for particulate matter in 2015 (microgrammes per cubic metre (?g/m3), Scottish Air Quality Objective: 18, annual mean)

Edinburgh Salamander St – 23
Aberdeen Wellington Road- 22
Perth Atholl Street – 20
Aberdeen Market Street – 19
Glasgow Dumbarton Road – 19
Dundee Lochee Road – 19
Falkirk West Bridge Street – 18
Rutherglen Main Street – 18

The Scottish air quality objective is 18 (?g/m3), so all sites fail the objective.

Hanna says Glasgow city council is no longer measuring harmful particle pollution (PM10) in Anderston near a primary school, and on Hope Street in the city centre.

She added: “Both these streets last year broke the safety standards so it is very hard to understand why the monitors have been switched off in these key known problem areas.”

JAN 15, 2016

Scottish Refugee Council: Scotland can be beacon of fairness

The Scottish Refugee Council is calling for better protection for refugees in an unfolding humanitarian crisis with the highest number of displaced persons since records began.

Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Government Minister for Europe and International Developmentt, and Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale are among the speakers at the charity’s AGM and public meeting in Glasgow this afternoon.

And the Scottish Refugee Council will mark the end of its 30^th anniversary year by launching six Key Principles of Protection to set a benchmark for how asylum seekers’ and refugees’ rights should be respected, to ensure they are welcomed, treated with dignity and empowered to play a full and equal role in their new communities.

Gary Christie, Scottish Refugee Council’s Head of Policy and Communications, said: “In our 30^th anniversary year we have witnessed ever greater numbers of people fleeing for their lives in pursuit of safety.

“The response in Scotland to this has been overwhelming. Thousands of people from all walks of life took to the streets across Scotland to offer solidarity to refugees fleeing Syria. And more than 3,500 Scots have offered their time and skills to support newly-arrived Syrian refugees via the Scotland Welcomes Refugees website.

“Yet, across Europe we are seeing many Governments pull back on their obligations to protect refugees whether this be putting up barbed wire fences in Hungary or plans to seize the assets of asylum seekers in Denmark.

“In the UK, at the Conservative Party Conference in September, Theresa May set out dangerous and worrying plans to attempt to tamper with the international legal definition of who qualifies as a refugee, seeking to portray refugees who claim asylum in Britain as less deserving of protection than refugees who remain in camps.

“The Immigration Bill making its way through Westminster will further erode rights of some refugees to have their appeal heard in the UK and seeks to take the hideous and inhumane step of withdrawing support from families.

“In light of these disturbing developments, our key principles of protection set out standards for how refugees must be treated. Scotland can be a beacon for the rest of the UK and Europe in how to treat refugees and a place where powers to deliver them are devolved are put into practice.”

The Scottish Refugee Council say their Key Principles of Protection – consistent with international, European and domestic human rights and refugee law – are based on their experience of working with and for refugees in Scotland, the UK and Europe.

1. Global solidarity and responsibility sharing with all states playing a proportionate role in providing solutions to displacement.
2. Effective access to an asylum procedure.
3. A fair and efficient asylum process.
4. Reception conditions during the asylum procedure that promote dignity, empowerment and integration.
5. Integration policies that enable refugees to realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to their new communities.
6. People found not to be in need of protection should only be returned after a fair and thorough examination of their application, and in a safe, dignified and humane way.

For more information visit www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk.

JAN 14, 2016

Woodlands Community Garden pop-up cafe: volunteer training

Woodlands Community Garden and Development Trust need more volunteers to help with the weekly pop-up up cafe.

The community cafe, held every Monday from 5-7.30pm at the Fred Paton Centre, feeds around 60-70 people each week.

To help support the cafe’s development, Woodlands Community Garden and Development Trust are running a volunteer training programme open to both existing and new volunteers.

They are also running a Health and Well Being day of events on Saturday, January 23, with the focus on food labelling and practical cookery, plus a ‘What is on your plate?” session.

For more information on volunteer training call 0141 332 2656 or email woodlandscommunityfood@gmail.com.

JAN 14, 2016

North Kelvin Meadow and Children’s Wood community gathering

North Kelvin Meadow and Children’s Wood campaigners have organised a community gathering and bonfire for all day Saturday (Jan 16) to show support ahead of Glasgow city council’s site visit towards the end of the month.

The aim of Saturday’s gathering is to help local people find out more about the campaign and the Children’s Wood planning application to keep the land – the former sports playing fields at Kelbourne-Sanda-Clouston streets – wild and for the community.

Children’s Wood chair Emily Cutts says: “People feel like this is their land and we want to keep it that way”.

The city council’s planning committee will visit the meadow and wood on January 26 before a decision later that day on The Children’s Wood proposal and the New City Vision application, which would mean building 90 homes on the land.

In addition to music, banner-making, and story-telling at Saturday’s gathering at the meadow and wood, the Outdoor Learning Club will still take place from 10am onwards.

The Children’s Wood, already an award-winning project, has been Highly Commended in the Community category of the RSPB Nature Scotland Awards 2015.

Background – North Kelvin Meadow and the Children’s Wood covers an area between Clouston, Sanda and Kelbourne Streets, in North Kelvinside. Previously the Clouston Street playing fields, it has become a multi-use community green space for local people over many years. Glasgow City Council aim to progress plans to designate the area for housing, as part of issue H023 in the Glasgow City Local Development Plan and sell the space on to a developer. The Children’s Wood, a Scottish charity now working with many Glasgow schools in the delivery of outdoor learning programmes on the meadow, argue the council have failed to follow its own policy of consultation on the re-use of former sports pitches or recognise the changed educational and community use of the meadow and wood.

Find out more about the North Kelvin Meadow and Children’s Wood campaign see northkelvinmeadow.com and thechildrenswood.com

DEC 8, 2015

Made in Maryhill: Gordon’s images show city in different light

Amateur photographer Gordon McCracken was born in Dennistoun but after working away from the city returned 17 years ago and made his home in Maryhill, writes Ginny Clark.

Earlier this year he started to document the places he visited around the city, with the aim of showing “a different side to Glasgow than is usually seen in images” – “and worthy of the name, Dear Green Place”.

Some of Gordon’s images are on this page – and you can find his slideshows online here www.dailymotion.com/MadeinMaryhill

Here, Gordon explains why he began to take pictures and what inspires him:

“I’m a musician and so although I do feel creative, I can’t draw. I used to have a camera that I used for holiday snaps – and not very good ones at that! In 2004 I went to the US for the first time and bought a cheap 35mm camera and a couple of rolls of film. I had a great time and I took a lot of pictures, saving them onto a CD.

“I started to look at what I had photographed and picked out some of the images, putting them on my computer as a screensaver. People noticed them and would say they looked good. A few years later I got a digital camera, and thought, as a hobby, this really costs you nothing. I spent days shooting pictures like mad.

“Last year, for a number of reasons, I had stopped though, and the camera was put away. I had been unwell this summer, and as I started to feel a bit better I thought I’d dig out the old camera. I did and unfortunately it then broke down. So I bought a new digital camera, a cheap nikon, 16 megapixels.

“I was right back into it again. I created two slideshows and last month in November, I put it online. There’s been a very positive reaction, which is great. I really fell in love with Glasgow. I don’t drive and walk everywhere, so it allows me to enjoy the architecture and the nature that I love.

“It’s perhaps as you get older that you really appreciate mother nature and how beautiful and complex are the plants and wildlife that surround us. It’s profound. As I feel this real connection, I wanted to do something with it – to show a different side to Glasgow.

“It’s such a small city, and beautiful, with so many parks. From Ruchill, at the flagpole which is the highest point in the city, you get some amazing views. In Springburn, there is such a beautiful park but many people probably don’t realise it.

“The locations I shot are not on the regular tourist routes but still possess great architecture, beautiful parks and surprise, surprise, lots of sunshine. The places I visited include Ruchill, Possilpark, Springburn, Dennistoun, Whiteinch, Anniesland, Port Dundas, Maryhill, of course, as well as the west end, city centre and Riverside.

“I suppose another part of it is I’m trying to document things. When you see some of the cast iron statues and fountains in the parks, and you remember that it was here in Glasgow where the first car in the UK, the Arrol, was built. All the steel, all the iron foundries – all lost now.

“What’s left is rusting away and once it goes it can never be replaced.”

DEC 2, 2015

Only Way Is Ethics – a food charter for Glasgow

A Food Charter for Glasgow will be launched tonight as part of this week’s The Only Way Is Ethics festival.

The Glasgow Food Policy Partnership (GFPP) is a strategic grouping bringing together key public, private and voluntary sector organisations with the objective of achieving a fairer, healthier, more sustainable and resilient food system in Glasgow.

The Food Charter for Glasgow has a vision of ‘Good Food For All’, which is being seen as vital to the quality of people’s lives.

Craig Tannock, one of the festival’s organisers, operates five vegan food and entertainment venues in the city, including 78 in Kelvinhaugh Street.

He said: “Our food should be good for the planet, workers, local businesses and animal welfare, as well as being tasty, healthy, accessible and affordable.

“At this Food Charter launch people can show their support for the creation of a fairer, healthier, more sustainable and resilient food system in Glasgow.”

The launch is at The Lighthouse in Mitchell Lane tonight at 6 pm.

* Another ethical food issue, Scotland’s Organic Future, will be discussed at The Project Café, in Renfrew Street, today.

* And a pay-what-you-can meal and event Beyond Foodbanks is taking place tomorrow (Thursday, December 3) at the Kinning Park Complex in Cornwall Street. Again ways to build a resilient food system will be explored by diners.

For more information see www.ethics.scot

OCT 5, 2015

Alf Webster: Glasgow’s Lost Genius

The story of remarkable Glasgow artist and craftsman Alf Webster  – whose life was cut short by the  First World War – is the focus of a special conference next month.

Alf Webster: Glasgow’s Lost Genius will be held in the former Lansdowne church – once adorned by his stained glass windows and now his namesake theatre Webster’s – at Kelvinbridge on Friday, November 6.

Organised by Glasgow City Heritage Trust, this conference is part of the Glasgow’s Gilded Age, a new movement and project celebrating a vibrant period in the city from 1864-1914.

The Trust say: “We believe this conference is crucial to the promotion of Glasgow as a world city and that through it we will be celebrating its vibrant artistic and industrial history, encouraging academic study of the period, and promoting the city as a place for cultural and historic tourism.”

ALF WEBSTER
In 1903, Webster registered for evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art and took a variety of courses. The skills he learned during life drawing classes would later transfer into his windows, Webster became well-known for his ability to create incredibly detailed and emotive human faces in his work.

Webster’s career was drastically cut short by the outbreak of the Great War in 1914. Just one month after the birth of his third son, also named Alfred, Webster become the 2nd Lieutenant of the 3rd (reserve) Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders based at the Aberdeen city garrison.

He was shipped to the front lines in France in May 1915, after just three months training. Webster sustained serious injuries on patrol duty on the night of August 16, 1915, and despite 10 operations he died of his wounds on the August 24, 1915.

The Trust adds: “Through the study and celebration of Webster’s life and artistic output, we aim to give him the recognition he deserves as an important artist and craftsman. His life also allows us discuss a range of wider topics including Scottish war art, ecclesiastical architecture and 19th century stained glass design and conservation.”

Alf Webster: Glasgow’s Lost Genius speakers include:

Professor John Hume OBE, BSc ARCST, Hon FRIAS, FSA Scot; Chairman of the Royal Commission of Ancient and Historic Monuments, Patron of GCHT, and life-long supporter of Glasgow’s industrial and artistic heritage, will be speaking about the architect John Honeyman.

Professor Robin Webster OBE is a partner in the Glasgow firm of Cameron Webster Architects, and professor emeritus at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, where he was head of the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture for twenty years. He is Secretary of the Walmer Crescent Association, Chairman of The Alexander Thomson Society and a trustee of the Scottish Stained Glass Symposium. Robin will be talking about the stylistic differences between his father’s designs (Gordon Webster) and his grandfather’s (Alf Webster).

Dr Patricia R. Andrew FSA, FSAScot, AMA, FRSA, whose career has been mainly in museums and galleries in Scotland and England, is now a freelance consultant, researcher and lecturer. She has written many exhibition catalogues and has published widely on varied art-historical topics from the 18th to the 21st centuries. Following research undertaken for her recent book, A Chasm in Time: Scottish War Art and Artists of the Twentieth Century, she is continuing to work on some of its artists, re-evaluating their contribution and giving them a more deserved recognition.

Dr George Rawson, fine art and design librarian at the Glasgow School of Art 1977-2006 is an art historian with a special interest in 19th century British art education the Glasgow Style and the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Gordon R Urquhart is the Postgraduate Course Director with Historic Environment Scotland. Gordon is the author of A Notable Ornament:Lansdowne Church – an icon of Victorian Glasgow.

Alf Webster: Glasgow’s Lost Genius is on November 6, 9am-5pm, students. Tickets are £40 and £20 for students. For more information see www.glasgowsgildedage.org.uk

And see our story from last year, by Ruth Allen, Alfred Webster’s Great Legacy at Lansdowne

AUG 8, 2015

University and BBC want volunteers for olive oil research

BBC Two health and medical programme ‘Trust Me, I’m a Doctor’ is working with the University of Glasgow on their fourth series – and they are looking for volunteers to take part in a large study into olive oil.

The series, which is presented by Michael Mosely and three other doctors, will be exploring the potential health benefits of olive and other oils, something the university has already been researching.

They are really keen to recruit people who are aged over 25 and overweight, to participate in a study that will involve consuming a small dose of vegetable oil daily for 12 weeks, and some comparative tests.

The aim is to publish the results in an academic journal upon completion of the study. Anyone who may be interested in taking part or who wants more information should email nutrition.glasgow@gmail.com or call 0141 201 8527.

* Dr Bill Mullen and Dr Emilie Combet of the University of Glasgow have been researching the possible benefits of olive oil – www.gla.ac.uk/research/news/2014archive/headline_376522_en.html

JUL 29, 2015

Faith, Hope & Insanity – the new film about artist Frank McFadden

A new documentary by up and coming Glasgow filmmaker Antonis Kassiotis is about the life of successful Scottish artist Frank McFadden. writes Ginny Clark. 

Faith, Hope and Insanity is in line to be broadcast by STV Glasgow and has also been shortlisted for the Skinny Short Film Competition 2015.

Kassiotis says: “The film has garnered a lot of attention because of the subject matter which is brilliant because it means more and more people are excited to see it.

“It was a pleasure making a film about such an inspiring individual so wherever people see it, either on television or up on the big screen, I hope they are impacted in some way by Frank’s story.”

In Faith, Hope and Insanity, McFadden tells his own story – of a descent from “party-animal” to homeless heroin addict, and of his redemption. How at last he found the strength to beat his addiction and become a father to his daughter Frankie and how, after a chance meeting with his eventual mentor Peter Howson, he also began to realise his potential as an artist.

People in Glasgow may be familiar with some of this narrative but Kassiotis allows us to see the real man behind the facts, and provides McFadden with the opportunity to tell it his way, as the camera follows the artist around his familiar home patch of Glasgow’s west end.

The engaging McFadden seems a screen natural, yet it’s clear his degree of trust in the filmmaker, a schoolfriend of Frankie’s, is crucial to the depth of his reveal. Honest, direct, and genuinely heart-warming, Faith, Hope and Insanity offers a unique insight into one of Scottish contemporary art’s most intriguing characters.

The energy with which McFadden paints is just as evident in his personality, and the joyful enthusiasm he brings to a tour of his favourite artworks at Kelvingrove is almost childlike.

There is a real sense of the journey made for a man who started out as an apprentice sign writer, eventually studying graphic design, and coming so close to allowing his addiction to destroy not just his talent, but also the family and relationships he held most dear.

This is a compelling film. It’s about one man’s triumph over adversity, but it’s also a portrayal of the transformational power of art.

Here, Kassiotis explains how he came to make Faith, Hope and Insanity.

“I went to primary school with Frank’s daughter and at that time I was too young to understand what Frank was going through. I found out about his story years later when I was reading an article about the Scottish art scene. I recognised the name Frank McFadden and I knew his story deserved to be told.

“I used to see Frank at the end of the school day and he would encourage me to keep drawing. He was always so positive despite everything he was going through. Who knew, years later, we’d be making a film together? It’s crazy how life works.

“From conception to completion, the film took six months to make. I spent quite a bit of time with Frank prior to filming to try to understand his story from his own perspective which was key to making the film honest and authentic.

“Scottish cinema seems to bathe in misery quite a lot of the time, focusing on the problem as opposed to the solution. I wanted to make a film that commented on issues like addiction and the effect it has on lives, but I wanted it to be inspiring and life-affirming. 

“I would hope that people could watch the film and be encouraged to look at their own lives the way Frank does – positively with a touch of humour.”

JUL 28, 2015

Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust: What’s your story?

Local arts and heritage are being celebrated at an open day at Maryhill Burgh Halls on Saturday, August 1.

There will be a packed day of activities from 11am-4pm will feature exhibitions, workshops, talks, walks, storytelling and stalls. The open day will also mark the launch of an appeal for local exhibits as part of  the ongoing  project, Securing Maryhill’s Heritage, by Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust.

Christine Grady, Heritage Development Manager for Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust, says the project aims to celebrate local history and cultural heritage. This has already  involved working with schools and community groups while developing the exhibition/gallery space in the Halls.

And on Saturday, the Maryhill Burgh Halls Heritage Day will welcome public donations or loans of objects and stories related to Maryhill, or significant to Maryhill’s history, to be displayed in the exhibition space.

Christine says: “We enjoy celebrating the local area’s heritage in partnership with other local organisations and have recently participated in local gala days, festivals and community exhibitions organised by groups such as the Children’s Wood, Friends of the River Kelvin and Friends of Queen Margaret Drive.

“We are interested in collecting a range of materials including paper, audio visual, electronic and digital formats, textiles including uniforms and decorative items, objects and artefacts including metals, ceramics and wood. We’re interested in things like typical tenement household objects, old sports medals, and postcards.”

Christine stresses these are only suggestions – and she is keen to hear from people what is significant to them to represent Maryhill’s cultural heritage so the exhibition can accurately represent that.*

In the main hall on Saturday, there will be stalls hosted by local community groups, with various artists and experts offering free activities such as storytelling, ceramics workshops, stained glass and glass blowing interactive demonstrations, canal walks and artist talks for art exhibition launches.

Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust will also be recruiting volunteers for roles in administration, gardening and heritage – and are looking to form a local history group  that would regularly at the Halls.

* Material* they can’t collect includes foodstuffs, biodegradable, toxic or hazardous materials or any materials considered as dangerous weapons!

Maryhill Burgh Halls  was built in 1878 and it acted as a civic hub of the police Burgh of Maryhill until the area was incorporated into the City of Glasgow in 1891.

Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust was formed in 2004 and raised £9.6million to refurbish the Halls to bring it back to the original use.

The unique stained glass panels by renowned artist Stephen Adam, which  originally decorated the main hall and represented the various trades and industries present in Maryhill in 1878, were restored during the refurbishment. They now represent a recognised effort in preserving and celebrating the cultural heritage of Maryhill.

See more about Maryhill Burgh Halls here

JUL 17, 2015

At the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli

Last Sunday, representatives of Hawick Rugby Club and Hawick Callants Club laid a simple wooden cross at the Helles Memorial at Gallipoli on behalf of the Glasgow Academical team of 1914 who lost so many in this campaign, writes Hugh Barrow.

The players from that team fought alongside the Hawick lads in 52nd Lowland Division in regiments such as the KOSB and the Cameronians at Gulley Ravine and Achi-Baba. The losses sustained were truly horrific and the term kindred club takes on a deeper meaning when the names of the members are listed together on a War Memorial like they are at Helles amongst 21,000.

Recently a ceremony took place at The Glasgow Academy War Memorial to remember them, marking the centenary of the campaign. Over the next two years the three oldest football clubs in Glasgow – West of Scotland FC 1865 , Glasgow Academicals FC 1866 and Queens Park FC 1867 – move to celebrate their 150th anniversaries.

When these three clubs reached their Golden Jubilee their members were involved in “the sterner game”at Gallipoli on the Somme and at Arras where both the 51st Highland Division and the 52nd Lowland Division were heavily engaged and suffered grievously.

“We are indebted to Hawick RFC and Hawick Callants for helping us never to forget”.

JUN 30, 2015

New Byres Road BID manager working for ‘Glasgow’s premier neighbourhood’

Byres Road & Lanes Business Improvement District (BID) has appointed Deborah Murray as project manager to deliver the first elements of the business plan.

Murray, the former culture, events and tourism manager with Stirling Council, has a background in planning and local regeneration in both the private and public sector.

David Howat, Chair of the Byres Road & Lanes BID said: “The Directors of the Byres Road & Lanes Business Improvement District (BID) are delighted to have recruited Deborah Murray to be our BID Manager.

“Deborah’s background gives her experience and a skill set that will be of enormous value in helping the BID to deliver our goals, which are to make Byres Road and the Lanes a vibrant, successful and attractive business environment. The BID has ambitious plans to restore Byres Road & the lanes to its position as the No.1 area in the West End of Glasgow for shopping and leisure. We are lucky to have fantastic businesses in our area.

“The BID has a Board of Directors of committed, experienced, and creative business owners who are determined to improve the shopping and leisure experience for customers, and the business environment for the traders, in the BID area. Deborah Murray will be instrumental in achieving these goals and it is great to have her on the team.”

Murray added: “I am delighted to be working in such a superb location with great businesses and assets. Byres Road and its lanes are the heart of the West End and I’m looking forward to working in partnership to restore it to its position as Glasgow’s premier neighbourhood.”

Background: BIDs are designed to bring together businesses and other stakeholders in a defined geographical area, to develop projects and activities, which will help boost the local economy. Byres Road & Lanes BID was approved by an 83 per cent vote of around 204 local business owners on February 26, 2015. Over the five-year lifetime of the BID, it is expected £635,000 will be raised by levy on the local businesses, with additional funding through grants, and these funds will be spent on delivering the BID projects.

Picture: Deborah Murray (front), with (L>R): David Howat, Pattison & Co. (Chair of Byres Rd & Lanes BID); David Nicholls, Brett Nicholls Associates (Board Member); Bruce Finnie, By Distinction Art (Board Member); Eddie Roscoe (BID Project Manager); Paul McGowan, The Independent Mortgage Store (Board Member); Becky Wollan, Waitrose (Vice-chair of Byres Rd & Lanes BID). Byres Rd & Lanes BID / Patrick Phillips

JUN 28, 2015

Gully Ravine, June 28, 1915: Glasgow Accies’ longest day

This morning, June 28, 2015 a simple ceremony of remembrance took place at the Glasgow Academy War Memorial on Great Western Road to recall the events of exactly 100 years ago, writes Hugh Barrow. 

Representatives of the Glasgow Academical Rugby Club paid their respects to the team of 1914. Among those in attendance was Lt Col Sandy Fitzpatrick MBE, who has played for Accies for many years and recently commanded the 52nd Lowland Division Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Division that suffered so much at Gallipoli.

Our longest day June 28, 1915

Gallipoli is often portrayed as an ANZAC Campaign but the losses also sustained by the Scottish 52nd Lowland were enormous and at times overlooked.

The Gallipoli Campaign had a massive impact on Glasgow Academy, particularly those serving with the 52nd Lowland Division, 156th Brigade 7/8th Cameronians, The Scottish Rifles.

The Accies’ relationship with The Rifles goes back to the very birth of the club in 1866. Our first President H.E.Crum-Ewing was an officer with the First Lanarkshire Volunteer Rifles who shared their drill ground at Burnbank with Accies when the Club was formed ,a ground that was to become famous in the early days of cricket, rugby and football, providing Rangers with a home en route to Kinning Park.

Lt Col Crum Ewing then helped form Third Lanark (Volunteer Rifles) FC in 1872, a club that survived until 1967.

The Volunteer Rifles became the The Scottish Rifles in 1881 and it was to this Regiment many Glasgow Accies signed on for in 1914. The most concentrated loss of life for Glasgow Accies was not on the Western Front but at Gallipoli. A year before the Somme on June 28, 1915 an action took place known as Gully Ravine. On that day some 27 Academicals Glasgow and Kelvinside fell in the fighting as they faced the Ottoman forces.

A summary* of the action does not make for pleasant reading.

“In the ravine the 1st Battalion, Border Regiment did not advance as far as those troops on the spur since Ottomans there were somewhat sheltered from the deadly bombardment from the sea. Their final position was fortified with rocks and boulders and became known as ‘Border Barricade’.

“On the right of the advance, along Fir Tree Spur, the battle did not go so well for the British. The inexperienced soldiers of the 156th Brigade lacked artillery support and were massacred by Ottoman machine guns and bayonet attacks. Despite the opposition, they were ordered to press the attack and so the support and reserve lines were sent forward but made no progress.

“By the time the attack was halted the Brigade was at half strength, having suffered 1,400 casualties of which 800 had been killed. Some battalions were so depleted they had to be merged into composite formations. When the rest of the 52nd Division landed, the commander, Major General Granville Egerton, was enraged at the manner in which his 156th Brigade had been sacrificed.”

When the Accies played their final match of the season on March 28, 1914 they little knew that by 1918 eight of the team would have made the ultimate sacrifice and six sustain terrible injuries. Only one of the team got through The Great War unscathed. Four of that team – Eric Young, William Church (both capped for Scotland) ,Tommy Stout and Archie Templeton – fell at Gully Ravine .

They had played together, signed on together, served together and, on that morning, died together. A relationship that had started on a pitch at the side of Great Western Road, some 200 metres from the War Memorial at Kelvinbridge, had reached the final whistle.

* wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gully_Ravine (reference: Chambers, Stephen J, Gully Ravine — Gallipoli Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2003).

JUN 25, 2015

Children’s Wood urge council to keep North Kelvin Meadow as a wild space

The Children’s Wood and North Kelvin Meadow are again calling on Glasgow city council to designate the area as a green space – and are urging supporters to object to housing development plans for the site by Monday (June 29).

With just four days to object to the proposals by New City Vision Ltd, the Children’s Wood and North Kelvin Meadow organisers are gathering support for their own plan to keep North Kelvin Meadow as a community woodland and garden.

North Kelvin Meadow is a former sports playing field that has become a well-used popular open space by the local community. The Children’s Wood project, festivals, concerts, storytelling, forestry, gardening and many other local events make the North Kelvin Meadow a treasured place for the people who visit and care for it.

Emily Cutts, chairperson of The Children’s Wood, said: “We hope that Glasgow city council see this as an opportunity to lead the way in creating spaces for children within communities. For over 20 years the people of Maryhill and North Kelvin have consistently resisted plans to build on the meadow and wood.

“With this planning application we hope to secure the land for future generations and put an end to the threat of development which has been preventing our community from truly flourishing. Glasgow has lots of parks and green spaces but very few wild spaces, or initiatives that actively encourage children and families to be outside in nature. By supporting our plan Glasgow City Council will be at the vanguard of creating a better future for communities across scotland and beyond.”

Part of a conservation area, North Kelvin Meadow spreads out between Sanda, Kelbourne and Clouston Streets. Children’s Wood and North Kelvin Meadow argue plans for housing go against the council’s own sports pitches strategy that states the necessity for a community consultation if disposal of that space is considered.

* For more information on the meadow and the plans see northkelvinmeadow.com and thechildrenswood.com

Pictures: the recent Children’s Wood food and summer gala at North Kelvin Meadow

JUN 24, 2015

Exploring Scottish roots – one-day class on sourcing family history

Keen to explore your Scottish roots? A new one-day event at Glasgow University led by historian and West End Report contributor Ronnie Scott will explain the wide variety of sources available for the family historian, in Scotland and on the internet.

It will look at the foundation sources for births, marriages and deaths, as well as more advanced employment, legal, land and directory records.

In the afternoon, there will be a guided visit to Glasgow University Archives, which has records of the university’s students and staff, employment registers for a number of significant Scottish companies, undertaker records and a wide range of other materials of interest to the family historian.

This is a great chance to learn about the wide variety of sources available for researching your family history, but also to see and use some of the vast resources of the university archives. Perfect for beginners, or those wanting to learn about different types of sources beyond the birth, marriage and death records on Scotland’s People.

The day school runs from 10am-4pm on Thursday July 16, with a one-hour break for lunch (own arrangements). The morning session will be in the St Andrews Building in Eldon Street (near Kelvinbridge Subway) and the afternoon session in Glasgow University Archives in Thurso Street (near Kelvinhall Subway).

The total cost is £30, and you can book by phoning 0141 330 1860 or 1853 or 2772. For a full programme, please visit the Centre for Open Studies webpage (Short courses) at http://www.gla.ac.uk/study/short/

JUN 22, 2015

David Shrigley draws in major sponsor for Jags

Partick Thistle fan and Turner Prize nominated artist David Shrigley has helped secure a six-figure sum for the Firhill club over the next two seasons.

California-based investment advisory firm, Kingsford Capital Management will become the club’s new title sponsor with the deal  including front of shirt sponsorship for both home and away strips as well as branding around the stadium.

But why the trans-Atlantic agreement?

Mike Wilkins, managing member of Kingsford Capital, is an art aficionado, and had a chance meeting with Shrigley – one of his favourite artists – at a dinner in San Francisco.

After the conversation turned to the Maryhill side, the Californian did some research and decided to support the Jags.  To the club’s surprise, he called Partick Thistle managing director Ian Maxwell directly to get the wheels in motion.

Shrigley has maintained his involvement in the partnership, and has designed a unique Kingsford logo which will adorn the front of Thistle’s shirts and be featured prominently around the stadium.  A new Shrigley-designed mascot, named Kingsley, will also be in attendance on match days.

Wilkins, who is already a shareholder in the recently crowned NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, said: “I had been looking for an opportunity to get involved with something like this in the UK for a while but hadn’t been able to find the right match. When I got talking to David Shrigley about Partick Thistle it seemed like it could be the perfect fit. The next step for me was to speak directly to the club.

“I must say that every conversation I had with the club, from start to finish, went really well and certainly built the impression that this was an organisation I very much wanted to be involved with. The perspective of the board, relating to business, sport and community, is really encouraging and I look forward to my interactions with the club and its fans.

“I hope that this relationship will become more than just your average sponsorship deal.  As a commissioner of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC, I understand the power of art to communicate a shared spirit. It is very much like sport in that regard and, with David’s help and genius, I hope we can bring something unique and new to an already fantastic club.”

Shrigley said: “As a Jags man it’s an honour to be involved with the club in this way. I can’t wait to see my design on the front of the shirts and around Firhill and just hope the fans like what we’re trying to do. It’s safe to say we have a few surprises in store for the supporters and we’re already in talks with a few other artists to arrange some pretty exciting giveaways over the course of the season.”

And Maxwell, said: “Getting a sponsor like this on board, an American financial services firm, is a real coup for us. It has been part of our long term strategy to begin attracting new sources of funding to the club and this is a fantastic way to start.

“We need to look at how to attract new people to football in Scotland, both in terms of funding and in terms of supporters, and some of the ideas that Mike and David have already brought to the table are really interesting. Everyone at the club is excited to start working closely with Kingsford Capital over the next two years and I for one hope that Mike really becomes a part of the club.

“Partick Thistle is much more than just a football club and I certainly hope that this partnership too will turn into much more than just a sponsorship deal in the weeks, months and years to come.”

David Shrigley is best known for his simple, direct drawings and animations that make satirical comments on everyday situations and human interactions. Shrigley graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 1991 and settled in the city where he lived and worked until earlier this year when he partly relocated to East Devon. He still spends a significant amount of time in Glasgow to work at his studio – conveniently located at Spiers Wharf, a 15-minute walk from Firhill.

Since the early nineties, in addition to his drawings and animations, Shrigley has also produced a continuous flow of artist’s books. While drawing is at the centre of his practice the artist also works with photography, sculpture, animation and painting and also directed the video to Blur’s “Good Song”. Shrigley regularly has his cartoons published in publications such as The Guardian and New Statesman and is expected to have one of his sculptures feature on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth during 2016.

JUN 12, 2015

Maryhill Food Bank collection at anti-austerity rally

There will be a food bank collection at the anti-austerity demo on Saturday, June 20 from 12noon-4pm in George Square.

Julie Webster of Greater Maryhill Food Bank is co-ordinating the collection and donations will later be distributed through four city food banks. The donations will go to Greater Maryhill Food Bank, Drumchapel Food Bank, Crookston Community Food Bank and Rutherglen Food Bank.

Anyone attending the Anti Austerity Rally, organised by the STUC in partnership with the People’s Assembly in Scotland, can hand in donations at George Square – look out for the Greater Maryhill Food Bank van. 

The rally has been organised in protest against cuts to benefits and public services and will coincide with the Peoples’ Assembly event being held in London on the same day.

JUN 9, 2015

Kelpies come home – as G20 heritage exhibition launches local fundraising

The Kelpies – or as one person tweeted, the “baby Kelpies” – are home again and standing on guard at the entrance of the Kibble Palace in the Botanics, writes Ginny Clark.

Known as the Kelpies maquettes,  the one in 10-sized statues form part of the The G20 Heritage Exhibition in the West End Festival which runs until June 25.

The 10-foot horse heads were hand-crafted by renowned Scottish sculptor Andy Scott at his Maryhill studio and workshop. And they were the original models for creating the world’s largest equine sculpture The Kelpies, the 100ft-high centrepiece of the new 350 hectare Helix Park in Falkirk in a dramatic gateway to the new section of the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Sculptor Scott’s original concept for The Kelpies was to celebrate the role of horses in both industry and agriculture, as well as their role as tow horses for boats along the Forth and Clyde Canal. The maquettes have since travelled around the world and appeared at major events including New York’s Scotland Week, the 2014 Ryder Cup and this year’s Grand National and Scottish Cup Final.

But this is the first time they have come ‘home’ to the G20 postcode area where they were made at Scott’s nearby studio and workshop.

And as the main feature of the G20 heritage exhibition, the maquettes helped launch The Friends of Queen Margaret Drive group yesterday to kick-start fundraising for the conservation of Queen Margaret Drive footpaths. In addition to the Kelpies, the exhibition includes pieces from the Rennie Mackintosh society, The Maryhill Burgh Halls, Scottish Canals plus local conservation groups.

Remedial work to pavements was necessary following extensive work along Queen Margaret Drive itself by Scottish Water in January and February. However, with Glasgow city council announcing plans to make repairs with asphalt, local people got together to come up with a new suggestion.

Friends of Queen Margaret Drive chair Rhonda Fraser said: “We started a petition and raised 440 signatures in less than 48 hours. After talks with the council, we are now fund-raising with the aim of reaching £45,000 by September. The council will then match this figure with their funds and restoration work can be carried out that is more in keeping with the area and existing footpaths.

“The G20 Heritage Exhibition demonstrates Queen Margaret Drive’s unique position in connecting the amazing conservation projects throughout the Maryhill postcode with the world famous Botanic Gardens.” 

*  Andy Scott, a graduate of Glasgow School of Art in 1986, has completed more than 70 projects across UK and beyond, ranging from three to 30 metres high. He works with structural engineers, fabricators, haulage and crane operators, lighting designers and other specialist professionals – see more about Andy Scott Public Art here

Below, the West End Festival’s Michael Dale, left, with Rhonda Fraser and Tam Dean Burn of Friends of Queen Margaret Drive, plus some details from the G20 Heritage exhibition

MAY 27, 2015

West End Festival’s Liz Scobie on 20 years of celebrating the arts

In a live periscope broadcast by @westendreport yesterday, Liz Scobie, chairman of the West End Festival, explained why this annual celebration has now become “embedded in the psyche of local people”, writes Ginny Clark.

As someone who knows the West End Festival inside out – a Glasgow and RSNO Chorus member, she sang at venues in the early years of the festival – Liz has been involved almost from the start.

Sitting in Epicures, in Hyndland, Liz chatted about how this month-long celebration has now become a real focus for bringing together communities and neighbourhoods in a celebration of the arts across the west of Glasgow.

Can you tell us a little bit about the background to the festival and what it means to local people?
“This is our 20th year so I think we feel we are maturing. When we had our 18th we felt that was a coming of age but now we’re 20! It has grown from what started off as a long weekend of arts activities to the whole month of June, lots of events and activities in a very eclectic programme. Its essentially for people who live in the west end but very much also for people who want to come to the West End, not just from other parts of Glasgow and further afield in Scotland, but also people who we know choose to travel here from down south and overseas during the festival to come and celebrate with us.”

What makes the West End Festival so special?
“We’re very blessed with a fabulous location. We have some wonderful parks, I think Glasgow is renowned throughout the world as the Dear Green Place, and apparently in Glasgow we have more green space per capita than any other city in Europe, which is fabulous. Here we have two wonderful bookends in the Botanic Gardens and Kelvingrove Park, which of course now has the wonderfully restored bandstand, which is again going to be a big feature of this year’s festival. So the location is part of it, but also the friendliness, the bonhomie, of the people who live here, who want to welcome people to join in with the celebrations.”

You have been chairman for 11 years now, so have seen how the festival has grown, and like many other organisations, of course, part of that is working hard to get funding and support. On a positive note, in Hillhead, local traders have established the Byres Road BID, and the West End Festival have opened discussions with them that could lead to some interesting collaborations in the future?
“That’s right, funding not just for us but for any festival or arts organisation is a continuous challenge, particularly in the current atmosphere, fewer commercial supporters are willing to support the arts bed ch they hv. We’re very excited that the Byres Road traders has been set up, and this has now developed into the BID, the Business Improvement District, which takes in Byres Road and all the associated lanes. They have just formed so we’ve already had some meetings with them, and are certainly very encouraged by their willingness and enthusiasm about future support.”

There are going to be more than 400 events at this year’s West End Festival. The big one for many people is the parade day, on June 7, but you have another item you would also like to highlight, that you are particularly proud of in this year’s programme …
“Most people associate the big Mardi Gras parade on the Sunday down Byres Road as being the showpiece of the festival. But it’s a hugely exciting programme. But one item I particularly want to mention is on Friday, June 5th. And it’s one we are particularly proud of as it’s a world premiere, where Lousie MacDonald will be presenting a world premiere of new works by three contemporary composers, Judith Bingham, Dee Isaacs and Eddie McGuire, and they have set songs to newly discovered letters and writings from Mary Queen of Scots. It’s very exciting and after the West End Festival it’s being taken to the Oxford Lieder festival, an internationally renowned festival, so we’re absolutely delighted that the programme is starting off in the West End Festival.”

APR 24, 2015

Woodlands CDT: Growing a community

Woodlands Community Devemopment Trust have announced plans to develop a green corridor linking the garden to Kelvingrove Park via West Princes St.

Growing A Community will not only explore ideas for the green corridor but will also include a new project that will expand the trust’s volunteer training opportunities and increase the garden’s use as a therapeutic space.

Anyone interested can find out more at the garden on Sunday, May 10 at 2pm.

The meeting will be followed by an Open Day focused on the Woodlands Workspace plans, from 3-5pm. Woodlands CDT are finalising their lease arrangement with Glasgow city council as part of the creation of a unique workspace.

With £114,071 of funding in place from Creative Scotland and the recent £20,000 capital funding from the Robertson Trust, Woodlands CDT are now progressing the workspace in two phases. Phase one is a new community hub at the site and phase two will be the art studios themselves.

Woodlands community garden is at 91-101 West Princes Street. See more about the Woodlands Workspace project here.

APR 6, 2015

Aye Write! Research can reap real rewards for creative writers

Ronnie Scott, a regular speaker at the Aye Write! book festival, suggests some search strategies for fiction writers.

Creative writers don’t have to imagine every detail of their characters’ life stories or adventures. Research can relieve part of the creative burden, and also reveal a believable back story or a plausible plot-line. Here are five ways in which research can help creative writers to produce authentic story-lines and characters, and launch their readers into a precise time and place.

1 You have a scene in Rome in 1959, Paris in 1968 or (more probably) Largs in 1979. Knowing what the character can see from the cafe window, what kind of car is parked across the road, the waitress’ perfume or the slang used by the local youths can bring authority and authenticity to your writing.

Elvis was on the jukebox, the Alexander Brothers were on the wireless, and The Smiths were on my Sony Walkman. Each musician, each device suggests an era. My mother’s mother, who was from Ayrshire, had a jawbox in her scullery. We had a sink in our kitchen.

The telling word can transport the reader in an instant. As well as songs, words and other sounds, writers can evoke a city or an era with other senses. My mother’s father’s garage smelled of Swarfega (he did all his own repairs), and my father smelled of Embassy Tipped and Brylcreme.

Where will we find these details? The appropriate newspapers will have topical stories and how people thought about them. Have a look at the radio or TV listings, the theatre programmes, the letters page and the adverts for popular performers’ names, products or a political crisis that evokes a specific era.

Maps will help you work out what people can see from cafe windows or the end of the pier, tourist guides will supply the hot new restaurant or nightspot, and (if we are travelling far away in time and place), biographies or autobiographies can offer period details.

2 Trades and professions can inhabit worlds of their own. Doctors, lawyers, plumbers and postal workers all have a patois or slang that saves them time and energy, but that excludes the outsider. Give your characters depth and credibility by having them speak in their job’s own words.

A police officer, for example, might be all ‘RTA’ and ‘DOA’, and we might need an outsider character to ask (on behalf of the reader) what is being discussed. Doctors don’t use everyday terms such as ‘heart attack’ or ‘broken leg’ among themselves, so let them sound authentic.

One way to do this is to befriend people in the relevant trade or profession, using your own family, work and online networks. Reading trade magazines or blogs can be a good way to pick up some of the jargon, even if you don’t know what it means at first.

If you need a Victorian plumber (or whatever), find out if the trade or professional body has an archivist, or try your library for 19th century journals or handbooks. Even using the Victorian term for the occupation can cast a spell. The apothecary, arkwright and accoucheuse are of course our chemist, cabinet maker and midwife, but the apposite word transports the reader.

3 Names also place people firmly in time and place. There were practically no girls called Wendy until Peter Pan arrived on stage in 1904, there were very few John-Pauls until Albino Luciani took the top job in the Vatican in 1978, and there were no other Kylies until Ms Minogue made her debut in Neighbours in 1986.

The silver screen gave us Lara and Scarlett, and we can also thank the Vatican for Philomena, Euphemia and other Greek-based devotional names. Variations on common names can be telling, too: There are very few Jimmies in the landed classes, but plenty of Jamies.

How can we check this? Grab newspapers from the time and place you’re interested in, and look at the birth, marriage and deaths columns. That should give you the names of, respectively, the coming, present and past generations.

4 What kind of a house would they have lived in? Would they have a live-in maid, or a day maid? What about a coachman? Was the scullery off the kitchen, and where was the WC? Was there a fireplace in every room? How were the floors covered?

We can often see typical rooms from the past in museums or preserved houses. In Glasgow, we could visit Pollok House, the People’s Palace and the Tenement House, or we could look through the newspapers for the period for household product ads. Was linoleum popular, or rag rugs?

For the layout and details of houses and out-buildings, ask if the local archive has building plans for the period you are interested in. Or try the local business archive for records of furnishers, carpet fitters or other suppliers.

Keep an eye on estate agents’ websites for houses of the type you are interested in. You may be able to download floor plans and photographs of the interiors of houses. For example, I recently snagged the brochure for Rowaleyn, the grand country residence of Madeleine Smith’s family.

5 Published obituaries, biographies and autobiographies can offer unhappy childhoods, teenage dilemmas, adolescent adventures, adult tragedies and deadly successes. Practically every newspaper carried obituaries, and some (including the Scotsman) have produced collections.

Archives have a wide variety of personal and family papers, including correspondence. Candid letters, often passing between family members and never intended for publication, can reveal much about the individuals and their times. Check your local archives for deposited family papers.

And here’s a sixth suggestion: never rely on Wikipedia. Why? Here’s why: 

* Ronnie Scott is presenting two sessions at Aye Write! this year. ‘Research for writers’ is on Friday, April 24, from 2.30pm-4pm, and ‘House histories: A different approach to history’ is on Thursday 23 April from 11am-1pm. More information and booking details: www.ayewrite.com/creative

Main pic – Family papers can reveal much about the people who wrote them, and the time, place and society they inhabited, Illustration by Flickr user Anna and left, why you can’t trust Wikipedia: creative writing by Wikibombs.

MAR 19, 2015

University hosts solar eclipse event

Local people are being invited to join University of Glasgow staff and students to safely observe the partial solar eclipse tomorrow (Friday, March 20).

Experts from the University’s School of Physics and Astronomy will be on hand to explain the process behind the eclipse, which at its maximum will see the moon cover 94% of the sun. And the astronomers will give visitors the opportunity to observe the event using telescopes, safely, if the weather permits.

Interested? Head to the university’s Fraser Building and the south front entrance to the main campus building, overlooking the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, between 8.30-10.30am. The maximum eclipse will actually occur at 9.34am.

Dr Iain Hannah of the University of Glasgow’s School of Physics and Astronomy, who organised the event, warned of the dangers at looking at the sun directly or without the correct equipment.

 He said: “The sun is a very powerful source of light. Looking at it with your naked eyes or through unfiltered telescopes or binoculars can cause damage to your sight, even when it’s covered by the moon. This event is a great way to observe the eclipse without putting yourself at risk as well as an opportunity to learn more about our solar system.”

FEB 23, 2015

Canal corridor: help shape the regeneration

The Glasgow Canal Regeneration Partnership is hosting workshop sessions on the design for the Woodside-Firhill-Hamiltonhill area from tomorrow, Wednesday, until Saturday (Feb 4-7).

Local residents, business owners, landowners, representatives of the council and other agencies will also be invited to attend these sessions, to explore the future development and improvement opportunities for this area.

There will be day time and evening sessions, with the majority of events taking place at Partick Thistle Football Club on Firhill Road. One session will take place in the Saracen street area.
Sessions will be led by an appointed consultancy team, led by Land Use Consultants.

The Glasgow Canal Regeneration Partnership involves Glasgow city council, Scottish Canals and their development partners in the aim of transforming the canal corridor and adjoining communities into sustainable and successful places.

Bailie Liz Cameron, executive member for jobs and the economy at the council, said: “Over the recent past there have been a number of regeneration projects along the canal and in the North Quarter, and this trend is set to continue in the next few years. I would ask that everyone who has a stake in the canal corridor comes along to this event.”

Interested? Email Rosie.MacLellan@landuse.co.uk or call 0141 334 9595.

JAN 28, 2015

Yorkhill and the Western – countdown to hospital transfer

With the £842million south Glasgow hospitals – South Glasgow University Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children – now complete the countdown is on to the transformation of healthcare delivery for people in the West End.

The transfer begins on Friday April 24 with a target completion date of June 30.

The whole process will take eight weeks for what NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) say is a significant and complex operation.

NHSGCC says clinical and management teams are working closely with other services – especially the Scottish Ambulance Service – to ensure a continuity of delivery as transfers begin from the Victoria Infirmary and Mansionhouse Unit, Western Infirmary, Yorkhill’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Southern General.

The Western Infirmary outpatients and minor injuries unit will first move to the Yorkhill site until they move to Gartnavel in 2016. 

Otherwise the transfer schedule is …

April 24-26 – GP out of hours, therapy department and renal dialysis from the Western Infirmary.

May 8 – ENT inpatients from Gartnavel General.

May 9-10 – Vascular and renal inpatients from the Western Infirmary.

May 30-31 – Inpatients and ED from the Western Infirmary.

June 6-7 – Selected ward from Gartnavel General and bone marrow transplant units at the Beatson.

June 10-14 – Complete transfer from Yorkhill, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

* This information is updated here

DEC 20, 2014

Alfred Webster’s Great Legacy at Lansdowne

WestEnders who have visited the new Webster’s Theatre at the famous Lansdowne Church building at Kelvinbridge may pause to remember the man who has given the theatre its name – Alfred Alexander Webster (1883-1915), writes Ruth Allen.

Webster made the church’s exquisite stained glass windows, completed shortly before his tragic death at Ypres in 1915. The church interior has a stunning range of stained glass, with the two triple lancet windows in the north and east transepts by Webster standing out as exceptional. The south transept window is considered his masterwork, and it is hoped that a crowdfunding project will restore this window.

“The windows are presently in storage” explains Jamie Allan, events and marketing manager at the Webster Theatre. ”But we are hoping that with the crowdfunding appeal and other charitable donations, we can have the windows restored in time for the centenary of Alfred Webster’s death in August next year.”

Gordon Urquhart’s ‘A Notable Ornament’ – Lansdowne Church: An Icon of Victorian Glasgow chronicles the story of Lansdowne United Presbyterian Church, generally regarded as the finest Victorian Gothic church in Glasgow. It covers the church’s controversial establishment by a breakaway congregation in 1863, its place in the early career of famed architect John Honeyman and the contribution of sculptors James Shanks and the Mossman brothers. Also, the extraordinary stained glass by the tragic genius ‘Alf’ Webster is celebrated in depth.

Webster was born on December 19 1883 at 40 Keir Street in Pollokshields. Urquhart’s research reveals the young Alf’s early education was at the Albert Road Academy, Pollokshields. The 1901 census confirms 17-year-old Alf was living at the family home at 35 Leven Street and was employed as a shipbroker’s clerk. On the 11th June 1902 aged 18 he married Maude Caroline Murdoch Cochrane, also 18, at 8 East John Street, Glasgow.

He enrolled in evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art where he studied architecture and modelling – and he also attended classes in stained glass taken by Stephen Adam Jnr. Webster then left his job as a shipbroker’s clerk and joined the Stephen Adam studio, where over the next seven years he worked on numerous church commissions.

Webster became a partner in Stephen Adam & Co. in 1909, and when Adam himself died on August 23 1910, Alf continued as sole partner under the same company name.

Webster enlisted in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Gordon Highlanders in February 1915. Hereceived his commission of 2nd Lieutenant in March, after which time the studio closed. He was reassigned to the 1st Battalion and shipped to the front in June 1915 to the region of Ouderdom, southwest of Ypres.

He was wounded while out on patrol near a German wire embankment on the night of the 16th August 1915 and died from his wounds at Etaples on August 24 1915.

Stephen Adam & Co. was transferred to Maude, who continued to run the business on behalf of her children. Then in 1930 she sold the company to her son George Gordon McWhirter Webster (see a Facebook page dedicated to the man and his work here) who followed in his father’s footsteps and went on to become one of Scotland’s most talented stained glass artists.

NOV 11, 2014

The Possibilities Are Endless: Edwyn Collins’ incredible story

Intimate and life-affirming, The Possibilities Are Endless offers a rare immersive experience, writes Ruth Allen.

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS   

(Run time 83 mins;  Directors: James Hall, Edward Lovelace; Cast: Edwyn Collins, Grace Maxwell, William Collins, Yasmin Paige).

Synopis: Imagine your mind has been wiped: memories, knowledge, experiences, language – every word you ever spoke, has vanished. If eventually you found the words, what would you say? For Edwyn Collins, ‘The Possibilities Are Endless’. The celebrated lyricist, Edwyn Collins could only say two phrases after waking up: ‘Grace Maxwell’ and ‘The Possibilities Are Endless’. http://www.thepossibilities.co.uk/

This documentary is the incredible story of Edwyn Collins, former lead singer of Scottish indie band Orange Juice and a successful solo artist in his own right, who suffered a haemorrhagic stroke in February 2005 and almost died. Miraculously he pulled through, despite contracting MRSA after undergoing a risky operation but had to face a lengthy and arduous rehabilitation programme to learn how to walk, speak and play the guitar again.

Placed inside Edwyn’s mind, we embark on a remarkable journey from the brink of death back to language, music, life and love. With the help of his wife Grace Maxwell, Edwyn submerges himself in a landscape of memories, as he tries to unlock the story of his past. More than a story of determination against all odds, it is an intimate and life-affirming tale of rediscovery.

The Possibilities Are Endless is the third feature from exciting new British directing talents, Edward Lovelace and James Hall (filmmakers behind the global box office hit, Katy Perry: Part of Me). The documentary blends intimate retrospective moments with real-life scenes to paint a unique portrait of Edwyn, and his wife and manager Grace, capturing the musician’s exhilarating return to writing, drawing and performing music.

The Possibilities Are Endless is filmed from Edwyn’s perspective, inviting the viewer into his mind-set, allowing for a rare immersive experience; unlike the standard documentary style, it uses an experimental abstract style with a collage of impressions and images mirroring the confusion felt in Edwyn’s mind after his stroke.

Never mawkish, the film has a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack composed by Edwyn and stunning cinematography – particularly in the Highland village of Helmsdale – by Richard Stewart. A beautiful film of human endurance and love which is immersive, uplifting and ultimately inspiring.

NOV 10, 2014

Craft beer: pumping new energy into our pubs

The thirst for craft beer is re-energising and reshaping Glasgow’s pub scene, bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘special brew’, writes Ginny Clark.

From a few independent brewery pioneers bubbling up over the past decade, together with a trendy nod to some unusual bottle labels, the city is now flowing with new beers, new bars and for some, new ways of working. Scottish craft and micro breweries can now be counted in their many dozens, including the island-based Arran Brewery, Alloa-based Williams Brothers Brewing Company, Barrhead’s Kelburn Brewing Company, Edinburgh’s Innis and Gunn, Fraserburgh’s Brewdog, Loch Fyne’s Fyne Ales, and Glasgow duo Drygate and West.

Drygate, of course, is an example of how the craft tag can confound perceptions. Described as Scotland’s first experiential craft brewery, Drygate is a collaboration between what might be considered as a mighty beer factory, Tennent’s, and the Williams Brothers Brewing Company.

So what is craft beer? And is it different from real ale?

At it’s most basic, and at the risk of entering a hot debate where some are passionate about defining their product, a craft brewer is small and independent, using authentic brewing processes. Cask ale, or real ale brewers, tick those boxes too. But the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) say cask beer is distinguished from the mass-produced variety because it has not been pasteurised and still has natural carbonisation. Yet some craft brewers might argue that – with their own authentic approach –  they are all in the same ‘craft’ camp.

These are important discussions for the small brewers, determined to carve out their identity as distinct from the mass-producing big boys. For many beer-drinkers, however, this distinction may be all but academic. What matters most to increasingly discerning customers, is the diversity and quality of pints now available to them.

Derek Hoy, who along with friend and business partner Alec Knox, set up Hippo Beers on Queen Margaret Drive two years ago, says this year’s craft beer explosion is down to one thing …

He said: “Taste. It’s definitely the main thing, when you compare a beer that has been mass produced to a beer that’s been crafted with quality ingredients, that’s what people appreciate. It can seem like there’s been a bit of a bandwagon, or a trend, in the city recently. But it’s more than that, as increasing numbers of people discover that difference in taste.”

Hippo – the name is a nod to patron saint of brewers St Augustine of Hippo Regius, not a warning about over-indulgence in your favourite tipple – has been part of that industry’s flourishing. The speciality beer shop and online store has been a popular addition to the craft scene in the West End, which is particularly robust. The duo are now building up a wholesale arm of their business, with the aim of marketing Scottish beers down south. But wherever you are, one aspect of drinking craft beer that will not go unnoticed is what the customer will pay for that distinctive taste and good quality – and that’s certainly more than your average pint. But these beers are not for guzzling …

Derek added: “There are a number of reasons for the price ranges, including the quality of ingredients, and duty. But these are beers to be savoured, they are a different type of product.”

Collaboration is also a key word for this industry, as we see not only breweries and pubs working together but sometimes brewery joining brewery in ventures or projects. That approach helps to generate a sense of community around the industry and it’s an inclusive culture that extends to many craft beer – and cider – fans too. Many of the bars that specialise in craft brews also offer good menus, host live music and organise events such as brewery tastings or festivals.

And when you walk into a craft pub, you’ll find the bar staff more than happy to tempt your custom with taste-sized samples in a try before you buy …  Donald Stephenson, editor of Glasgow-based Beers of the World Magazine, agrees the craft beer “revolution” is not just about discovering enjoyable brews – but also discovering some enjoyable bars.

He said: “Gone are the days of when only a poor selection of tasteless lagers haunted the bar fonts of Glasgow. The avid beer hunter can now reach out and grab a piece of the revolution that has been sweeping the globe – interesting beer with purpose and provenance. Glasgow is brimming with great venues serving great beers.

“You can choose to taste the world with some simply stunning imports or take an introspective approach and get to know the British brews that stand up against any from other lands. Whatever you preference, take only one mind-set – the desire to try new things, as you never know what you might find. For a great starting point head to the West End of the city, find a place that suits your character and ask the bartender, ‘what good beers do you have?’.”

Here are a few establishments where you’ll find craft beer locally – if we’ve missed your favourite, please let us know and we’ll add them to the list. Many pubs are beginning to include bottled beers and perhaps one or two craft pumps, so availability is definitely on the rise …

Brel, Ashton Lane, G12 8SJ
brelbar.com 0141 342 4966
The garden and conservatory help to make this an atmospheric bar, even heading into winter … Refreshed and reinvigorated under new owners last year, the beer horizons have widened beyond Belgium … Bottled beers and ciders come from Germany, the Czech Republic and across Europe and over to the USA. On tap, beers from local brewers Kelburn and West are included.

BrewDog, 1397 Argyle St, G3 8AN
brewdog.com/bars/glasgow
Part of the flourishing independent chain started by former Aberdeen schoolfriends and craft beer legends James Watt and Martin Dickie in Fraserburgh seven years ago. A wide range of beers are produced at their eco-brewery in the North-East of Scotland and the Glasgow bar, located right opposite Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, also offers a selection of guest brews.
@BrewDogGlasgow

Curlers Rest, 256-260 Byres Rd, G12 8SH
thecurlersrestglasgow.co.uk 0141 341 0737
With more than 300 years of hospitality history, this bar has been through a number of transformations, most dramatically in the last 15 years. Now part of the large UK group Mitchells & Butlers, under their Castle brand, the Curlers still has a local and individual feel. They list five real ales, 19 speciality beers and three ciders on tap.
@Curlers_Rest

Hippo Beers, 128 Queen Margaret Dr, G20 8NY
hippobeers.co.uk 0141 946 3020
Beer lovers Derek Hoy and Alec Knox opened their shop two years ago, frustrated by what was on offer in city bars and stores and determined to spark “a beer revolution”. The former Glasgow Uni mates also sell their wide range of craft beers, real ales and world beers online.
@HippoBeers

Inn Deep, 445 Great Western Rd, G12 8HH
inndeep.com 0141 357 1075
With a great riverside setting down the steps at the edge of Kelvinbridge, this bar offers cask, keg and bottled craft beers. The house beers are by renowned Alloa-based Williams Brothers Brewing Company – the brewing family who started out running what was the home brew suppliers Glenbrew on Dumbarton Road by Broomhill … and who own this bar.
@InnDeepBar

Munro’s, 185 Great Western Rd, G4 9EB
http://www.munrosglasgow.co.uk 0141 332 0972
The impressive reincarnation of the old Captain’s Rest is itself helping to breathe new pub life into the St George’s Cross area. In addition to their permanent range of beers, including craft and cask options, this Maclay Inns bar also offers an interesting guest list of six craft and cask beers on tap, bottled beers and ciders.
@MunrosGlasgow

The 78, 10-14 Kelvinhaugh St, G3 8NU
the78cafebar.com 0141 576 5018
This award-winning vegan cafe-bar follows through with vegan-friendly, and sometimes organic, beers too. The independent, just down from the western edge of the Finnieston strip, has a good range of craft beers, ales and ciders, on tap and in bottles, with a weekly-changing selection of Williams cask ales too.
@the78glasgow

The Squid & Whale, 372-374 Great Western Rd, G4 9HT
http://www.squidwhale.com 0141 339 5070
An address that has gone through several identity changes over the past two decades, The Squid launched last year but already has the feel of a long-established bar. In keeping with their Mexican cantina-style menu, this independent specialises in American craft lagers & IPAs but also has a wider range that includes Scottish ales, German pilseners & weissbiers, South American/Mexican beers and guest bottles.
@glasgowsquid

Three Judges, 141 Dumbarton Rd, G11 6PR
http://www.threejudges.co.uk 0141 337 3055
This Partick Cross institution has such a solid and traditional feel it demands description as a pub rather than a bar … Cask Marque accredited, and CAMRA award regulars, there is a choice of nine different real ales at this Maclay Inns establishment every day. They feature beer, ale and cider from throughout the UK as well as offering a number of Scottish pints.
@the3judges

NOV 7, 2014

Not just another Tommy … remembering Lt Tommy Stout

Ahead of Remembrance Sunday and just a few days before 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Hugh Barrow reminds us of the story of Lt Tommy Stout.

The term Tommy was synonymous with WW1 but it was the name of Tommy Stout that tragically helped to bring it all home to Anniesland rugby. He stood for a generation of young sportsmen who never took to the fields of Anniesland again.

The tragedy of WW1 started to unfold in the autumn of 1914 and in June 1915 it really hit home not this time on the Western Front but on Gallipoli’s far shore. Gallipoli is often seen as an ANZAC Campaign but the British had contributed 468,000 in the battle for Gallipoli with 33.512 killed, 7,636 missing and 78,000 wounded. The French were next most numerous in total numbers and in casualties. The Anzacs lost 8000 men in Gallipoli and a further 18,000 were wounded.This was where one of the most tragic events for Anniesland took place.

Tommy Stout was born in 1892 and lived at 16 Huntly Gardens, just off Byres Rd. He was a very talented player who played in the Glasgow Accies back division in a team that won the Scottish Club Championship in 1912-13.  He also played for Glasgow and was an international reserve for Scotland 1912/14.

Tommy played his last match for Glasgow Accies on the 28th March 1914 in a game Hawks commemorated a century later in March 2014, when both 1sts and 2nds lined up with our opponents from Aberdeen Grammar in a joint act of remembrance. Of the 15 who took the pitch in 1914 eight were killed and six were wounded by 1918.

The significance to GHK is that today they wear the colours of The Cameronians, The Scottish Rifles the very regiment that suffered the horrific losses as part of the 52nd Lowland Division-156th Brigade described in the piece below, written for the Gallipoli Association.

The Scottish Rifles have another connection with sport in Glasgow having drilled at Burnbank where Glasgow Accies and Rangers once played and the Inter City match was born – and of course forming a football club that was to carry their name, Third Lanark FC. It is hard to believe what these young rugby players faced when they exchanged the fields of Anniesland for the very different fields of Gallipoli and Flanders.

The following paragraphs, (with a shocking description of Tommy’s death) quote excerpts from J. M. Findlay, With the Eighth Scottish Rifles, 1914-1919 (London: Blackie & Son, 1926), relating the personal experience of Major James Findlay, 1/8th Scottish Rifles, 156th Brigade, 52nd Division, who had just taken command a week before these events. The book and this article, on gallipoli-association.org/on-this-day/june-28th, describe how Tommy Stout made the ultimate sacrifice.

June 28th, 1915: The Gallipoli Association

“I do not think that many of us got much sleep – I know that to me the night was slow in passing – but dawn came at last, cool and beautiful, with a hint of the coming heat, and the dried-up sparse scrub had been freshened by the night’s dewfall. One was impressed by the good heart of all ranks, but, whether it was premonition or merely the strain of newly acquired responsibility, I could not feel the buoyancy of anticipated success.

“I remember going round the line in the early morning and finding that there was some difficulty about the planks which the support and reserve companies had to put across the front trenches to facilitate passage, but these eventually arrived in time. The artillery bombardment which took place from 09.00 to 11.00 was, even to a mind then inexperienced in a real bombardment, quite too futile, but it drew down upon us, naturally, a retaliatory shelling. How slowly these minutes from 10.55 to 11.00 passed!

“Centuries of time seemed to go by. One became conscious of saying the silliest things, all the while painfully thinking, ‘It may be the last time I shall see these fellows alive!’ Prompt at 11.00 the whistles blew.”

Over the top went his men, to be met by a deadly stream of fire from all sides. Findlay soon realised that the attack was breaking down in No Man’s Land. He sent back to brigade for reinforcements and moved forward up a sap with his Adjutant, Captain Charles Bramwell, and his Signal Officer, Lieutenant Tom Stout, to try and establish a forward headquarters. They did not get far; rank was no defence against bullets.

“Bramwell and I then pushed our way up the sap, which for a short distance concealed us, but got shallower as we went along, until first our heads, then our shoulders, and then the most of our bodies were exposed. We soon arrived at Pattison’s bombing party, which I had sent up this sap. He had been killed, and those of his men that were left were lying flat; they could not get on as the sap rose a few yards in front of them to the ground-level, and the leading man was lying in only about 18 inches of cover.

“In any case they were still some 50 yards from the enemy trenches. Bullets were spattering all around us, and we seemed to bear charmed lives, until just as we arrived at the rear of this party Bramwell fell at my side, shot through the mouth. He said not a word, and I am glad to think that he was killed outright.

“I made up my mind that the only thing to be done was to collect what men there were and make a dash for it. I told this to Stout, and stooping down to pick up a rifle I was shot in the neck. At the moment I didn’t feel much, but when I saw the blood spurt forward I supposed that it had got my jugular vein. I stuck a handkerchief round my neck and tried to get on, but I was bowled over by a hit in the shoulder. I tumbled back over some poor devil, and for a minute or two tried to collect myself. Up came young Stout and said, ‘I am going to try to carry you back, Sir!’ but I wouldn’t let him.”

It was obvious to everyone around him that his wounds were serious, but Findlay was obsessed with the idea that he had to establish his forward headquarters and co-ordinate the next stage of the attack. In the end Lieutenant Tom Stout simply ignored him.

“I told Stout to send another runner for reinforcements. A few minutes later he came back and took me by the shoulders and some other good fellow lifted me by the feet, and together they got me back some 10 yards, and though a bullet got me in the flesh of the thigh, I was now comparatively sheltered while they were still exposed. It was then that a splinter of shell blew off Tommy Stout’s head, and the other man was hit simultaneously. Gallant lads! God rest them!”

Findlay lay there, out of immediate danger but hardly safe.

“It was insufferably hot, and I recollect having a drink of water, and giving one to a boy called Reid, who lay mortally wounded alongside me. We all remained lying there in that sap, sometimes conscious, sometimes blessedly unconscious. The heat as we lay there was appalling, but things were gradually getting quieter; what we longed for was coolness. Reid, poor lad, was by this time in agony, he had been shot in the stomach, and all I could do for him was to give him a little more water.

“The day wore on into the interminable night, broken by he moans and agonising cries of the wounded and dying, till dawn came coolly and quietly. In a moment of consciousness, I realised I was looking at a Turk who had appeared round a corner of the sap. We gazed at each other, and he went away. One of my own poor fellows was lying dead alongside of me. The Turk returned and again looked at me, and again disappeared. A second afterwards I saw a bomb hurtling through the air – it seemed to be coming straight for me, and with a great fear in my heart I managed to pull myself up, my knees to my chin, and my left arm cuddled round them.

“The bomb landed at my feet, and bursting, bespattered my left leg and arm and portions of my thighs. It seemed, however, to galvanize me into action, and another bomb coming over, I managed to roll over on to the other side of the dead lad and all its charge lodged in him. Somehow I then succeeded in getting to my feet and staggered back down the sap for a few yards over the shambles of dead bodies lying there, until I fell down. Another bomb came over, landing short, and I got up again and got farther back down the trench.”

Findlay finally managed to stagger back to the lines. By then he was in a dreadful state: either very lucky or unlucky depending on one’s viewpoint, having suffered some seven major wounds as well as a liberal sprinkling of minor scrapes from bomb fragments. His battalion had suffered over 400 casualties and 25 of the 26 officers had been hit. All in all the attack of 156th Brigade was a massacre with nothing achieved but a few insignificant gains on the left. Although more attempts to advance were ordered during the day they achieved nothing but further slaughter.

In the University of Glasgow story, universitystory.gla.ac.uk, there is a biography of their former student Tommy.

This extract, in words that may have come from an obituary in The Bonds of Sacrifice Vol II, courtesy of Robert N Smith, relates:

The Medical Officer attached to the 6th Battalion Cameronians described the awful losses sustained under heavy bombardment and the heroic manner of Tommy’s death. He had succeeded in rescuing his severely wounded Major, who was lying in the communications trench, exposed to the bombing. He wrote; “It will be some little comfort to you to know that he met his death while bravely assisting a comrade. He died a true British soldier.”

The Major he rescued also wrote to the family in glowing terms; “Tom was a good soldier and a great favourite with all of us. I do not suppose there was an officer in the Battalion who knew his job better than he did.”

Tommy Stout is commemorated on the panels of The Helles Memorial in Turkey, one of 21,000 men who are recorded there.

“Some were decorated and died heroically; others fought and fell quietly “, The Final Whistle by Stephen Cooper

* *Hugh Barrow is a former secretary of Glasgow Hawks. He ran for Victoria Park AAC and in 1961 set an under-16s record for a 4min 10.9sec mile.

NOV 05, 2014

Local author toasts more Irn-Bru success

Deedee Cuddihy has followed-up last year’s “phenomenal” success I Love Irn-Bru with a second book about Scotland’s iconic other national drink, writes Ginny Clark.

The local author has now published I Love Irn-Bru 2, the eighth in her Funny Scottish Books series, where again Deedee quotes and tells the stories of people’s relationship with the famous brand.

She said: “With only a slight degree of exaggeration, I can describe ‘I Love Irn-Bru’ as a ‘phenomenal’ success. A.G. Barr even bought some copies which was obviously very gratifying.

“But greed wasn’t my only motivation for deciding to bring out ‘I Love Irn-Bru 2’ – I was genuinely delighted by the response to the first book and by how passionate people who contributed to it were about Irn-Bru. I had so much fun doing the first book I decided to do it all over again.”

I Love Irn-Bru 2 features more than 100 first-hand, often hilarious testimonials from Irn-Bru addicts and photographs of a wide variety of Irn-Bru drinkers. Here are just two …

“My name’s Brian and I like Irn-Bru so much, they should call it “Brian-Bru.” (charity worker)

“I hadn’t seen one of my neighbours since I’d had my baby and when we met in the street, coming back from the shops, she dug into one of her carrier bags and handed me a present for the wean – six cans of Irn Bru. But she’s not getting it until she’s older.” (Vivienne, musician)

Deedee added: “One of the distinguishing features of both books, apart from the humour and the shoogly pictures, is that they include quotes and photos of people from many parts of the world and a wide variety of backgrounds, almost all of them united in their love of Irn-Bru.

“I say ‘almost’ because there were a few people who claimed not to like Irn-Bru at all. In fact, one person I spoke to said he had lived in Scotland for 35 years and had never tasted it which was obviously quite shocking.”

I Love Irn-Bru has been so successful Deedee, she now feels obliged to drink it – despite preferring cola! Her other titles include the best-selling How to Murder a Haggis and a ninth book I Love Tunnock’s Tea Cakes (and lots of other biscuits) is due out soon.

At £4.99, I Love Irn-Bru 2 is already available in, among other places, the Scottish Parliament shop. See funnyscottishbooks.co.uk for more info

SEP 7, 2014

100 years ago today – The Sterner Game

Glasgow Accies’ last match of the 1913-14 season took place on March 28 at historic Hamilton Crescent, Partick, beating old city rivals West of Scotland 27-8, writes Hugh Barrow. 100 years ago today on September 7 1914 this letter, pictured, was sent by the secretary of West to his players urging them to sign up for His Majesty’s Services – there was to be no 1914-15 season.

The war was about to strike a savage blow to Anniesland Balgray West and the whole of Scottish Rugby with casualty lists almost incomprehensible nowadays. The illustrated poem by Leo Munro, a sports journalist and artist, sums up the mood:

Manhood of Britain, our country is calling
Put by your toys, for no longer ‘tis play
Ours will be no shirking while comrades are falling
Rally we now, and let ours be “the day”.

Prove we the lessons our clean sports have taught us,
The pluck that endures and the scorning to yield,
No matter the strength of the foemen who fought us –
That was the spirit that won us the field.

That was the object of sport as a training,
Each for his side, none for personal fame.
Prove now its value, give all uncomplaining,
Give for your country, though sterner the game.

The Accies XV who beat West on that March afternoon to a man enlisted in the forces at the outbreak of war. Eight were killed, six wounded and only one returned unscathed.

Glasgow Academicals 1st XV 1913 /14: for their selfless sacrifice they were remembered then and now –

Eric T Young – Capt., Cameronians, awarded the 14/15 Star, killed at Gallipoli 1915. Arthur A Russell – Lieut., Highland Light Infantry, killed on the Somme 1916. Robert A Gaillie – Capt., Glasgow Yeomanry, awarded the Military Cross and Belgian War Cross, survived the war. George L MacEwan – Lieut., Highland Light Infantry, awarded the 14/15 Star, killed at Gallipoli 1915.  Archibald D Templeton – Lieut., Cameronians, killed at Gallipoli 1915. Frank W Sandeman – Highland Light Infantry, wounded in Mesopotamia 1918. George H Warren – Highland Light Infantry, survived the war.

Thomas Stout – Lieut., Cameronians, awarded the 14/15 Star, killed at Gallipoli 1915. George P Speirs – Major, Highland Light Infantry, awarded the French WC, killed 1918. John R Warren – 2nd Lieut., Royal Engineers, awarded the Military Cross, wounded and survived the war. Arthur D Laird (captain) – 2nd Lieut., Highland Light Infantry, killed on the Somme 1916. John S Smith – Highland Light Infantry, injured at Gallipoli 1915. Thomas M Burton – 2nd Lieut., Highland Light Infantry, awarded the Military Cross, wounded 1916. Charles W Andrew – Highland Light Infantry, awarded the Military Cross, wounded on the Somme, at Ypres, and at Arras. John M Sandeman – 2nd Lieut., Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, wounded in Palestine. William Barras – 2nd Lieut., Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, awarded the Military Medal, killed in France 1916.

When Armistice Day arrived in 1918 some 950 former pupils of our three associated schools High School of Glasgow, Glasgow and Kelvinside Academies had lost their lives. The term kindred club takes on a deeper resonance when your share a War Memorial which we do, with the peal of bells hung above Oran Mor raised by public subscription to remember the fallen especially the former pupils of Glasgow and Kelvinside Academies.

The West of Scotland FC history records 31 members did not answer roll call in 1918, including Scottish cap Bedell Sivright, a Naval Surgeon who died at Gallipoli in the same campaign that claimed four of the Accies team for that last match against his old club.

“When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today”

* Hugh Barrow is a former secretary of Glasgow Hawks. He ran for Victoria Park AAC and in 1961 set an under-16s record for a 4min 10.9sec mile.

AUG 29, 2014

The Reflections of Terry Welsh – a rich and colourful local history

A memoir that delves into the rich and colourful history of the west of Glasgow has been published on Kindle with a foreword by journalist and broadcaster Graham Spiers, writes Martin Greig.

Reflections: Lambhill, Possil and Elsewhere by the late historian and author Terry Welsh is a rich, funny and moving portrayal of Glasgow life, mainly in the 1940s and 50s. Welsh grew up in the mining community of Lambhill and he committed the oral history of the time to print.

His writings on the Cadder Pit disaster, that claimed 11 lives on August 3, 1913, provide a vital historical record, as do his recording of the immigrant and native families who formed the communities around the west of the city centre in particular.

Real-life characters and landmarks bring the book to life. There is the Blind Asylum, on Saracen Street, the crowded Italian cafes and the packed chip shops. The city’s booming dancing scene is vividly recalled, along with trips to the ‘pictures’ and Glasgow’s rich sporting heritage.

There is also a section on the High Possil meteorite, which fell on the morning of Thursday, April 5, 1804 in a quarry near High Possil. One of only three ever to have been found in Scotland, Welsh was involved in the laying of a commemorative stone located at the Possil Marsh walkway to mark its 200th anniversary in 2004.

The book was original published around 10 years ago and had fallen out of print but has now reached a new audience on Kindle.

Spiers, a multi-award winning journalist and broadcaster, knew the author personally and was moved to revisit the places mentioned in the book following Welsh’s death in 2006.

He writes: “This book teems with memories of a Glasgow community’s love, fun, hardship and, in the case of the infamous Cadder mining disaster, terrible tragedy.

“There are vulnerable women and proud, hard-drinking men in these pages; local villains; yelling, excited children leaping into the Forth and Clyde canal in drowsy high summer; some dubious women, some deadbeats; inspiring schoolteachers and much more.

“When I first read this book I instinctively jumped on my bike from central Glasgow and cycled out to Lambhill – as it is today – to try to discover the specific terrain as set out by Terry … I’m not sure why I did this. I guess a part of me wanted to go back into the pages of this vivid book, to go back in time almost.

“Terry was an acute and exquisite observer of time, place, people and habit. This story is, for me, a beautiful testimony to a time and place in Glasgow that deserves never to be forgotten.”

As a 16-year-old surface worker at Balmore coal mine and resident of the Lambhill mining village of Lochfauld Raws – known locally as ‘The Shangie’ – Welsh was no stranger to the harshness of life but was never slow to reflect on the communal spirit that permeated industrial Glasgow society.

Life was hard but moments of epiphany were to be found. He wrote: “Lambhill was a big adventure playground, with open country bordered by the canal and lush farmland . . . it was a wonderful sight to watch the majestic Gypsy Queen pleasure boat glittering white in the sunlight, sailing west from Mavis Valley mining village, moving beyond the mountain of pit bing – a reminder of the hard sweat and toil of generations of miners.”

Welsh, who passed away in 2006, aged 74, was a very well-known face in Glasgow’s West End. He attended circuit training and football in the Western Baths into his seventies. In his memory, the Baths now host a football tournament every year.

 * All proceeds from the ebook will go to MacMillan Cancer Support. Buy Reflections: Lambhill, Possil and Elsewhere by Terry Welsh here. 

* Martin Greig is a director of BackPage Press, a Glasgow company that publishes world-class sports books.

AUG 18, 2014

Take a walk on the wild side – in search of the West End’s architectural menagerie

The West End has a wealth of wildlife-themed statues and carvings, on grand public buildings, on coats of arms and on seemingly random private houses, writes Ronnie Scott.

Not all of them are obvious, so take our guided walk (fun for everyone – but particularly for children) around some of the most interesting examples, and bring binoculars or a zoom-lens camera. You can add a safari suit, pith helmet and butterfly net if you feel the need …

Heading into the West End from the city centre, we are welcomed on the left by St Jude’s Free Presbyterian Church, designed by John Burnet in a French Gothic style and opened in 1875 as Woodlands United Presbyterian church.

To the right of the main door on Woodlands Road, a tower rises, supported on either side by two grotesque figures, now sadly weather-beaten, which appear to be snarling dogs on a bed of leaves and acorns or similar nuts. Above them, there are four gargoyle water spouts, which may be crocodiles, or very stylised birds with heavy and vicious beaks. Unfortunately, history has not left us the name of the sculptor or any description of the animals. So you can make up your own story!

Along the road from the dogs and crocodile-birds stands the wonderful statue of El Fideldo, trusty steed of Lobey Dosser, the Sheriff of Calton Creek, and star of the 1950s cartoon strip by Bud Neill. The second passenger is Rank Bajin, the good sheriff’s arch-enemy. This has to be the world’s only two-legged equestrian statue.

Calum MacKenzie, artist and first director of the Glasgow Print Studio, suggested the statue to Tom Shields, diarist of The (Glasgow) Herald, whose readers supplied much of the funding for the statue. It was modelled by artists Tony Morrow and Nick Gillon, both final year students at Duncan of Jordanstone College in Dundee, and cast by Powderhall Bronze in Edinburgh. The artwork was unveiled in May 1992, and there is an annual celebration of the life and work of Bud Neill here during the West End Festival each June.

Across the road, there are two cats standing guard on the Annan Gallery building, at the corner of Woodlands Road and West End Park Street. They were fashioned by Hugh Pritchard around 1988, and are in the same blond sandstone as this modern tenement.

ONE OF THE TWO CATS ON THE ANNAN GALLERY BUILDING

As we continue our journey west, look out for the robin and the salmon on the Glasgow coat of arms, which appears on schools, other council premises, lamp-posts, electricity boxes, bus-stops and bins all along our route. Other buildings, such as those built as banks, have coats of arms that sometimes feature animals. Keep busy with those binoculars, now.

The St Andrew’s Building, which houses the education department of the University of Glasgow, has the university’s coat of arms above the name of the building at the corner of Eldon Street and Park Avenue. The arms, which uses some of the symbols on the Glasgow coat of arms, include a salmon and a robin. This is a printed sign, but you can see the crest carved into a number of university buildings when we get to the main campus at Gilmorehill.

Continuing west, we come to the handsome red sandstone cliff of Caledonian Mansions, the first building on the left after crossing the Kelvin Bridge on Great Western Road, designed by James Miller and completed in 1895.

On the west wall (at the start of Caledonian Crescent) is a Lion Rampant, the symbol of the Caledonian Railway Company, which built the mansions and the adjacent Kelvinbridge railway station. Below the lion are the entwined letters C and R, also for Caledonian Railway. Look up to the top of the building, and you will see a number of lion masks in the supporting brackets for the columns of the tower.

All that can be seen of the station are the remains of the ticket office on the other side of Caledonian Crescent and, below this, the track bed and platforms on the banks of the Kelvin. The tunnel goes under Great Western Road to the former Botanic Gardens Station, then under the gardens to the former Kirklee Station. In the other direction, the line followed the Kelvin south-east to the staircase at Eldon Street, then went under Kelvingrove Park to join the surviving main line at Exhibition Station.

If you go down the modern steps opposite the Caledonian lion, then look up to the Kelvin Bridge, you will see the shield of Hillhead Burgh (which lasted from 1869 to 1891 before being swallowed by Glasgow), a Lion Rampant above the motto “Je Maintiendrai” (I will maintain). Incidentally, Hillhead High School adopted that motto in 1885. However, when it registered its coat of arms in 1968, the motto was changed to “Nous maintiendrons” (we will maintain).

Staying with big cats, our safari now takes us to Ruthven Lane. Look closely at the back wall of the tenements in Ruthven Street and at number 13 you will see a carving of a puma. Now, this is a mystery big cat. No-one has provided a convincing explanation for its presence here.

There is a puma prominently featured on the Victoria Infirmary, and there are reports that the animal also appeared on the original Royal and Western infirmaries (both demolished). So the puma seems to have a connection with health and healing, in Glasgow at least.

One suggestion for the animal’s presence in Ruthven Lane is that George Barks, whose company built the Western Infirmary and Maryfield House (now the Bothy restaurant), may have also built the tenements. And that he had a spare puma left over from the Western. This may not be as stupid as it sounds.

The puma may have been carved by an apprentice, closely following a qualified stone-carver, and indeed been surplus to requirements. The shape of the stonework certainly suggests it was carved to fit somewhere else.

Now walk down Byres Road, and head left at the fork with Church Street. About half-way down Church Street, on the left, you will see the Tennent Memorial Building, designed by Norman Dick in 1935 and with a sculpture scheme by Archibald Dawson.

The building, a memorial to Dr Gavin Paterson Tennant, was originally an eye infirmary, and Dawson chose to symbolise this with a group of sculptures representing blindness, darkness and night (on the left side of the entrance) and sightedness, light and day on the right.

The carvings on the left include an owl and two mice as well as moons, stars and a sprig of nightshade. On the right, we have a rooster, as well as sunflowers. Incidentally, the blind woman and sighted man over the entrance were modelled on the sculptor and his wife.

Enter the Glasgow University campus through the Botany Gate (where University Avenue and University Place meet) and walk along Science Way. On the left is the modern extension to the Kelvin Building, designed by Sir Basil Spence in 1959. In the portico, to the right of the door, is an unusual carving, which (according to some sources) came from the house of Lord Kelvin’s father.

It shows a snake biting its tail (an ancient symbol of eternal life), an equilateral triangle (which represents a supreme being in many cultures) and a six-armed star (a sacred symbol in many belief systems). So we appear to have a complex religious symbol, the meaning of which is unclear.

THIS SYMBOL GRACES THE KELVIN EXTENSION BUILDING

The star in the triangle is reminiscent of the symbol for a laser device, not an unusual warning sign on a building devoted to the study of physics. Surrounded by a ouroboros (the circular snake symbol), this could be a reference to the eternal laws of nature that are being investigated here. Whatever its meaning, we can add a snake to our list of found animals.

Further along Science Way, on the right hand side, is the Organic Chemistry Building, which was built in 1939 to the designs of Hughes & Waugh. On the south side of this building is a frieze showing the origin of the species, with various life forms, including a group of deer.

The story goes the frieze was added at the insistence of the professor of zoology, whose view was blocked by the new building! Whatever the truth of that statement, the frieze has much more to do with zoology than chemistry.

Heading towards the main university building, we pass the Principal’s Lodging and take a left into the Square, formerly known as Professors’ Square. On the right is the Lion and Unicorn Staircase, with decorative figures carved by William Riddel around 1690.

This staircase formerly stood in the outer quadrangle of Glasgow University when it was based in the High Street. When the university moved to Gilmorehill in 1870, the staircase was one of the few pieces of the “Old College” to transfer to the new site.

Next to the staircase is Glasgow University Chapel, which was designed as a memorial to the staff, students and graduates who died during the First World War. It was designed by the architect Sir John James Burnet and opened in 1929. Burnet commissioned the sculptor Archibald Dawson, who had fought in France with the Glasgow Highlanders, to provide a sculpture scheme for the building. Dawson’s sculptures, most of them small in scale, combine the medieval and the strikingly modern.

On the wings on either side of the chapel are a number of corbels (decorated brackets) showing a variety of wildlife. The northern wing (to the left of the chapel) include a bird, two squirrels, St Michael fighting a serpent, St George fighting a dragon, a pair of dragons, a monkey’s head, a fish with a ring in its mouth, and a pair of demons. Can you find all the animals on this wing?

The southern wing includes two owls, a fish, a pair of dragons, a snake biting its tail and a serpent wound round a mace. Both wings feature many other symbols, including fruits and vegetables. You’ll get good use of your binoculars or zoom camera here.

On the chapel itself, the centrepiece is a pelican in a nest feeding her young with her own blood, a symbol of Christ and his sacrifice. Other animal carvings on the chapel frontage include a double-headed eagle, birds, a squirrel, a stag’s head, a dragon, a dog’s head, a spider (in foliage), an owl, a bull and serpent.

At the very top of the building, there are the traditional winged symbols of the four evangelists: an angel (Matthew), a lion (Mark), an ox (Luke) and an eagle (John).

The interior of the chapel, which is also richly decorated, is well worth a visit (open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, but sometimes closed for wedding and concert rehearsals – check at the Security Hub at the university main gate on University Avenue).

On the other hand, if you want to see some real animals, check out the Zoological Museum, part of the Hunterian Museum, in the Graham Kerr building in Glasgow University, to the west of the main building. There are plenty of signboards on campus to guide you. Open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

So, how many lions did you spot? And how many heraldic salmon and robins? Now you have started to see the animals hiding in plain sight among the architecture of the city, take a close look at the buildings the next time you are walking around the West End. Happy hunting!

A selection of the images are shown below – but for a detailed story map of the walk, with all pictures, see here

* Ronnie Scott’s city-centre tour for children, Glasgow’s Animal Magic, is on the weekend of September 20-21, as part of Glasgow Door’s Open Day.  See the listings here and a brochure is also available here now

JUL 18, 2014

Going Under … a short film on the up

A talented group of young local filmmakers are using crowdfunding to help get their latest project – a short film called Going Under – off the ground, writes Ginny Clark.

The group, aged 16-18, may all be at different stages of education but they are already graduates of the GMAC BFI Film Academy course and screened their interpretations of a classic scene from Gregory’s Girl at this year’s Glasgow Film Festival.

This next project is an ambitious one but these gifted filmmakers are confident audiences will love Going Under, a drama described as “a love letter to vinyl and the power of music”.

Synopsis – Set against the backdrop of our current economic climate and the digital age, Eddie’s vinyl store is going under. Eddie’s cynicism towards modern music and life in general has a negative effect on his son Tom and the musical career he wants to pursue. However, when Eddie stumbles upon his old record collection from the 1970s, he reminisces about a time when everything was possible. The film shows sometimes in life we can lose sight of the real reasons why we do the things we do – but we can always find our way back.

Writer-director Antonis Kassiotis, from North Kelvinside, says the group hope to start shooting Going Under at various locations around Glasgow in September – provided they raise the £600 necessary.

Kassiotis, who is studying HND television production and will be working as a camera assistant during the Commonwealth Games, said: “I’ve always had a deep, personal connection with music so naturally that theme finds it’s way into everything I write.

“With this film, I was interested in the idea of what music means to people and how we form connections with our past through music because a lot of my own memories correspond to particular songs and I found that intriguing.

“As a group of young, Scottish film-makers our collective aim is to tell real Scottish stories from a new perspective. We like to comment on certain issues but also address the fact that life is full of wonder and people need to learn to appreciate that. So we hope that the positive nature of the film can somehow alter people’s perceptions of life.”

Once produced, the plan is to give Going Under as wide an audience as possible. And Kassiotis added: “We’ll be looking out for opportunities to screen it. Online distribution is a great way for people to showcase their work these days so as far as we’re concerned, now is the best time to be a film-maker.”

The team – Antonis Kassiotis –Writer and Director, May Crawford – Producer, Kieran Howe – Director of Photography, Carina Haouchine – Production Designer, Katie Russell – Storyboard Artist, Fatemeh Nokhbeh – Promotion Manager.

Here is a link to their fundraising page on Indiegogo  – donations from £1 upwards – and to Going Under’s Facebook page

JUL 8, 2014

Happy Birthday Yorkhill – the children’s hospital built by Glasgow’s people

It’s 100 years since the Royal Hospital for Sick children opened on the Yorkhill site, after a move from the overcrowded wards of the first hospital at Garnethill.

The building was designed by renowned Glasgow architect John James Burnet – and the bill for its construction was effectively paid by the public after an appeal raised around £140,000.

Many of us have good reason to thank the skills, expertise and innovative approach of the doctors, nurses, specialists and all staff at this hospital down the years. And some of us will be very sad to see it move off site to the massive new Southern General next year …

Yorkhill – or whatever it will be called then! – will still need our support though. Find out more about this year’s Yorkhill Sponsored Walk around the city, a fund-raising event all the family can take part in.

Meanwhile, here’s a heartwarming video featuring some of the children, medics and staff at the hospital, singing the Proclaimers’ hit I’m On My Way …

JUN 28, 2014

June 28 1914 – one day that changed the world

June 28, 1914: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two shots ring out. A world unravels. Gavrilo Princip, 19 and not quite a man, walks across a busy street to a line of cars carrying the visiting Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian and Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. The cars have made a wrong turn and are trying to change direction.

Princip is a student and a radical, a young member of an organisation dedicated to the unification of Serbia. He walks up to one car, draws a pistol and shoots both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie.

It is 10.45am. Against the backdrop of a Germany-Russia power struggle and Balkan conflict, a terrible sequence of events is set in motion.

In Glasgow, on this same Sunday morning, the city is unaware of what is to come. This week the newspapers have been reporting on the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, celebrated with “pomp and pageantry”, says the Daily Record, in Stirling the previous day. There is an exhibition of flying at Scotstoun, reports the Evening Times, where “looping the loop, as it is called, is something for gods and men to wonder at”.

In the Evening Times, on June 27, the introduction of “spray baths in the public schools of Glasgow” was detailed. The spray baths – now known as showers – had been “highly successful” and “used voluntarily by 80 per cent of the scholars of both sexes”. It continued: “The spray baths were first fitted up in Dovehill School, six years ago, as an experiment – the result of a deputation to Germany, where spray baths are practically universal.”

On Monday, June 29, comes news of the assassination. On page five of the Evening Times, a “Royal Tragedy” is reported, alongside stories of “conspiracy and “anti-Serbian demonstrations”. However, “Glasgow’s sympathy” is also noted, with flags flying at half-mast on George Square.

The story has more prominence in the Daily Record, where two pages are devoted to the “Assassination of Austrian heir-apparent and his wife”.  It describes how the “assassin is almost lynched” and says how “The first shot hit the Archduke in the cheek, and the second hit his wife, who seems to have thrown herself before her husband in an attempt to guard him from harm, in the lower part of the body.”

Their lives, their marriage, the tragedy for their children, is reflected upon. There is no speculation about what may come.

What does come is that Austria-Hungary delivers an ultimatum to Serbia. There is a month of disintegration: of diplomacy, of lives. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declares war against Serbia. Germany declares war on Russia. Then France. Then Belgium. On August 4, Britain declares war on Germany. A corner turned. A world turned upside down.

Princip, sentenced to life in prison, dies in April 1918. By the time the First World War ends some months later, nine million lives will have been lost.

JUN 10, 2014

Summer: Ayrshire potatoes

Some of Scotland’s finest produce comes into season at the height of summer, writes Ginny Clark.  So make the most of these wonderful ingredients … before we head back to autumn’s soups and stews!

As soon as the calendar ticks into June, Ayrshire potatoes hit our stores. This name obviously refers to the area where they are grown – marked out by the distinctive local farming methods – but the traditional variety used is the Epicure (first early), a delicious floury spud renowned for a sweet-salty tang.

That special quality comes not only from the sea air along the Ayrshire coast, where the tatties grow in sandy soil warmed by the Gulf Stream, but also the seaweed that has long been used by farmers to fertilise the crop.

At £3.50 a kilo (from Roots and Fruits), Ayrshires are not the cheapest ‘new’ potatoes around but they are well worth that little extra. Jersey Royals and Charlottes are certainly tasty but Ayrshires take the new potato to another level. So special, some of us have been known to eat a plate of them on their own …

You could mash them – some even claim you can chip them – but Ayrshires are best scrubbed and boiled and then eaten in a melt of butter. For a great accompaniment to any barbecued fish or meat , or alongside a simple summer salad, a pile of Ayrshire potatoes, perhaps sprinkled with chives, parsley, mint or chopped spring onions, cannot be beaten. And they’re brilliant with dark greens and bacon.

Buy them as as you need them, so the Ayrshire potatoes are as fresh as possible. Try to choose a pile that are roughly the same size for regularity of cooking time. And don’t peel but scrub Ayrshires gently to remove dirt and the loosest skin (this can take 10-15 minutes, for a pot full), before placing in a pan with just enough boiling water.  Cover and simmer gently for around 15-20 minutes, until just tender. Then drain immediately – as although potatoes are rich in vitamin C, this dissolves into water if they are left to lie in it.

JUN 5, 2014

Mardi Gras Parade Day – Byres Road gets ready to party

More than 70,000 people are expected to join the party on Byres Road this Sunday (June 8) as ‘Scotland’s Mardi Gras’ parade winds a colourful path from the Botanic Gardens to Kelvingrove.

Last year there was sizzling sunshine for this West End Festival highlight … But as the success of last weekend’s Gibson Street Gala showed, it doesn’t matter what the weather throws at festival-goers and the parade will definitely go ahead rain, hail or shine.

The parade itself will start at 3pm but the fun will be going on all day from 12pm-7pm on and around Byres Road. It’s taken a lot of planning to make this happen – and local businesses now look set to benefit by around £1million on parade day, with local people and visitors keeping the shops, bars and restaurants busy.

Michael Dale, the West End Festival director said: “Closing a road in a local area is hard enough when it’s road works but for a main road in a local area to be closed off for a whole day requires meticulous planning. We’ve been speaking to local businesses and residents for the past month and we’re keen for them to make alternative plans for parking and deliveries so there is little or no disruption to their day.

“We’d like to thank everyone who has supported the parade on Byres Road, particularly this year the Byres Road Traders Association, who have committed to a three-year plan to assist with associated costs, including the road closure, licences, health and safety, policing, security and of course, the clean up.”

The parade

With over 500 participants from across Glasgow, featuring giant puppets and handmade costumes, this is the second weekend of the festival which kicked off last Sunday with music, fun and crafts at the Gibson Street Gala.  This year’s parade theme is ‘identity’ and community groups around Glasgow have been working on their costume designs which they make and wear in the procession.

The parade will start at 3pm from the Botanic Gardens and work its way down Byres Road, turn left to head along to Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery before dispersing on the Dumbarton Road steps. Parade day is free to attend with no tickets or registration is required.

All day

There will be street performers along Byres Road, a food and drinks area and arts and crafts stalls on the Ashton Road carpark. Restaurants and bars have organised their own extended licenses for dedicated outside areas (but drinking is not permitted out-with these areas so please drink responsibly).

Road closures and travel info

On Sunday, June 8, Byres Road (north) and Byres Road (south) will be closed from 8am-8pm.  Vinicombe Street will be closed all day and the Ashton Road car park will be closed from midnight on Saturday, June 7 to midnight on Sunday, June 8.

Buses are diverted from Queen Margaret Drive via Hyndland Road back to Dumbarton Road – access to the Western Infirmary is from Dumbarton Road.  Highburgh Road and University Avenue will remain open and can be used as alternative routes.

The festival recommends using the Subway to travel to the west end. The Subway will operate normal working hours on the day – so please be mindful when leaving after 5.30pm.

Residents and businesses have been notified already and signs will go up on Byres Road from today (Thursday) to minimise disruption.

More than just the parade

With more than 400 events in the festival programme there’s still plenty of time to attend events across the West End, with many of them free. The festival ends on Sunday,  June 29. See the programme here

MAY 29, 2014

Kelvingrove Bandstand – open once again

After 15 years and a £2.1million transformation the Kelvingrove Bandstand and Amphitheatre officially re-opens this morning.

Lord Provost of Glasgow, Councillor Sadie Docherty will cut the ribbon at 10am to kick-off an official and long-awaited launch that will also feature music from New Orleans Dixie jazz community band Brass, Aye plus local schools Hillhead High and the Sgoil Ghaidlig Ghlaschu – the first performers on this completely refurbished stage.

“This is a very exciting time,” said Councillor Docherty. “The Kelvingrove Bandstand is a much-loved Glasgow landmark and its restoration is a great example of how working in partnership can bring out the best in a project.”

The Kelvingrove Bandstand and Amphitheatre has been part of the city’s musical heritage since it was first built by the Glasgow Corporation Parks Department in 1924. And although it was more than showing it’s age in the 20-year run-up until its closure in 1999, these same years are remembered fondly as a heyday for the venue.

From Radio Clyde roadshows that put the spotlight on budding local talent to acts such as Simple Minds and Wet Wet Wet, it’s no surprise up to 7000 people would have crammed themselves through the gates on Kelvin Way for some performances.

Of course, this B-listed building, uniquely placed in Kelvingrove Park, is also an architectural gem. It’s the only original bandstand left in Glasgow and one of only three with associated amphitheatres in Scotland. By the time the building closed it was already in serious disrepair. And as a target for vandalism it soon became derelict – before its condition was eventually described as ‘critical’ on the Scottish Buildings at Risk Register.

Local people, Friends of Kelvingrove Park and musicians – including the bands Belle and Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand and Teenage Fanclub – soon began campaigning for the building’s restoration.  Eventually, a two-year project to transform the Kelvingrove Bandstand and Amphitheatre was finalised in 2012 to be carried out by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust (GBPT) and a *design team led by Page/Park Architects in partnership with Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life.

“GBPT is delighted to have been able to raise funding and be the delivery organisation for the restoration of this delightful historic building, giving the much loved outdoor venue a whole new lease of life for the next generation of audiences,” said Pat Chalmers,” chair of GBPT. “Our Trust has been absolutely committed to finding ways to contribute to looking after Glasgow’s unique built heritage for the last 32 years.”

Work started on site in August 2013, in a fast-tracked project to ensure completion for this summer’s Commonwealth Games. The existing fabric and features of the original structure have been conserved and repaired and sensitive interventions have made the building and site safe and accessible for performers and audiences. Two contemporary extensions to the rear of the Bandstand have allowed the inclusion of a platform lift and enhanced facilities.

Adaptations to the Amphitheatre include a new cross aisle, two new gangways and improvements to the upper terracing to provide permanent concrete seating. A new ramped area at the top of the Amphitheatre has significantly improved accessibility and the pay boxes on Kelvin Way, a later addition, have new ogee-style roofs to the original design.

This work was funded by the Architectural Heritage Fund, Glasgow City Heritage Trust, Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Historic Scotland, Huge Fraser Foundation, Landfill Communities Fund, Sylvia Waddilove Foundation and William Grant and Sons.

Colin McLean, head of the HLF in Scotland, said: “The success of the recent Big Weekend shows how much Glasgow loves an outdoor concert. Thanks to the lottery playing public, Kelvingrove Bandstand can once again play its part in the cultural and civic life of the city providing a fantastic outdoor space for events for the Commonwealth Games and beyond.”

The Glasgow Mela will host the Bandstand’s first public performances when international artists will perform on the 90-year old stage over June 7-8. 

More information on GBPT’s past and present projects can be found at http://www.gbpt.org and further information on HLF at www.hlf.org.uk

See our previous article on the work that has been carried out at the Kelvingrove Bandstand here

Main pic of the refurbished Kelvingrove Bandstand by Duncan McEwan and below, before the restoration project, courtesy of Page/Park – and see the video Teenage Fanclub made there before the restoration, for Dumb Dumb Dumb here

*Design Team – Page\Park (Architect), nbm (Cost Consultant), SKM (Structural Engineer), Harley Haddow (Services Engineer), CDM Scotland (CDM Co-ordinator), CCG (Contractor).

MAY 9, 2014

The Invisibles project – first sleeping bags handed over

The Invisibles project – started by Scotstoun man Dermot Hill to help people living on Glasgow’s streets – is now making a visible contribution to supporting some of the city’s most vulnerable citizens, writes Ginny Clark.

As a railway worker, Hill works nights fixing tracks across Scotland and down into England, and has has been moved into taking action after seeing the plight of homeless people forced to sleep or take refuge  “in places we see but other people don’t see”.

Hill launched an appeal for second-hand sleeping bags and warm clothing and has started talks with a number of the charities that work with the homeless throughout greater Glasgow providing food and shelter. As a father and a grandfather, he is passionate about finding practical solutions to easing the hardship suffered by homeless people on the streets. Hill said: “I really can’t believe this is still happening in 2014”.

After a collection based at the Church of the Nazarene in Parkhead, Hill this week made his first drop-off of The Invisibles’ donations – to the Wayside Club in Midland Street in the city centre.

He said: “That’s our first handover completed – 13 sleeping bags, 20-plus blankets and 25 bags of warm clothing.We are about to start on our second collection, probably aimed at the St Vincent de Paul charity.”

But it’s just the start for Hill – who stresses the Invisibles project is not allied to any specific group or organisation.

He added: “We had some health and safety issues to address but that’s the ball in motion now. You know what they say about acorns and oak trees …”* If you want to help Dermot Hill and The Invisibles project bring the problems of homelessness out of the shadows – with donations or your time – tweet @Dermo67

APR 11, 2014

Forth and Clyde Canal: explore the past, present … and future

You don’t need a smartphone to start exploring the majestic Forth and Clyde Canal – but a new app adds an exciting dimension to unlocking the 200-year-old waterway’s secrets, writes Ginny Clark.

If you want to know more about the history, heritage, wildlife and artworks along the Glasgow’s Forth and Clyde Canal, then the app offers a great way to access loads of information, bringing to life the stories of its industrial heyday and on to the current renaissance led through the Glasgow Canal Regeneration Project.

Using the new ‘Glasgow’s Canals Unlocked’ app, visitors walking or cycling along the waterway – or planning their visit from home – can now check out their location on a new colourful illustrated map of the towpaths, identify over 100 sights of historic and local interest and discover new developments underway. Tapping on  points of interest on the app accesses archive photos, audio clips and videos, fascinating anecdotes and strange but true facts. The app can be used to search for specific places of interest, from locks to cafes, sorting the list by how close they are or  how recently the information has been updated.

And it’s not just about history. Recent highlights covered include the refurbished Maryhill Burgh Halls, Lambhill Stables, the flourishing cultural quarter at Speirs Wharf and the new Pinkston paddlesports centre at Port Dundas.

Gordon Barr, Heritage Manager for Maryhill Burgh Hall Trust, adds: “Have you ever wondered what Glasgow was like in 1790? Now you can see your actual location overlaid on an exclusive archive map that shows how tiny Glasgow was at the time.

“With some locations, you can even See Through Time with a unique ‘augmented reality’ mode that overlays the archive images with the current camera view when you’re standing in the right spot! Glasgow’s Canals Unlocked is a terrific, accessible resource which you can tailor to your own needs and interests. We hope it gives everyone more reason to enjoy the fabulous heritage, wildlife and the attractive traffic-free green open space of the towpaths.”

Glasgow’s Canals Unlocked, also now available as a free full-colour A5 booklet, divides the towpaths into a series of short and easy walks or cycle rides. And it includes the story of the Monkland Canal, as it travelled through Glasgow, and Glasgow’s often forgotten third canal, the former Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal.

Creating the app and booklet is part of the Scottish Waterway Trust’s wider Unlocking the Story project, which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Glasgow City Council and Glasgow City Heritage Trust. Tracey Peedle, Development Director at the Scottish Waterways Trust, said: “It’s hugely exciting that we are working with the local communities of North Glasgow to use new technology to bring the heritage of the canals to life.

“For the first time, you can walk along the waterway and read about how it looked in days gone by, see old photographs and listen to stories and stand right where they took place. With Glasgow’s Canals Unlocked, you can get a real sense of how the canal is changing as it becomes one of the city’s most important heritage, health, leisure and greenspace amenities.”

Other elements of Unlocking the Story, led by a partnership of the Scottish Waterways Trust, Scottish Canals, Glasgow City Council, Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust, Lambhill Stables, Glasgow Sculpture Studios and the National Theatre of Scotland, include a free exhibition of Scottish Canals archive materials currently on display at Maryhill Burgh Halls.

Volunteers have also been trained to gather local memories and stories about Glasgow’s canals with some of these stories on the app and others set to be retold on new interpretation boards that will be installed on the Forth and Clyde Canal starting this month. Work is also underway with Glasgow Sculpture Studios to create an artwork trail to complete this unique and exciting project.

Forth and Clyde Canal facts

* Work on the Forth and Clyde Canal actually began in 1768 but financial problems meant the world’s first sea to sea ship canal didn’t open until 1790 – when the Glasgow branch was extended to the ‘new village’ of Port Dundas, making the link with the Monklands.

* One stretch of the Forth and Clyde shares its territory with another historical example of a major engineering feat – the Antonine Wall, which was the the north west frontier of the Roman Empire in 142AD. The wall is either parallel to, close to or actually crosses the canal on its route from Old Kilpatrick in the west to Bo’ness in the east.

*By the mid 19th century, more than 3million tonnes of goods and 200,000 passengers were travelling on the Forth and Clyde Canal each year. Flourishing bankside industries included timber and paper mills, glassworks, foundries, breweries and distilleries – including one at Port Dundas which was thought to be the largest in the world in its heyday.

* Sights of historic interest include a few of the small bascule brides which once peppered the canal, lifting to let masted boats through in full sail – and the spectacular Kelvin Aqueduct, which was one of the largest to be built since Roman times when it opened in 1790. Swan & Co’s boat yard at Maryhill Locks was known for constructing some of the landing craft used for the D Day landings in World War Two and the first steam powered ‘puffer’ boats which once plied the canals and which were brought to life so vividly in Neil Munro’s popular Para Handy tales.

*The uniquely placed boundary line between Dunbartonshire and Glasgow  runs down the middle of the towpath between Cloberhill Locks and Westerton.

* The app will be continue to be updated with more information, sound and video clips, photos and points of interest over time. And the Scottish Waterways Trust is keen to hear from anyone who has a favourite canal-side place they would like to see added or any old photos or a story to tell – use the Tell Us Your Story button on the app.

The Glasgow’s Canals Unlocked App and booklet are both available online through the Scottish Waterways Trust website here  The smartphone app, available for both iPhone, iPad and Android devices, can also be downloaded direct from Apple iTunes and Android App Stores by searching for ‘Glasgow Canals’. The printed booklet is also available for free at leaflet drop points across the city. Call 01324 677809 for more info.

MAR 28, 2014

J T Rochead … architect of the West End

He may have been born in Edinburgh but Glasgow can still claim architect John Thomas Rochead – born 200 years ago today – as one of our own.

This is the bicentenary year of the birth of one of Scotland’s most famous architects, J T Rochead. Born in Edinburgh on March 28, Rochead began his career in the capital and in Doncaster, before moving to Glasgow around 1839.

His name is synonymous with the Wallace monument at Stirling, after he won the competition to design it in 1861, and he was also the architect of many West End landmarks and Gothic style churches including Park Parish Church, in Lynedoch Place, where only the tower remains.

However, Rochead is the foremost architectural influence in the area around the Botanic Gardens entrance,  with the Venetian-style Grosvenor, Buckingham and Kew terraces and North Park House (formally BBC Scotland headquarters) all benefiting from his design.

The Grosvenor Terrace was started in 1855 and became a hotel at No.1 and 2 in time for the Empire Exhibition in 1938, before being expanded by Rio Stakis in the 1970s. The facade of the hotel was replaced following a massive blaze during the fireman’s strike of 1978 and is now the Hilton Grosvenor.

Buckingham Terrace consists of two separate buildings going east from the top of Byres Road adjacent with Great Western Road and meeting up with Ruskin Terrace. The A-listed east terrace was started in 1852 and consists of a Renaissance-detailed three storey terrace and basements with main door and flatted pavilions at No.1 and 16.

* See our story on the former BBC building – North Park House: History Turns Full Circle, by Ronnie Scott – here 

FEB 24, 2014

Arlington and Western A-listed by Historic Scotland

The Arlington Baths and the Western Baths buildings have both been upgraded from ‘B’ to ‘A’ listing by Historic Scotland.

A joint statement says the decision is a “ringing endorsement” of the clubs’ attempts to preserve their heritage while offering modern leisure facilities to their members.

The Arlington, in Arlington Street, and the Western, in Cranworth Street, are treasured examples of the city’s Victorian heritage with the new listing designating them as “buildings of national or international significance”. The members–owned clubs are  both not-for-profit.

Fraser Makeham, general manager of the Western said: “Our members are understandably delighted that a building so admired by them and by others should receive such an accolade. We are very much aware of the need to preserve and cherish such an iconic venue as the Western Baths Club. It is held in great affection by many of us and the new status is a ringing endorsement of our efforts to look after it now and in the future.”

And Bill Mann, the long serving secretary of the Western said he was delighted the buildings of two ‘friendly rivals’ had been recognised .

Andrew McGilp, general manager of the Arlington said: “The Arlington is an iconic building which is a vital part of the community and which is much-loved by its members. The club, along with Page-Park architects, has recently begun a major assessment of our magnificent buildings to establish how best they can be further restored and to focus our efforts to raise funds to ensure  improvements are in keeping with their original Victorian grandeur.”

Gordon McDougall, chairman of the club, said: “Those of us who are involved with the Arlington now and in the past have always seen our role as custodians of something very special which has an important place in Glasgow’s wonderful heritage. The Victorians built things to last with admirable attention to quality and detail and that is why we will be launching a major fundraising campaign to ensure the club is fit for the 21st century. 

The Western Baths Club was was designed by architects Clarke and Bell in 1876. Period trapeze and exercise rings are above the pool and last year a new cast iron “diving dale”  replaced the original that had been in place since 1878. First floor decorative balconies overlooking the  pool have also been replaced but recapture their original appearance.

The Arlington Baths Club was originally designed by John Burnett and opened the year after it was founded in August 1 1871. It is the oldest members-owned and run baths club in the world. It also features trapeze rings above the swimming pool. The building, refurbished in 2000, features a skylit pool.

* Around eight per cent of buildings of merit in Scotland are A-listed with around 50 per cent B-listed and the rest C-listed.

FEB 21, 2014

Developing the Sarpo .… how Scotland chipped in

Glasgow gardeners heading to the annual celebration of our favourite vegetable may be unaware of the incredible story behind one of the most popular products on offer, the blight-resistant Sarpo, writes Ginny Clark.

Community gardeners and allotment owners will descend on Sunday’s Potato Day (Feb 23) eager to swap seeds, take part in workshops and stock up on seed potatoes that will not only include certified Scottish varieties but also those from the Sárvári Trust in Wales – the tattie marvel, the Sarpo. There is, however, a strong Scottish flavour to this particular spud …

The story begins in Hungary, where the Sárvári family have been breeding potatoes to ensure a high resistance to late blight for more than 40 years. Their work began when Dr Istvaán Sárvári, a director of the Keszthely Research Institute (now within the University of Pannonia Georgikon), was tasked with developing a robust strain of potatoes for growing across what was then the USSR that could survive extremes of climate and  problems of disease. Dr Sárvári used South American and Mexican wild potato strains to breed resistance to common viruses into his own potato stocks. But developing resistance to late-blight disease was also eventually achieved and this ground-breaking work was continued privately by the academic and his family.

In 1994, visiting Scottish seed potato grower Adam Anderson saw for himself how successful this hardy potato was and he teamed up with a number of partners and the Sárvári family to set up trials in their home village, with a view to commercialisation. This work continues, despite the doctor’s death, with his sons and their mother sending resistant ‘clones’ back to the UK for further development at the Sárvári Research Trust.

It’s at the Trust, in Wales, where this project was taken on by Anderson’s friend and phytophthora infestans (late blight) expert Dr David Shaw. But why Wales?

Shaw, from Lesmahagow in Lanarkshire, says: “It’s largely due to my career. I was at the University of Glasgow for seven years, researching the pathogenic organism that is the causal agent for Phytophthora infestans. I then spent two years post doctoral in the USA before returning to the UK. I had an offer of a job in Glasgow but turned it down for a post at the University of Bangor and I’ve been here ever since.”

There are mild, wet summers in Wales too, so conditions are ideal for continuing the Sarpo’s development at the Sárvári Trust, which is a small not for profit company. “There has been quite a large response to our work,” continues Shaw. “We initially teamed up with Ipswich seed company Thompson and Morgan who sold a large quantity through their catalogue for many years, while trying to interest the mainsteam potato industry.”

Despite the Trust’s efforts, the Sarpo potatoes remain a popular choice for gardeners, smallholders and specialists – but have failed to fuel the interest of the big producers, something that frustrates Shaw. “They don’t see any value in it,” he says. “Many take the view that ‘I’ll just go out and douse the crop in fungicide each week’. It’s job done at a cost of around £72 million a year. What I could have achieved if I’d even had one per cent of that. But we have a lot of supporters now from the grassroots, who all say they love the Sarpo. We have six varieties and are planning to up that. We’ve already set up a new company and will be marketing the potatoes to make them available to anyone, including farmers with the possibility of increasing exports as we already sell many overseas.”

Shaw, his Scottish accent still resonating amid the North Wales and occasional US twang, has proved something of a hardy variety himself. The Sárvári Trust is not just a job to him, it’s a life’s work. “If I hadn’t actually been retired now, I wouldn’t be able to afford to do this, as I’ve not been paid in a long time. But I love this and I know what this potato can do, it has the potential to save the country.”

With the UK dripping in moisture, and the long-term effects of climate change as yet unknown, it seems remarkably short-sighted that major potato producers have yet to catch onto the environmentally-friendly and cost-effective promise of the Sarpo. In the last week, there has been more controversy about genetically-modified (GM) technology, with the debate sparked by news concerning trials on the Desiree potato. In a report by Julia Glotz in The Grocer here, several organisations warn of GM contamination risks, and GM Freeze director Liz O’Neill said: “Welsh researchers at the Sarvari Trust have already developed a whole suite of non-GM potato varieties that have excellent blight resistance, crop well and won’t be rejected by a UK market that has made it clear time and again they just don’t want to eat GM foods.”

If you have a small patch of garden or an allotment, you can try the Sarpo for yourself. Pop along to the Potato Day, organised by the Glasgow Local Food Network and the Glasgow Allotments Forum, at the Pearce Institute in Govan, close to the underground, on Sunday, February 23 from 11am-3pm.

FEB 11, 2014

Scottish Memories: immigration stories

Adarsh Khullar is well-known in Glasgow for setting-up the Scottish Asian Ekta (‘unity’) Group, the first of its kind in this country for widowed and single women – but there is much more to her story as the new book Scottish Memories: Immigration Stories reveals, writes Ginny Clark.Having arrived in 1960s London from Amritsar, the 23-year-old could speak no English and was desperately homesick. She said: “I was an independent person but I was becoming more and more dependent on my husband due to the language barrier. When he went to work I would go to bed and often cry. I missed my parents terribly and though my husband tried very hard to keep me happy I could not stop missing my family.”But Ardash went on to find a job, help her husband to build a business, and to care for her growing family as they made the move from Slough to eventually settle in Scotstoun. “My family know our story and are very proud of me,” she says. “And yes, when I look back, I’m proud of what I’ve achieved too.”This is just one of many previously untold stories documented in Scottish Memories: Immigration Stories, reflecting changes over the last 50 years as a wave of immigration in post-WWII transformed Scotland into a modern multicultural nation, enriched by many customs, traditions, languages and beliefs.The book’s foreword says: “Much has been written of the struggles, hopes and dreams which prompted Scots to leave their native land through the centuries in search of new lives. Far less has been documented on the 20th Century experiences of a generation of immigrants from India, China, Africa and the Caribbean who looked to Scotland from afar and chose it as their future.“During the 19th Century and early 20th Century, Scottish immigration was dominated by largely white ethnic groups including Irish, Italians, Jews, Russian and Poles, each of which brought their own cultural inheritance. A new pattern of immigration emerged during the 1950s and 1960s which laid the foundation for an even more diverse nation of people of different colour and creeds. They introduced different cultural traditions as well as gastronomies, establishing curry and Chinese food as firm favourites among Scots.“It spawned the creation of new communities in Scotland’s cities and towns and led the emergence of new landmarks as Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus scrimped and saved to progress from makeshift places of worship to establishing Scotland’s first mosques and temples. The lives of a generation of men and women from black and minority ethnic backgrounds who arrived in Scotland in that time as young immigrants were shaped by forces largely beyond their control: historic events that redrew the political world map, powerful economic forces, and legislation which had a radical impact on immigration trends.”The struggles and persecution suffered by some people arriving in Scotland is recounted in the book – along with the terrible loneliness and isolation many endured. However, Scottish Memories is also about stories of achievement and triumph.Another of the many fascinating tales is that of Rahmat Ali, who would go on to open the Shalimar restaurant in Gibson Street in 1973. He explains how he first came to Glasgow in 1955 to live with his uncle in Burnbank Gardens.He said: “There was a shop that sold Indian spices and the six or seven people who lived in my uncle’s house cooked food together and shared the cost. We didn’t take money for food or accommodation from new arrivals from Pakistan until they found work. It was a common practice in those days.”Rahmat first started selling goods out of a suitcase – “There was not much money in it and most people shut the door in our faces” – before two years of evening classes in English helped to secure him a job as a bus conductor at £9 for a 44-hour week. Eventually, Rahmat went into the restaurant business and in 2002, after almost 30 successful year, he sold-up. But news of his retirement led to a terrifying ordeal – he was kidnapped on a visit to the family home in Pakistan.He said: “My family and many close friends back in Glasgow were involved in helping to free me. They contacted the Glasgow MP Mohammad Sarwar (the first Muslim MP in the UK, now Governor of Punjab province in Pakistan). The Inspector General in Pakistan was alerted and I was rescued.”* Scottish Memories: Immigration Stories is published by the Trust, Hanover (Scotland) and Bield housing associations’ Equal Opportunities Programme (with support from the Lottery Heritage Fund) and is available from RSharma@trustha.org.uk* Pic Ardash Khullar with MSP James Dornan*westendreport.com editor Ginny Clark is one of the writers from the Scottish Memories: Immigration Stories project

JAN 24, 2014

January 24, 1914: a ‘bomb outrage in Glasgow’

As the world slid towards war, Scottish newspaper archives show headlines at the beginning of 1914 were focused on familiar themes – murder, tragedy, celebrity scandal … and even Scottish home rule.

On January 2, the British ambassador to France Sir Francis Bertie is reported saying “events seem to justify the belief that peace would not be disturbed over the next year”.

In the Judiciary Buildings in Glasgow five days later, a fatal accident inquiry opened into the Cadder mining disaster,  when 22 men had lost their lives in an underground fire in the No.15 pit at the colliery, near Bishopbriggs, the previous August 3.

It was a cold winter and many of Scotland’s rivers and lochs froze over. The Daily Record and Mail published pictures of skaters at Kelvinside …

On January 26, the same paper reported on dramatic events that had unfolded in Glasgow’s West End – a “bomb outrage” with “damage sustained by Kibble Palace”. The Botanics bombing was also covered by The Glasgow Herald and in newspapers throughout the world.

“Evidence”, the Daily Record and Mail story said, “clearly indicates this was the work of militant Suffragettes”.

In the early hours of Saturday, January 24, 1914, there had been such a loud explosion that residents “in Hillhead, Kelvinside and Maryhill thought something serious at Dawsholm Gasworks”. In fact “a dastardly attempt had been made to blow up the Kibble Palace in the Botanic Gardens by means of bombs”.

Hero of the day was night attendant David Watters who had found one bomb and cut off the burning fuse before being “stunned for a moment” by the loud explosion from another bomb that shattered 27 panes of glass but only inflicted slight damage to the plants.

The police were summoned and a watch on the Botanic’s perimeter revealed no escaping bombers. However, investigations led by Superintendent James Muir, of the Maryhill Division,  “left no doubt among the officials that Suffragettes had been on the ground”. 

The reasons for this deduction are intriguing. “Near to the spot where the explosion occurred were found together a lady’s black silk veil, a piece of white cotton cloth, and a portion of a Glasgow newspaper of the 12th inst, in which, it is believed, the bombs were carried”.

And that wasn’t all. James Rorke, manager of the Botanic Gardens, and who lived on-site, discovered the “visitors had partaken of refreshments during their vigil. Pieces of cake and an empty champagne bottle were recovered from the shrubbery”.

Most damning, however, is that footprints “clearly indicate the high heels of ladies shoes”.

The reporting does seem almost comical now but this was a serious event. The repercussions proved particularly serious for prominent Glasgow suffragette Helen Crawfurd, who had only recently been released from prison following a five-day hunger strike. She was blamed for being part of the “bomb outrage” and imprisoned again, where she once more went on hunger strike.

Crawfurd was to become an important and highly-significant character in Glasgow’s history. Released again from jail, she  turned away from the suffrage movement because of her strong anti-war beliefs, becoming a powerful voice against poverty in the city and for peace. A relentless campaigner, she was secretary of the Glasgow Women’s Housing Association and a key player in the Rent Strikes of 1915. A founder of the Women’s Peace Crusade in Glasgow, Crawfurd was also an associate of John MacLean.

For Watters, the man who had prevented a second explosion at the Botanics (with “commendable promptitude” commented The Glasgow Herald), the events of January 24 had been “an exciting experience”.

He added: “I can assure you I never thought of any danger to myself.”

* Image of the Daily Record and Mail, Monday, January 26, 1914

JAN 9, 2014

Henry Rottenburg … sprinting’s debt to a West Ender

The name of Henry Rottenburg, who died in 1955, is perhaps not  one that springs to mind when world-class sprinting is discussed but he is owed a huge debt by generations of the “fast men” Usain Bolt, Allan Wells et al, writes Glasgow Hawks’ Hugh Barrow.

Born on October 6, 1875, he was the son of Paul Rottenburg, a chemical merchant who lived at Holmhurst, Prince Albert Road, Dowanhill. He attended Kelvinside Academy and Loretto, then was admitted to King’s College, Cambridge in 1895. Rottenburg was awarded his blue for rugby and was a Scottish International player from 1899-1900, winning five caps.

He then joined the Westinghouse Co at Pittsburgh, USA before returning to Cambridge as a lecturer in engineering and remained there until his death in his 80th year.
For some 30 years he ran the London Instrument Co in Cambridge, which he started mainly to develop his own ingenious inventions. For 20 years he specialised in equipment  for athletics which were first used in London’s second Olympic Games at Wembley in 1948.

He is credited with inventing the modern starting blocks which now, of course, are electronically-linked to the timing system . When the best sprinters in the Commonwealth go their marks at Hampden in the  2014 Games, remember the legacy left by this West Ender …

* Hugh Barrow is the former secretary of Glasgow Hawks. He ran for Victoria Park AAC and in 1961 set an under-16s record for a 4min 10.9sec mile …

DEC 14, 2013

Tackling food poverty – Woodlands launch local support hubs

A network of local social support hubs are being set up by Woodlands Community Garden in a unique new project designed to help tackle food poverty.

The launch tomorrow (Thursday December 5), at the Albany centre in Ashley Street, will set out plans for the Local Food Hubs that project manager Tim Cowen says will offer a friendly space where people can share a meal and also access information and support. 

Food poverty is an increasing problem not only for people who are unemployed but also for those who are on low incomes, the elderly and other vulnerable groups with changes to welfare benefits adding to financial pressures. And it can be a tough decision for some about whether to pay household bills or buy food – never mind prepare the kinds of nutritional meals that are vital for health and wellbeing.

Cowen said: “It is simply unacceptable that this winter so many people will be faced with a stark choice between eating and heating. We are determined to do what we can to support and empower people at the frontline of the cuts. The food at our hubs will be fresh, local and seasonal and we will be emphasising bringing people together over a communal meal, rather than giving out dried-food parcels.”

The food hubs will be delivered in partnership with a range of organisations including Glasgow Council for Voluntary Services’ (GCVS) Albany Centre, West End ACTS (Action for Churches Together in Scotland) and Flourish House.

John Linn from Flourish House said: “People experiencing mental health problems often face isolation. Food and communal cooking can be a great way of bringing people together. At a time of welfare cuts and rising food prices, it’s a really important initiative that will increase our member’s ability to access fresh and healthy food.”

Cowen says the Community Garden will also work with local schools and community organisations to grow food that can be used in the meals and to provide training on how other groups can set up their own growing spaces. 

The first food hubs will take place on Wednesday, December 11 at the Albany Centre, 44 Ashley Street, G3 6DS from 5-8pm and on Tuesday, December  17 at Kelvinside and Hillhead Church, Observatory Road, G12 9AR from 4-7pm. For more information see woodlandscommunitygarden.org.uk

OCT 13, 2013

Death Watch … in six films where the West End is the star

Glasgow is Cinema City and the heart of Cinema City is arguably the West End, writes Ruth Allen. Whether ‘playing itself’ or standing in for another time or another place, the West End has often taken pride of place on the big screen.

Living Apart Together (1983)

…or ‘Living Together in Partick’ as some locals dubbed it, in recognition of the film’s firm grounding in the West End world of the early 1980s. BA Robertson was in vogue at the time as a satirical rock star and he acquits himself well in the acting stakes as the returning musician who tries to re-connect to his roots and win back his estranged wife, in a variety of trendy settings. Directed by local boy Charles Gormley and with cameo roles for familiar faces such as Jimmy Logan, Dave Anderson, John Gordon Sinclair and Peter Capaldi, the film has recently been restored to its  Channel Four glory by Park Circus. West End rating ****

The Girl in the Picture (1986)

…or ‘Let’s Not Confuse This with a Bill Forsyth Film.’ Writer-Director Cary Parker can’t have been surprised at the comparison when he made this whimsical love story with star John Gordon Sinclair. Set in the ‘Smile Please’ photographic studio – in Hyndland’s Turnberry Road – the film also features familiar local faces such as Gregor Fisher, Paul Young and Rikki Fulton, as well as an early light romantic role for David ‘Stookie’ McKay before his later tough turns on the other side of the tracks in Ken Loach films. West End rating****

Comfort and Joy (1984)

…or ‘We Could Try to Make a Glasgow Local Hero.’ Such an international hit as Hero was always going to be a hard act to follow and Bill Forsyth’s Ealing-style romantic-dramatic fable never quite hits the mark. Despite a strong lead performance from the ever-reliable Bill Paterson as DJ Alan ‘Dickie’ Bird, the central plot of an ice cream war between two families is a little too near the Glasgow knuckle to extract much comedy material  and Bird’s resolution of the conflict is too pat. The film is more at home in the DJ’s West End milieu as he tries to come to terms with the Christmas walk-out of partner Maddy.  West End rating***

My Name Is Joe (1998)

…or ‘I Belong to Glasgow’, the theme that director Ken Loach must have been singing from in these early days of his love affair with the city, which has provided him with such vivid raw material of late, courtesy of writer Paul Laverty. The film’s action switches between the Maryhill housing scheme world of Joe and his friends – addicts, alcoholics and footballers – and the West End parks and flats of health visitor Sarah who becomes his friend and lover. West End rating**

The House of Mirth (2000)

…or ‘Glasgow Plays New York’ as Glasgow’s West End was transformed into mid-town Manhattan of the Belle Epoque, with Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery standing in for Grand Central Station and the steps of New York Opera House; Kelvinbridge providing the station’s staircase; Great Western Road mansions becoming the homes of New York’s wealthy elite and a special role for Hillhead’s pride and joy, Kersland Street. Terence Davies’ adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1905 novel succeeds in showing Glasgow’s West End at its most versatile, with subsequent years seeing the city stand in as locales ranging from Philadelphia to San Francisco. West End rating****

Death Watch (1980)

…or ‘Glasgow’s Future Looks Bleak’ and probably it was Glasgow’s pre-regeneration image that made French Director Bertrand Tavernier choose it as the ideal location for his dark dystopian fable about voyeurism and death. With a mini-camera implanted behind his eyes, Harvey Keitel stalks the streets and parks of Glasgow– including Charing Cross and Kelvingrove – to secretly record the last days of celebrity Romy Schneider for a reality TV programme. Glasgow at its most Gothic!   West End rating**

Main Pic – Death Watch, and below, Living Apart Together, both images courtesy of Park Circus Films.

Death Watch is available to buy on DVD or Bluray and Living Apart Together on DVD at Amazon

OCT 24, 2013

Hallowe’en … the life and death story of Samhain, summer’s end

Children (of all ages!) are busy preparing for Hallowe’en, one of our most eagerly-anticipated festivals, writes Ginny Clark. Despite the increasingly common usage of the phrase ‘trick or treat’ – a slightly more demanding North American adaptation of our own ‘guising’ – October 31 remains a date synonymous with fun, food and dressing up. However, many of the legions of mini witches, vampires and werewolves planning to populate our neighbourhoods that night will be unaware of the thread connecting this event to ancient rituals here in Scotland and in Ireland.

Sunset on October 31 marked the end of the summer harvest and the start of the winter, looking forward to the Celtic new year. The festival of Samhain (summer’s end) was a time for feasting and storing of fruits and nuts – also heavy with druidic symbolism – that would help sustain us through the long dark months before spring, with celebrations continuing until nightfall on November 1.

It was also believed the boundary, the ‘veil’, between the physical living world and the world of the dead was narrowed at this time – an excellent association for the Christians who would later follow, who renamed November 1 as All Saints Day and the following day as All Souls Day. But 2000 years ago this was a time for families to honour their dead, spirits who would want to cross over and visit their old homes (Wiccans today always set an extra place at the table for Hallowe’en). There were also a lot of nasty spirits around, hence the disguises – the guising – that provided safety through anonymity.

Fire and its cleansing properties formed an important part of Samhain celebrations, with turnip lanterns hollowed out for carrying embers home, and many fire festivals are still enjoyed throughout Scotland today. Of course, there is a huge amount of debate around these old traditions, as the festivals changed and developed even before the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in the 9th century, when the introduction of all-hallow’s eve (hallow meaning saint) began the evolution into Hallowe’en. Another strand is the Celts’ conquerors the Romans probably added their Pomona’s Day festivities, honouring the goddess of fruit and trees, to Samhain … introducing the apple to our own celebrations.

But whatever the symbolism and however we may choose to interpret it, food will certainly play a significant role in our festivities this week .. and in a couple of months. So if you are dooking, guising or making a traditional turnip lantern, here’s a recipe for that extra turnip just in case there are any … unexpected … guests.

It’s also intriguing how our own traditions are generating interest in similar celebrations in other cultures. Day of the Dead – or Día de los Muertos – is a Mexican and Latin American festival that is also influenced by both pre-Hispanic and the later Christian traditions surrounding All Soul’s Day. Just as the pagan Celts believed the dead could return at Samhain, the Aztecs followed a similar belief, with families setting out their departed love one’s favourite food and drinks to welcome them back, temporarily, from the afterlife.

SEP 2, 2013

St John’s Renfield … a modern merger

St John’s Renfield Church of Scotland, in Beaconsfield Road, was planned by one church and dedicated by another, writes RONNIE SCOTT.

In 1927, a congregation of the United Free Church of Scotland held an architectural competition for a new church. But by the time the church was ready to be opened in 1931, the UF Church had merged with the Church of Scotland.

The congregation had its roots in three UF churches: St John’s UF Church in George Street (now the site of the City Chambers extension), Renfield UF Church in Renfield Street and Hyndland UF Church in York Drive (now called Novar Drive). St John’s and Renfield had amalgamated in 1923, moving in to the latter’s church halls at 124 Elmbank Street, before uniting with Hyndland in 1927. These moves were driven by the flow of population out of the city centre and into the suburbs.

The new congregation chose a prominent site in Kelvindale – then being developed as a suburb by Glasgow Corporation and the house-builders Mactaggart and Mickel – and advertised the competition for plans.

Glasgow architect James Taylor Thomson won the contest with a tall, narrow design in a Modern Gothic style. The church is built in a traditional cross shape but with very shallow arms and a slim open-work flèche above the crossing, rather than a tower or spire. The exterior is constructed with Auchenheath stone, from a quarry near Lanark, and the the interior with sandstone from Northumbria. The windows feature fine stained glass work by Douglas Strachan and Gordon Webster.

Taylor Thomson, who was married in the church in June 1931 and then lived in Highburgh Road, was trained in Edinburgh and worked in New York for eight years before setting up his own practice in Glasgow in 1924. He designed many of the buildings for the Empire Exhibition, held in Bellahouston Park in 1938, and a number of other churches and commercial buildings in Glasgow.

One of the unusual features of the building is the large uncarved protrusion on the south-east corner, where several courses of raw stone have been left for a sculpture that was never commissioned. This oversight may have been caused by the change of regime from the UF Church to the Church of Scotland in 1929.

The church has connections with two former Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Dr James Simpson, who served as minister from 1966 to 1976, was moderator in 1994. Dr Sheilagh Kesting, who was a probationer for the ministry at St John’s Renfield in the late 1970s, was the first woman minister to be elected moderator in 2006.

Woodside Library … a new chapter

Woodside Library has reopened after being repainted and refurbished throughout – including the dome, its crowning glory.

It’s a fantastic makeover for this grand building, which opened in 1005 and was designed by Inverness architect James Robert Rhind in the Edwardian Baroque style.

The money for Woodside Library – and for a series of public branch libraries throughout the city of Glasgow – came from the Victorian philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Rhind was successful in his bid to be the architect for six libraries in the city, including Maryhill. But the magnificent Woodside Library, featuring sculptural work by William Kellock Brown, is considered his most distinctive.

AUG 14, 2013

Southpark House … a faded star

Southpark House, a University of Glasgow building at 64-66 Southpark Avenue, was built around 1850 as a double villa in what was then called Ann Street, writes RONNIE SCOTT.

It was one of many large family houses set in their own grounds in the country district of Hillhead, which was owned by the Gibson family until 1862. The district became a suburb of the city after the university moved from the High Street to Gilmorehill in 1870 and was formally incorporated in Glasgow in 1891.

Both 64 and 66 were occupied by members of the Govan family, who were muslin manufacturers at the Renfield Works in Shawbridge Street, Pollokshaws, and an office at 15 Renfield Street in central Glasgow. Over the years, William Govan Senior and his sons William, Arthur and James lived in the double villa.

In 1898, No.64 was the manse of St Mary’s Episcopal Church in Great Western Road, occupied by R Howel Brown, the church’s rector. In the same year, No.66 was occupied by John M Campbell, of John M Campbell & Sons, ship and insurance brokers and export merchants, at 154 St Vincent Street.

By 1905 the occupant was Alexander Russell, a solicitor with Russell & Duncan, writers, of 105 St Vincent Street. Russell was also secretary and treasurer of the Glasgow Veterinary College, secretary and treasurer of the Scottish Furniture Manufacturers’ Association – and clerk to the Glasgow United Fleshers’ Society (a regulatory body for meat traders).

Charles Edward Whitelaw, a Glasgow architect, occupied both houses during the 1910s. Whitelaw – who served his apprenticeship with Honeyman & Keppie, where Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a partner until 1913 – specialised in designing marine villas in Helensburgh. He also designed the interior of the steamships ‘California’ and ‘Virginian’ for the Anchor Line. Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald were near neighbours at 6 Florentine Terrace (later called 78 Southpark Avenue).

In the early 20th century, Nos 64 and 66 were bought by the university and amalgamated to form one of a number of residences for female students. These were owned and operated by Queen Margaret Hall Limited. Other residences included Lilybank House, Robertson Hall (in Lilybank Terrace) and 18-20 Bute Gardens.

These properties, which housed 114 women students and six members of staff, were put to new use after the new Queen Margaret Hall opened in 1964 in Bellshaugh Road, Kirklee.

In 1937, the warden of Southpark House caused quite a flurry by becoming the first woman elected to the University Court. Elizabeth Wallace, who was the candidate of the Federation of University Women, was previously secretary to the Mistress of Queen Margaret College.

In 1966, Southpark House was transformed into the biggest educational television facilities in the UK, providing learning materials for students across the university as well as making training programmes for school teachers. One of the first projects of this kind was a 10-programme series on recent developments in the biological sciences, delivered to Glasgow’s science teachers through the ETV (Education Television) studios in Bath Street.

The house is a shadow of its former self, with much of the original interiors removed, the front door and ground floor windows of 66 crudely concreted, and the garden setting degraded. It now houses the university’s Media Services, the successor to the pioneering TV studio, and Learning and Teaching Services.

MAY 22, 2013

Four things you (maybe) didn’t know about the Kelvin Hall

Work is due to start this summer on a £60m transformation of the Kelvin Hall into a state-of-the-art sporting and cultural venue, that will also provide logistical support for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, writes Ginny Clark.

In addition to the planned community sports centre, a shared museums collections facility is proposed, to provide a new home for an estimated 1.5 m pieces from Glasgow’s civic collection, the Hunterian Museum and Scottish Screen Archive material held by the National Libraries of Scotland.

It’s another dramatic chapter in the history of this much-loved building. The Kelvin Hall was a barrage ballon factory during the Second World War and has hosted many big boxing matches and major concerts since. But here are a few more  interesting facts about the West End icon ..

*Elephants! In the days before the SSEC – which first opened in 1985 –  it was the Kelvin Hall that hosted the carnival and circus every year over the Christmas and New Year school holidays. The area that held the circus elephants had one side open to view via huge almost floor to ceiling windows, where excited youngsters would peer in at these incredible animals before wheeling away in search of the dodgems or ghost train.

The sight was thrilling but upsetting, too. Children would watch these majestic creatures swaying from foot to foot, the animals’ trunks brushing through the straw on the ground, their massive legs tethered by heavy chains attached to the floor.

*After a temporary hall burnt down in 1925, it was the Glasgow Office of Public Works Architecturale Department – that later became the Glasgow Corporation City Engineer’s Department (before today’s city council) – that built the Kelvin Hall  over 1926-27. Thomas Gilchrist Gilmour was responsible for the design with Thomas Somers, Master of Works and the City Engineer  from 1925 to 1941, responsible for overseeing the work. There were additions to the building in 1931 and 1938 and Somers was involved in the building of many other local landmarks including Partick Library, Woodside Halls, Queen Margaret Bridge, Kelbourne St Fire Station and Knightswood community centre.

*The Kelvin Hall was the main focus for Billy Graham’s crusade in 1955. The famous Christian evangelist preached to an estimated 180,000 people over most days throughout a six-week period. The Good Friday rally was broadcast live on BBC to a television and radio audience that – in those days – was only bettered the Coronation.

* The country’s first full public showing of colour television was carried out at the Kelvin Hall in 1964. The new colour demonstration unit – making its first appearance in Europe – was being introduced by the Radio Corporation of America, three years before the first full colour broadcast on UK television. The Glasgow Herald reported on July 13 of that year – “Glasgow to see colour television demonstration at Kelvin Hall”.

The article explained: “The first full-scale public demonstration of colour television in Scotland will be one of the attractions of Enterprise Scotland 64, the industries’ exhibition which opens on September 3 in the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow.” An organiser said: “Visitors will be able to see themselves, their friends, and famous personalities in full colour on large screens.”

APR 30, 2013

Andrew Watson – one of Scotland’s finest

 On March 12 1881, Andrew Watson led Scotland to a 6-1 victory over England at London’s Oval – one of their biggest ever home defeats.If that wasn’t remarkable enough, Scotland’s talented skipper – capped for the first time that day – is also believed to be the first black international player in the world.

The fascinating story of full-back Andrew Watson will be explored in a two-hour talk about his life and career at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum this month.

Andrew Watson was born in 1857, the son of a rich sugar merchant Peter Miller Watson and Anna Rose, a local British Guianese woman. He was sent to London, to King’s College School, and he then came to the University of Glasgow, aged 19, where his love of sport soon brought him to football. He played for Parkgrove and then for Queen’s Park – also becoming secretary of both clubs – before a move to England where he joined Swifts, Corinthians and then Bootle.

Watson was capped three times for Scotland, following his amazing debut with 5-1 wins over Wales and then England once again.

* There is a two-hour talk about the life and career of Watson at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum , on May 15 @ 1.30pm.

MAR 30, 2013

Muriel Spark: A girl of slender means

It’s 50 years since the publication of the exquisite seventh novel by Muriel Spark, The Girls of Slender Means.Aye Write! marks this anniversary with a celebration of the Edinburgh writer, one of Britain’s greatest authors, through readings and discussion of her work by Willy Maley, Zoe Strachan, Alan Taylor and Louise Welsh, among others.One of the highlights of the book festival, Muriel Spark – A Girl of Slender Means, is on April 13, @ 7.30 @ The Mitchell Theatre.

Maley – writer, playwright, critic and professor of renaissance studies at the University of Glasgow – is the author of Muriel Spark for Starters (Capercaillie Books, 2008), an excellent insight into the world of the luminous Spark.Here, he has specially adapted this work for westendreport.com in recognition of the birthday of a masterpiece by Muriel Spark …The Girls of Slender Means, 50 Years On – By Professor Willy Maley.Between 1957 and 1963 Muriel Spark published seven novels, securing her status as a dazzling satirist of devastating wit. The sixth,The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, was the shining and enduring achievement. Indeed, the Jean Brodie phenomenon meant that Spark’s other works – novels, short stories, poems, plays, critical essays, biographical studies – are not read as well or as widely as they should be. All of her twenty-two novels deserve our attention. Her seventh, The Girls of Slender Means (1963), is a case in point, a jewel-encrusted dagger of a novel that is read and taught far less than it should be. It deals with the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and the small community of women that Spark found herself among in London at the time. Like most of her work it draws directly on her own experiences. It is a deceptively slim volume of immense density and texture that weighs on the mind like a stone. At the back of the book is an unexploded bomb that ticks ominously in a post-war world where everything is rationed, including love, life and time. It has the most exciting last twenty pages you’ll read, using the simple ingredients of a fire, a small window, and a measuring tape. Spark gives us another of those small social circles at which she excels, characters whose poverty, vanity, and absurdity are key to their complex humanity – castaways, nuns, schoolmates, writing groups, dinner parties.One of the saddest, strongest and strangest lines in the novel comes when the narrator observes of one wide-hipped girl: “Jane had one smart thing in her wardrobe, a black coat and skirt made out of her father’s evening clothes”. There is a sense in this novel that in their baptism of fire these daughters are paying the price for a fight over fatherlands. They are also facing a few home truths on the home front, including the fact that most men are less than heroic. Of the would-be writer Nicholas Farringdon, Jane imagines fondly that “he would receive more pleasure and reassurance from a literary girl than simply a girl”. The narrator tells us, “This was a mistake she continued to make in her relations with men, inferring from her own preference for men of books and literature their preference for women of the same business. And it never really occurred to her that literary men, if they like women at all, do not want literary women but girls”.

 The two pieces of cloth that matter most at the end of the novel are the tape-measure with which the hour-glass Joanne for whom time is running out sizes up the other girls’ chances of escape as the flames climb the stairs, and the Schiaparelli dress that stylish, svelte Selina salvages from the inferno. Girls of slender means slip through the bathroom window, but not all have the hips to hope to make it through in the end. Spark has a habit of introducing in one novel as a minor note something taken up as a major theme in a future novel. In The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Spark had flagged up the death by fire of one of the Brodie set: “Back and forth along the corridors ran Mary Macgregor, through the thickening smoke. She ran one way; then, turning, the other way; and at either end the blast furnace of the fire met her”.

In The Girls of Slender Means the fire is both the novel’s crowning achievement and its burning heart. It has all the hallmarks of Spark’s searing style; a stiletto that sticks in the heart long after you put it down. Like the Brodie Set, the girls of slender means have ideas above their station, aspirations extinguished by forces beyond their control. In both novels – and in all her writing – Spark weaves a profoundly political view of the world out of everyday intimacies and intricacies. Don’t be fooled by the title or the number of pages – The Girls of Slender Means is a monumental work of art.

Adapted from Willy Maley, Muriel Spark for Starters (Edinburgh: Capercaillie Books, 2008).

Picture: Muriel Spark

* Muriel Spark – A girl of slender means, Aye Write!, April 13.

FEB 15, 2013

Different Breid: A slice of quality

Different Breid, writes GINNY CLARK, is not only the brand-name of a delicious range of sourdough breads but it also neatly describes the entrepreneurial character of the talented baker who produces them, Andrew Wilson. If you haven’t tasted a Different Breid loaf, then it’s a treat in waiting.

Here is a quality bread that was born (and even bred!) locally in the West End, although production has just shifted from Garscube to the smallholding in Stirlingshire where Wilson has relocated his home and his business. The move is partly influenced by lifestyle ambitions for Wilson and his partner but is also a business practicality, as he tours a number of central Scotland farmers’ markets throughout the week to sell his Different Breid, in addition to supplying a number of West End shops and restaurants.

Wilson, originally from Callander, arrived at the University of Glasgow 15 years ago but stayed on after completing his degree in molecular biology. “I didn’t really know what to do afterwards,” he explains. “I didn’t want to do research, so after uni I spent a bit of time travelling. When I got back here I realised it was difficult to find the kind of bread I had enjoyed on my travels and that really sparked the idea. 

“I’d always enjoyed baking and it just seemed the right thing to do. I suppose the molecular biology is useful, as it gives you a better understanding of what goes on underneath, it can help you find out whats going wrong if a recipe doesn’t work out. 

“Baking is a lot like lab work, there’s a set recipe and you need to be consistent. It’s not like cooking where you can just throw in a lot of complementary ingredients and know it’s going to be good.”

Wilson’s sourdough comes in a number of varieties in addition to the traditional Different Breid loaf, with other blends of flour used with fruit or nuts to create an exciting choice of breads. He also produces batches of buns and cakes for doing his market rounds – and it’s all hand baked by him.

“Yes,” says Wilson. “It’s just me, I do everything. It’s been a valuable experience, as I’ve had to learn every side of being a business, including setting up the accounts. I’m pretty busy, supplying shops such as HeartBuchanan and Mellis plus restaurants including Cail Bruich and Stravaigin in the West End, and going weekly to various markets. I particularly enjoy doing the markets as it’s a great chance to meet and talk to my customers.”

As a one-man operation, there is obviously a limit to what he can bake in one day or one week. So it’s only natural to assume such success and recognition for a quality product would lead to other plans? But expansion is not on the agenda for Wilson.

“Now we’re in the smallholding, there will be other things to take up our time,” he explains. “We’ll have some pigs and chickens, a few ducks and the polytunnels. I’ll also be keeping my baking business ticking over. But if I tried to expand Different Breid I’d have to spend more time on the business side and probably have others doing the actual baking. That’s not what I want, so I’m happy keeping Different Breid at this level.”

But as a talented baker, Wilson does offer the opportunity for others to learn from him. He does baking classes and can tailor these ‘bespoke’ sessions for individuals or small groups in their own homes. So if chewing on a sweet nutty loaf from Different Breid has you hooked, check out differentbreid.co.uk for more details.

***************** Andrew Wilson uses Scottish flours for his cakes and rye variations but he explains the climate here is not ideal for the long-growing season necessary for the high protein flours in his sourdough. These grains come from Canada and are milled at Shipton in Gloucestershire. Chatting to the Different Breid baker about this is a reminder about Premier Foods who recently announced plans to close their flour mill in Dunaskin Street, which mainly supplies Hovis’ production in the east end of the city. This is a worrying time for the employees there – and a sad footnote to the history of this once booming West End industry. From the 16th century onwards, there were many flour mills powered by the River Kelvin clustered around this corner of Partick. You’ll still find the occasional engineering relic, rusting around the riverbank. And one street name here, Bunhouse Road, offers a bit of a clue …

FEB 1, 2013

Kelvinside House: A towering success

Kelvinside House, writes RONNIE SCOTT, was a suitably grand mansion for the Laird of Kelvinside.

Situated at the corner of Cleveden Road and Beaconsfield Road, Kelvinside House was built in 1874 for John Brown Montgomerie Fleming, the owner of the Kelvinside Estate. The lands had been bought in 1839 by his father, John Park Fleming, and Matthew Montgomery, partners in a Glasgow law firm.

The partners employed Decimus Burton of London to lay out the 576-acre estate, with plans for large and impressive villas, terraces and crescents. Among the early purchasers were the Royal Botanical Institution of Glasgow, which purchased 21 acres in 1842, and the engineer James Buchanan Mirrlees, who named his parcel of land Redlands in 1870.

When John B M Fleming came to build his own grand pile on the estate, he chose one of the best plots and engaged a sympathetic architect to design a suitably impressive structure in an Italian style. Twenty years later, a three-storey tower and extensive additions were constructed in a Scots Baronial style to designs by the leading Glasgow architect James Thomson, who also designed Crown Circus, Victoria Terrace, Belhaven Terrace, Princes Terrace and Kirklee Gardens.

The property was known as Beaconsfield House until the original Kelvinside House, which stood on the north bank of the Kelvin, was demolished around 1890; the tenements at the west end of Botanic Crescent were built on the site. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Liberal MP for the Stirling Burghs and Prime Minister from 1905 to 1908, was born in this house in 1836. His father Sir James Campbell was Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1840 to 1843.

Westbourne School inhabited Kelvinside House between 1920 and 1991, with a short break during the Second World War. The school had been founded in 1877 as Westbourne Gardens School in, not surprisingly, Westbourne Gardens.

As Westbourne School for Girls, it occupied Kelvinside House from 1920 until 1939, when it was evacuated to Symington House, near Biggar. After the war, Kelvinside House was still in the control of the military, and the school operated from 1, 3 and 5 Winton Drive, on the other side of Cleveden Road, which it had purchased.

After Kelvinside House was released by the Ministry of Defence, the mansion housed the junior school, with the seniors in Winton Drive. Westbourne merged with Glasgow Academy in 1991, and all four buildings were sold for residential development.

Kelvinside House was then renovated and divided into modern houses, and the tennis courts and gardens made way for two new apartment blocks, suitable for modern living, but a far cry from the days when the Laird of Kelvinside ruled the roost.

The map, from 1894, shows Kelvinside House as Beaconsfield. The lodge house on the opposite side of Cleveden Road stood at the entrance to West Balgray House.

Kelvinside House, originally the family home of John Brown Montgomerie Fleming, is now rather splendid modern housing.

JAN 11, 2013

Redlands House: Engineered to impress

Redlands House – the former Redlands Hospital on Lancaster Crescent – was once the jewel of Kelvinside, writes RONNIE SCOTT.

James Buchanan Mirrlees (1822-1903), an engineer who made his name and his fortune manufacturing cane sugar machinery, and another fortune from making diesel engines, bought a 24-acre spread north of Great Western Road in 1869.

The property, which was the largest feu on the Kelvinside estate, soon boasted the largest villa on the estate, designed by architect James Boucher in an Italian style. The property – originally surrounded by open fields – also featured a walled garden, conservatory, stable block and extensive cast-iron greenhouses.

Mirrlees was among the first people to see the possibilities of Rudolf Diesel’s new engine and in 1897 his company bought an exclusive licence to manufacture them in the UK. Later, Mirrlees himself designed the first diesel engines used by the Admiralty and two of his creations were fitted to HMS Dreadnought in 1906.

The company went on to produce diesel engines for a wide variety of industrial uses, including power stations and flour mills and also supplied the Admiralty with power units for battleships, minesweepers and other craft. During the First World War, Mirrlees’s firm supplied the diesel engines for the army’s first tanks.

The company, which went through a series of name changes, was probably best known as Mirrlees, Watson & Company. It became part of the Brush group in 1945 and is currently part of the engines division of Alstom.

Helen Elise Mirrlees (1831-1928), the second wife of JB, was an active philanthropist. She was president of the Young Women’s Christian Association, of the Glasgow Union of Women Workers and of the Girls’ Guildry.

Redlands House was converted to Glasgow Women’s Private Hospital in 1902. The hospital, which was staffed entirely by women until 1955, opened in Redlands House in 1903. From 1923, it was known as Redlands Hospital for Women. Between 1927 and 1948, the hospital took over neighbouring houses, and eventually ran from 7 to 15 Lancaster Crescent.

With the coming of the National Health Service in 1948, Redlands became part of the Western Regional Health Board, as a gynaecology and obstetrics unit initially for private patients.

Redlands House continued to be part of the women’s hospital until 1978. After a spell as an ambulance staff training centre, it returned to domestic use but was converted into a number of homes rather than one grand house.

The nearby Mirrlees Drive, which was built on part of the Redlands estate, reminds us of the original owner of this impressive house.

Picture of Redlands by Ronnie Scott.

Adverts, below, c1918.

* Further reading: Margaret W. Menzies Campbell, “Redlands Hospital for Women, Glasgow Women’s Private Hospital for Women, 1902-48” (1981); Derek Dow, “Redlands House: Hospital, hostel and home” (1985).

JAN 8, 2013

Stargazing Live: Searching the skies

Fingers crossed for clear skies on the night of January 9 – and luckily the forecast is looking positive – as the Botanic Gardens and Oran Mor’s auditorium host BBC Scotland’s Stargazing Live from 4.30-9pm.Stargazing enthusiasts of all ages are welcome at the free family-friendly event, where you can meet the experts, see the mobile planetarium and take part in a variety of special sessions including rocket-building and satellite demos – although some of these will need to be booked on arrival. And for anyone planning to spend time scanning the skies, the sensible advice is to wear study footwear and wrap up warm.Whether you are hoping to catch a glimpse of Mars, discover a new planet or track down an alien life-form, astronomy is hugely enjoyable and, for some people, stargazing will be a hobby or passion that can even be transformed into a career …There will be other local opportunities to get involved in the coming weeks with Stars Over the Botanics, a stargazing session led by the Astronomical Society of Glasgow and the University of Glasgow. These special nights – with several telescopes available for use – are also at the Botanic Gardens on January 22, February 21 and March 21 but places will be limited (£4 & £2, 7.30pm).If you are really keen, why not visit  bbc.co.uk/stargazing or get in touch with the Astronomical Society of Glasgow, whose members are able to make use of the 16″ Meade LX200 telescope at the observatory in Acre Road.Picture by Russell F Stewart.

JAN 7, 2013

Haggis: the sonsie diet option

The December feasting is over, so now to January – and haggis, says Ginny Clark.

One of the most entertaining stories concerning haggis I’ve heard did not involve small wild creatures or even a wisp of Scotch mist. Good friend and westendreport.com contributor Ruth Allen recalls her days as a junior reporter on The Kilmarnock Standard in 1969, when infamous celebrity TV cook and writer Fanny Cradock and her husband Johnnie arrived in the town as part of a UK tour giving cookery demonstrations on behalf of the Gas Board.

She said: “I was to interview Fanny before the show but as I waited to meet the great lady, I heard her screaming at her charming personal assistant that she wasn’t going to speak to any ‘f****** junior reporter from a two-bit weekly newspaper’.  So – no interview, then.  But I still managed to make the front page because Fanny told the audience she’d recently suffered a nervous breakdown but had cured herself by going on a diet which consisted entirely of haggis.”

Ruth also passed on this magnificent tale to Hillhead writer Deedee Cuddihy who included it in her own anthology, How to Murder a Haggis (2007).

The story merely serves to demonstrate the great versatility of this product. You can make haggis canapés, stuff it into chicken, bake it in a pie, sprinkle it on a pizza or slice and fry it for breakfast. And of course, it’s 20 years since Charan Gill introduced the delights of haggis pakora to the West End at Murphy’s Pakora Bar (which became The Goat and now Che Que Bo*).

However, it is to the plain but pleasing dish of haggis and neeps we turn this month, as we also celebrate the 1759 birthday of our national bard Rabbie Burns on January 25.

Once you tuck in, with or without the accompanying dram, it’s like becoming reacquainted with an old friend – why don’t we eat haggis all year round? Well, some of us do … That combination of lamb, beef, cereals, onions, spices and seasoning can be habit-forming. The vegetarian versions, of course, are as adept at multi-tasking as the meaty originals.

And some of us will find favour with particular brands or butcher varieties, with the details of those cereal and spice combinations as fiercely guarded as the ingredients that go into the brew for our other national drink …

Glasgow haggis producer McLay’s Master Butcher, based close to the West End, on Glentanar Road, have been turning out the puddings since 1860. So their advice on preparing haggis is useful to keep handy, along with your copy of The Poems of Robert Burns.

McLay’s reminds us haggis is a cooked product, so needs careful – but thorough – reheating.

First, bring a pan of water to the boil.

Place the haggis in the boiling water – then make sure you now turn the heat down.

It’s important the water is not allowed to boil for a second time as this can result in the casings bursting. The length of time the haggis should simmer is dependant on the size of haggis being cooked – so check your haggis first.

And for the best results, serve on a piping hot plate – with neeps and tatties. Ms Cradock would surely have approved …

* Update – Now Happy Lets

Picture by zoonabar @ flickr.com

News cutting below from the Kilmarnock Standard, January 31, 1969

NOV 28, 2012

Glasgow’s Lady Egyptologist: May Buchan

GINNY CLARK on the remarkable story of  Glasgow’s Lady Egyptologist.

A Sunday morning, almost exactly 100 years ago …

The two women had no reason to be fearful, having stepped from the tramcar on Woodlands Road, at the edge of West End Park Street. They were heading for church, wrapped warm against the winter weather, and arm-in-arm as they crossed the main road, just a few steps away from the opposite pavement. Suddenly, a car horn sounds …

According to the following day’s Glasgow Herald, of December 7 1912, a motor car owned by Councillor WG Hannay but driven by his chauffeur, the sole occupant, was bearing down on them. He was taking the motor car on a trial run, heading east up over Great George Street, down Gibson Street and onto Woodlands Road. It was heading towards the women.

“The chauffeur sounded the horn, at the same time shutting off power. Evidently startled, the ladies separated …”

One of the women ran forward to the safety of the pavement, the other, in a terrible moment of confusion, turned round into the path of the motor car, which was unable to stop in time. The woman was taken – in the same vehicle that had struck her – immediately back to her home at 13 Buckingham Terrace, in Hillhead. She died there, that evening. It was a dreadful accident, one of the first such road deaths in Glasgow. The woman killed was May Buchanan, “highly-esteemed” and someone who inspired others “by her wholehearted devotion”. However May Buchanan (officially Miss Janet May Buchanan) was not only a much-loved daughter, sister and friend – she was also one of the foremost Egyptologists of the day. The shock of her loss was felt far beyond the immediate community of the West End of Glasgow.

Her great contribution, in what was a male-dominated field, will be celebrated in a special talk at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on Saturday, December 1 at 11am. The talk will cover Buchanan’s adventures, excavations and travels, and the large number of artefacts that form the core of the J. May Buchanan collection at the museum, a collection later added to by her sister and friends.

It’s an intriguing story about a fascinating woman, and Glasgow’s Lady Egyptologist forms part of the events surrounding the British Museum touring exhibition at Kelvingrove, Pharaoh: King of Egypt.

Picture – Granite statue of the pharaoh Ramses II, Egypt, c 1200 BC © The Trustees of the British Museum.

NOV 16, 2012

Disused mine works: a West End legacy

GINNY CLARK talks to Stuart McLean, secretary of Jordanhill Community Council, about the area’s disused mine works.

In October 2011, people living in one part of Jordanhill – bounded by Woodend Drive, Munro Road and Chamberlain Road – were informed by Glasgow City Council that drilling works were about to begin in their area …

It was the start of a process that culminated in 113 households discovering their property was in danger of subsidence, due to the disused mine works in the ground beneath their homes. At a public meeting at the end of October, following letters from the council, residents were coming to terms with the news that remedial infill work – a 50% grant-funded £1million-plus project – will cost each household up to £5000.

It’s a development that has left many local people stunned – and not just because of the bill they are facing. Yet many parts of the West End are built over historic mining areas, a situation the council is currently monitoring – see our news headlines for the update on this.

Stuart McLean – a retired civil engineer with a passion for local and family history – has done a  lot of research into the disused Jordanhill mine works., some of which dates back more than 300 years. On his fascinating website, featuring information and images on the social, leisure, architectural and industrial history of Jordanhill, McLean has also written about the area’s long history of mining.

So how did his interest in ‘Old Jordanhill’ begin?

McLean said: “I’ve lived in the area since 1958 and have had an interest in its history since I came here. In 1980 I was asked to organise an exhibition for Jordanhill Church to celebrate its 75th Anniversary and I produced a big display of panels involving old maps, photographs, cuttings and items about the area. The exhibition was very popular and in 1990 I was asked to organise a repeat exhibition of all the local information  for Jordanhill School.”

McLean has now carried out extensive research on the topic of mines, bringing together history and current reports plus technical details to build a great resource of information on this aspect of ‘unseen’ Jordanhill.

His website reveals: “The mines of North Jordanhill yielded not just coal, they also produced iron ore (ironstone) which was sent by canal to ironworks in the Airdrie and Coatbridge area for smelting into iron and the bings here provided fireclay for the manufacture of bricks in the local brickworks.

“The other thing one thinks about in relation to mining is mine shafts or pits. There were at least seven pit shafts or air shafts in North Jordanhill, which is the area bounded by Anniesland Road, the railway line and Crow Road. There were at least another six pits just outside this area.”

He also writes: “It was not until 1872 that the law required mine owners to record their workings in what were known as “abandonment plans” but the records were often poor and inaccurate. In 1912 the law made it a requirement that all mineral workings must be recorded by qualified surveyors.”

Now 100 years on, the legacy of the area’s industrial history means a disruptive – but vital – programme of work is soon to begin.

McLean added: “As a civil engineer I’ve always been interested in any aspect of  engineering, mining or industry.  I’ve substantially updated and extended the “mining” part of my website to include aspects of the current events and the background to them.

“And although I don’t have records of the mine owners, the miners lived in Red Row and Blue Row which were tiny dwellings, long since demolished, situated north of the area currently occupied by Knightswood School. Some of the papers I now have on the website reveal interesting aspects of life there.”

The infill work is due to begin in January and McLean knows the next few months will be challenging for some of those families affected – although this important work will protect the their properties against the threat of subsidence.

So will he be chronicling the progress of this project for his local history website?

“Undoubtedly.”Picture –  drilling investigation work at Skaterigg Lane, by Stuart McLean.

NOV 13, 2012

A Gothic gem: Kelvinside-Hillhead Church

RONNIE SCOTT on Kelvinside-Hillhead Parish Church, Observatory Road.

Hillhead Parish Church began in 1871 in a temporary iron structure in a field in front of what is now Athole Gardens, just off Byres Road. The expanding population of the west end called for a larger, permanent church, and soon subscriptions and other funds allowed the congregation to buy the present site at Grosvenor Crescent.

Like much of Hillhead, the ground below the chosen site was riddled with mine workings, and the architect James Sellars had to sink substantial supporting piers through the coal measures onto the rock beneath the former Horselethill Farm.

Above ground, the architect chose as his model the medieval church of La Sainte-Chapelle, still standing in central Paris, adapted, as the church’s first minister wrote, “to suit the site, the cost, and the character of Presbyterian worship”.

The wealthy West End congregation demanded their church reflect the style and taste with which their mansions and townhouses were designed and the stylish exterior was matched inside with coloured stencilling.

The black, red and gold designs complemented the fine stained glass, which was designed by Daniel Cottier of Glasgow and William Morris & Co of London. The Morris windows include figures by Edward Burne-Jones, one of the central figures in the Pre-Raphaelite movement. The tall, light-filled interior also features a grand three-manual organ by Henry Willis & Son, installed in 1876 and enlarged in 1930.

In 1950 the church joined with the congregation of Belmont Church, which had opened in 1894 at 121 Great George Street. This attractive Gothic building, designed by Glasgow architect James Miller, later became part of Laurel Bank School and the current owner has plans to convert the church to 15 apartments.

In 1978, the combined Belmont and Hillhead Parish Church united with the Kelvinside (Botanic Gardens) Church, at the top of Byres Road, which had opened as Kelvinside Free Church in 1862. This prominent church, designed by John J Stevenson, was born again in 2004 as Oran Mor.

Sellar’s soaring Gothic creation is now known as Kelvinside-Hillhead Church.

Main picture – Kelvinside-Hillhead from the east. The second picture, below, shows the west front and rose window – both images by Ronnie Scott. The third picture is La Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.

OCTOBER 29, 2012

Smashing turnip: Reclaiming Scotland’s Hallowe’en

GINNY CLARK on the noble turnip … exploring the roots of a Scottish Hallowe’en. Pic by Russell F Stewart.

Pumpkins are great – and they are much, much easier to hollow out than our traditional homegrown turnip. Yet I think the effort is worth making for our Hallowe’en lantern. After all, it’s only because the USA adopted the festival imported by Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 19th century, the pumpkin – previously carved as part of American harvest celebrations – was adopted for use in Trick or Treat-ing.

Now the pumpkin has become the poster boy for Hallowe’en, his carefully-chiselled grin peering out everywhere from paper cups to style magazines, his narrowed eyes mocking the demise of our own ‘tumshie’ lanterns. The pumpkin is here to stay. However, I think it’s time we reinstated the turnip, affording it the same Hallowe’en status, at least, as the squash upstart.

As a child, the annual task of creating the perfect turnip features was a crucial element of Hallowe’en festivities. It can be tricky – but my father taught me well.  Use a knife only to carefully cut off the top, then criss-cross cuts, not too deeply, across the surface. The real work is done by a sturdy dessert spoon, a dig and twist motion making short work of the insides, followed by scraping once you get to a reasonable depth. Once that’s done – very carefully – use a small sharp knife to cut out eyes and a toothy smile. Use the spoon once again to scrape out a small tea-light sized hollow for the candle. Finally, cut a pizza-slice shaped section from the back of the top before replacing it as a lid. Of course, be mindful of safety and stay vigilant once the lantern is lit.

The turnip pieces and scrapings won’t go to waste – see the Turnip Purry recipe from F Marian McNeill’s ‘The Scots Kitchen’ below. First, a little clarity concerning the name of this amazing root vegetable … It’s a turnip. It’s not a swede (unless you are reading this in the south of England). Some people do insist on debating this, as if there is a great mystery – or that some of us in Scotland have become muddled by history or understanding.

This isn’t about varieties or mistaken identification, it’s more about culture and language. In Scotland – and in many parts of northern England – we call the purple-brown skinned and golden-fleshed vegetable (brassica napobrassica) a turnip, sometimes here also known as neeps or a tumshie. In the south of England, it’s called a swede. It’s really the same thing. And until about 10-15 years ago you could walk into a branch of a UK-wide supermarket either side of the border and find the product properly labelled according to the shop’s geographic location.

Which is fine – because one name is not more correct than the other in a general sense, it’s all down to where you are. Think loch or lake … However a strange, UK standardisation crept in, with labels gradually morphing our turnips into swedes. The old Somerfield (previously Presto and Safeway and now Waitrose) in Byres Road was one of the last to resist. The much smaller, paler veg called a turnip down south is known here as a new turnip … but let’s not get started on why. I’d love to see the ‘swede’ tag correctly re-labelled in our shops and markets. It’s just a name – but the wrong one.

And so to the recipe. McNeill includes a recipe for Turnip Purry in her famous book, first published by Blackie in 1929. The recipe was in turn taken from ‘The Cook and Housewife’s Manual’ by Mistress Margaret ‘Meg’ Dods. Dods is a character in Sir Walter Scott’s novel St Ronan’s Well – featuring the fictional dining Cleikum Club – and many thought this witty tome had also been written by Scott, although it was created by Christina Johnston, a talented writer and the wife of an Edinburgh publisher, in 1826.  This will make you giggle …

Turnip Purry (stewed turnip – Meg Dod’s recipe). Turnips, fresh butter, white pepper, salt, ginger. Pare off all that would be hard, woody and stringy when boiled. Boil them in plenty of water for from three-quarters of an hour to nearly two hours, according to the age and size. Drain them and mash them with a wooden spoon through a colander. Return them into a stew-pan to warm, with a piece of fresh butter, white pepper and salt. When mixed well with the butter place them neatly in the dish and mark in diamonds or sippets.

“The Cleikum Club put a little powdered ginger to their mashed turnips, which were studiously chosen of the yellow, sweet, juicy sort, for which Scotland is celebrated – that kind which, in the days of semi-barbarism, were served raw, as a delicate whet before dinner, as turnips are in Russia at the present day. Mashed turnips to be eaten with boiled fowl or veal, or the more insipid meats, are considerably improved by the Cleikum seasoning of ginger, which, besides, corrects the flatulent properties of this esculent.” – MD.

Even Meg Dods takes the time to describe the “yellow, sweet, juicy sort” of turnip in Scotland. What a turn-up …

* There’s a new edition of F Marian McNeill’s ‘The Scots Kitchen’ out now, published by Birlinn (2010).

OCTOBER 29, 2012

Paris Noir: The dark side of the City of Light

RONNIE SCOTT illuminates an unusual aspect of Paris.

Forget Paris in the spring, the best time to see the City of Light is in the dark of winter, when its illuminated architectural masterpieces stand out against inky-blue skies, and a steaming mug of chocolat chaud à l’ancienne is the only proper conclusion to a well-wrapped walk among the lesser-known attractions.

When I visited, in the company of friends from the Hidden Glasgow website, Père Lachaise, the first and still the grandest ornamental cemetery in the world, was high on the agenda. This, the ultimate address (in every sense of the phrase) for such luminaries as Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison and Édith Piaf, is one of the most overlooked tourists attractions, and deserves to rival the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe in popularity.

But first, there were the lights of the city to be seen. Friday afternoon saw us ascend the Butte de Montmartre, from the north west, through the pocket-handkerchief sized cemetery of St Vincent and past the only vineyard in Paris, to the steps of the Sacré Cour, that fabulous white church that dominates the northern skyline.

Montmartre, the only hill of any size in the city, affords a perfect view at any time of the day. At dusk, it becomes a sibling to the magic kingdom that is Disneyland Paris, 20 miles to the east, as the sky slowly darkens and the lights of the city come twinkling on.

Watching the sun set and the electricity rise is perhaps a bit of a tourist cliché – as the crowds and the souvenir sellers attest – but it’s worth braving the hordes to see the city from above. Then, a vertiginous descent down the stairs (there is also a funicular railway) that link the lofty heights of Montmartre and the flat plain below for some restorative hot chocolate and kir royale.

We are now in the mood for more illumination, so we set off towards Pigalle, the tourist-friendly red light area that houses the whirling neon of the Moulin Rouge (red windmill) cabaret and a myriad of other, less wholesome entertainments. We find a warm and inviting Italian restaurant and the evening melts away in a haze of pasta and chianti.

On Saturday, we visit Notre Dame Cathedral. Entrance to the 12th century Gothic masterpiece is free but for just €3 you can breach the treasury and see relics that have real meaning for the faithful and sheer goggle-value for infidels such as ourselves.

The star attractions are a sliver of wood and a nail from Christ’s cross and the crown of thorns placed on his head during his crucifixion. These culturally charged items are stored and displayed in elaborate and ornate reliquaries, small art works that are alone worth the price of admission.

Saturday evening is spent in Les Furieux, a heavy metal bar in Rue de la Roquette, a few streets to the east of Opera Bastille, chasing la fée verte (the green fairy), as the romantically inclined call drinking absinthe. To the sounds of heavy rock, industrial and goth classics, we peruse the detailed absinthe menu, choosing one of the strongest and most expensive brands. We have the first round in the Parisian manner, dripping icy cold water onto a sugar cube that is suspended above the glass of absinthe on a slotted spoon. The sugar dissolves, and the sweet mixture both turns the liquor a cloudy off-white and takes the edge off the herbal bitterness. The resulting brew tastes like Pernod laced with more than a hint of rocket fuel.

The second round is taken in the Bohemian style, with the sugar dipped in the absinthe then set on fire. Setting the table on fire, as our heavilly-metalled and tattooed barmaid did, is apparently not part of the ceremony but it does increase our enjoyment. Two rounds in, we switch to beer, but not before the green fairy pays a fleeting visit, and our exuberance slips into a few moments of mania. I am told to calm down by my companions.

The following day is spent in Père Lachaise, with only a break for lunch in one of the many stylish cafe bars around Place Gambetta. We stroll the cobbled boulevards and admire the often eccentric monuments to France’s leading artists, entertainers, warriors, writers, inventors, architects and even to death itself.

We visit the obvious attractions: the monument to Oscar Wilde, carved by Jacob Epstein, the modest stone to Jim Morrison, overlooked by a concealed security camera, and the family grave of Édith Piaf. We also pause to reflect on the lives of Jacques Macdonald, one of Napoleon’s most trusted generals whose father came from the Western Highlands; Sir Richard Wallace, the English philanthropist who donated fountains to the city of Paris; and Isadora Duncan, the flamboyant American dancer.

We navigate the 100-plus acres of this city of the dead using a map bought in one of the many flower shops clustered around the entrances to the cemetery and there are small maps available free from the office in the cemetery. This burying ground is certainly a heaven for taphophiles (tombs enthusiasts) but it is also a world-class sculpture park, a social history museum and a tree-lined suburb all rolled into one.

For another, more shocking, taste of the French cult of death, tour the Catacombs of Paris, 20 metres below Place Denfert-Rochereau, to the south of the city. There, the artfully-arranged remains of six million Parisians rest in the former gypsum mines that were first worked by the Romans but abandoned in the 18th century. As the churchyards of Paris were cleared from 1785, their residents were decanted into the mines. The sign at the entrance to the ossuary says it all: “Stop! You are now entering the kingdom of the dead.”

Another underground attraction is Les Egouts de Paris, a museum showcasing the city’s sewage heritage, which lurks beneath the Quai d’Orsay near Pont de l’Alma. Not for the sensitive of nose or weak of stomach.

Our weekend tour of Hidden Paris merely scratched the surface of the underground and less-travelled city. Which is a great excuse for a return visit … but probably not in the spring.

All images by Ronnie Scott. Main pic – the Arc de Triomphe by night. From the top – Dusk descends on Paris as seen from Montmartre, The bright lights of the Moulin Rouge, A piece of the true cross in Notre Dame, The grave of Édith Piaf in Père Lachaise.

OCTOBER 22, 2012

Winter in Budapest: A symbolic bridge

RUTH ALLEN strolls through Budapest. We are often urged by songs to spend April in Paris, or summer in the city, or autumn in New England … But how often have songsmiths hailed the pleasures of winter in Budapest? It may at first not sound an inviting prospect, with images of snow, mist, cold and a frozen River Danube. Yet such conditions will not put off the hardy Scot – indeed there are these and many other Budapest features that a Scottish visitor will easily recognise.

A walk along the river bank will bring you to a suspension bridge that reminds you of Glasgow’s River Clyde crossing. And no wonder, designed as it was by London engineer William Clark and built by Scotsman Adam Clark through the 1840s. The latter is most fondly remembered by Hungary with commemorative plaques at one end of this Chain Bridge and Adam Clark Square at the other.

Further on in Kossuth Square, a statue to 19th century Hungarian freedom fighter Lajos (Louis) Kossuth harbours a series of other Scottish connections. Like his fellow nationalist hero from Italy, *Giuseppe Garibaldi, Kossuth was a great fan of Scotland (“the land of liberty”), seeing William Wallace as the prototype nationalist rebel hero and lending his moral and financial support to the building of the Stirling Wallace Monument. Also like the Italian patriot he corresponded with radical Glasgow businessman John McAdam. But unlike Garibaldi, the exiled Hungarian did get a chance to visit Glasgow in 1856 to thank an enthusiastic City Hall audience for their support for his cause of Hungarian independence (as well as enjoying “a feast of strawberries” after the meeting!).

Scots who are noted for their spirit of adventure will not want to turn down the chance to sample the local Budapest potent spirit, Unicom. The recipe for this herbal concoction has been a well-kept family secret for over a hundred years and survived the Nazi invasion of Hungary in World War Two.

There are frequent flights to Budapest and a good selection of hotels on both sides of the river. Our choice was on the Pest side, close to the modern city centre, the K and K Opera Hotel, Revay Utca 24. As the name suggests, it is just round the corner from the Hungarian State Opera House, where we enjoyed a memorable Hogmanay special that brought in the bells in cultural style.

Within easy walking distance are the main sights of Budapest – St. Stephen’s Basilica, Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Szechenyi Chain Bridge, the spectacular Parliament Building, Hungarian National Museum, Buda Castle, Hero Square and of course an unrivalled choice of thermal baths of which the Gellert probably leads the field in olde worlde charm. If there is nothing on at the Opera, a visit to the nearby Belcanto restaurant will satisfy your musical ear as the singing waiters offer a selection of classic arias between courses.

Pub quiz time! Question: What were the two middle names of US librarian Melville Dewey, founder of the Dewey Decimal System? Answer: Louis Kossuth (so impressed were his parents with the Hungarian nationalist!).

* See Ruth Allen’s story – the Great Italian Biscuit Bake-Off

Main pic, Szechenyi Chain Bridge, by Ruth Allen.OCTOBER 19, 2012

Black History month: Facing Glasgow’s past

GINNY CLARK reports.

It’s impossible to consider the history of our city, to measure the wealth generated and the power wielded by the so-called Tobacco Lairds, without accounting for the blood and misery that helped to create it. One trade was central to the accumulation of Glasgow’s riches from tobacco and also sugar and cotton throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries – and that trade was slavery.

We were not taught this in our Scottish history lessons – although this is now being remedied in the Scottish curriculum. The role of the slave trade was mentioned – and certainly as part of the build-up to discussing Scotland’s role in the fight for abolition. Yet the extent of our involvement – indeed, management of slavery – was not fully explored.

For someone whose first name is an abbreviation of Virginia, the realisation that namesake city streets and buildings were the embodiment of such a terrible past was revelatory. Familiar names and friendly places took on a darker hue. The grandeur of the Merchant City, from tobacco baron William Cunninghame’s mansion, now GOMA, sweeping out to the Jordanhill estate of West India merchant and plantation owner Archibald Smith, was created through wealth generated through the slave trade.

Most of us now know this. Yet do we fully understand Scotland’s, and Glasgow’s, role in slavery?

Stephen Mullen, historian and author of It Wisnae Us: The Truth about Glasgow and Slavery, is currently leading a series of walks through the Merchant City, as part of Black History Month. His book reveals the uncomfortable story of these buildings and streets, many of which are named after the plantation colonies and the merchants themselves who profited, building huge fortunes through trading with them – Buchanan Street, Virginia Street and Jamaica Street, to name just a few.

A former researcher with Glasgow’s Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER), and now completing his PHD at the University of Glasgow, Mullen has written about how Glasgow became the centre of colonial trade in 18th century Britain – and then became central to the anti-slavery movement from 1780 onwards.

Mullen said: “I speak to a lot of people, when I do the guided walks, who say: ‘nobody told us the extent of this’. I think there’s still a belief that, while Scotland was involved, it was England that was driving the slave trade, with the slave-ships from cities such as Liverpool or London.

“Yet not only did Glasgow merchants have a monopoly in the trades of tobacco, sugar and cotton, Scots were involved at every level of the whole slavery system.

“In what’s considered Scotland’s golden age of 1740-90, when we were regarded as having the best education system in the world, it was a common career path for young educated Scotsmen to head out to the colonies to become the middle management, the plantation overseers, the book-keepers, the foremen.

“In 1774 one third of the white population in Jamaica was Scottish, 6000 out of 18,000, quite disproportionate for such a small country. I also understand more than half the names in Jamaica’s phone book today are Scottish.”

What about formally acknowledging this period in Glasgow’s past?

Mullen added: “Historians have a duty to explain, while recognition or acknowledgement is a question for politicians to answer. Other cities have done this, such as Liverpool where there is an international slavery museum, and where they have officially expressed regret or apology. However, this is a question for the politicians, it’s up to them whether a museum is created.”

Pic of St Andrews in the Square exhibition (2007), by Stephen Mullen.*Guided walks Oct 20, 21, 24 & 27 @ 1-3pm FREE, starting Glasgow Cathedral, 2 Castle Street G3 0RH. Please contact Nadia to book on 0141 418 6530 / nadia@crer.org.uk

OCTOBER 17, 2012

A monumental talent: Alasdair Gray and the Hillhead mural

RUTH ALLEN talks to writer and artist Alasdair Gray about the creation of the magnificent Hillhead subway mural.

When Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) was recently given the nod and the finances to modernise the Glasgow Subway, they earmarked the West End’s Hillhead station for special treatment. The decision to commission world-renowned West End writer and artist Alasdair Gray to produce a station mural has brought us another masterpiece from one of Scotland’s prime talents. With his collaborator Nichol Wheatley, he has produced a panorama of West End life that is a technical and artistic triumph. How did the pair get together?

Gray explains: “We became colleagues in 2005 when, having painted the ceiling and gallery of the Oran Mor auditorium, I needed help to put a decorative dado, mirrors and frieze on lower walls. Nichol’s firm had employees he had trained to do all kinds of mural work and together he and they supplied exactly what I wanted.” 

Like Gray, Wheatley was an experienced muralist with works in numerous Glasgow cafes, restaurants and hotels. The Subway mural presented new challenges to the pair, creating a mural in a tiled area seven foot high and nearly six times as wide.

“I decided to fill it with a view of Hillhead, for a number of reasons. The station is in the centre of Hillhead, which I know well. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the old BBC building and Botanic Gardens have been among my favourite places since the age of 11. I have lived and worked in the district since 1968, so I knew I would enjoy depicting it, so that others might enjoy the sight of it. Such a mural is in a tradition of civic art that once flourished in several Italian city states, between the 14th and 16th centuries, where public buildings were decorated with views of the city.

“In 2007 I had illustrated a novel, Old Men in Love, with a view of Hillhead, mainly copied from a photograph of Nichol’s mural in the former Grosvenor Café. Enlarging the illustration to make my own mural seemed so easy that I thought that with the help of one assistant, six weeks work would produce a large scale cartoon of the final mural.

“In his Maryhill workshop Nichol gave me ample studio space, and with the help of three assistants I produced a convincing sketch in three months. But no good big painting is just a smaller one enlarged – mere enlargement destroys its vitality. Nichol built a table whose top was the area of the cityscape, and here we joined together detailed drawings of all the buildings. They were drawn from sketches and close-up photographs, integrated with help of aerial surveys and maps.

“The architectural drawing was in place before the end of 2011. Leaving it to be coloured digitally at a later stage, I painted the sky, streets, trees and parks, and then left the rest of the job to Nichol. Painted surfaces in an entrance hall will be damaged by change of temperature and deliberate or accidental vandalism, so he had to turn my design into something more durable.

“Romans and Byzantines made mural pictures with mosaic tiles a quarter inch square. Arabian murals were of larger tiles – square, triangular and other straight-sided shapes arranged in brilliantly coloured patterns. My design was mostly blocks of buildings. I asked if each main block could be cut from a single tile, as large as possible, so that the different shapes of each would fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. I did not know I was asking for something that had never been made before. Nichol knew that and believed he could find a way to do it.

“He first cut the paper design into sections scanned onto a computer where they were digitally joined again on screen. A helper examined each detail and erased all accidental marks. On Nichol’s laptop he and I put colours into the black and white architecture and he ordered specimen tiles from three firms, one of them Spanish. The colours they printed on these specimens were not clear enough and indicated that he should fire the design onto tiles from transfers.

“FotoCeramic from Stoke-on-Trent made the individual transfers. Cosmo Ceramics south of the Clyde are providing all other tiles for the SPT station walls. From their biggest sheets of porcelain, Nichol jet-cut each jigsaw section, found the right chemistry for applying the colour transfers and oversaw the colours fired onto each tile with Susan O’Byrne and Emilka Radlinska of Glasgow’s Ceramic Studios.

“Every stage went through trials, errors and losses that could not be foreseen. One in 10 tiles was damaged in the firing and done again. Working overnight from 10pm to 5am, Nichol and his helpers installed these tiles, with the rainbow and glimpses of the Kelvin done in traditional mosaic. The work was finished on Monday morning, June 25 this year.”

So, with this major commission in the bag, is it time for the busy septuagenarian to take it easy?

Gray declares: “Not at all! I’ve several paintings to complete that were begun long ago, as well as more work on the Oran Mor auditorium. 

“For 2013 I’m collating for Cargo Press a book of essays – mostly complete – called Some of Me and Others.  I’m also writing for Canongate a political book entitled A Scots State, for the summer of 2014.”

And how does Alasdair Gray hope that WestEnders will react to the Hillhead Subway station mural?

“With delight!”

* Alasdair Gray will read a selection of his short stories which look at the subject of ageing, as part of the Luminate festival, on Saturday, October 20 @Kelvingrove Art Gallery @ 2pm. Book 0141 287 9845.

See some of the West End’s other favourite murals in WEreport feature Street Smart: Wall to wall talent

OCTOBER 2, 2012

In Mackintosh’s footsteps: Port Vendres

Pic – Port Vendres, Tourisme Pyrenees-Orientale.

Glasgow architect, designer and painter Charles Rennie Mackintosh spent his final working years in the south of France, travelling around the Roussillon area. He and his wife Margaret eventually settled in Port Vendres in 1923. The couple had become disillusioned by life in Britain and were able to forge a new, happier, and cheaper, chapter here. After four years in Port Vendres, Mackintosh’s illness forced the couple to return to London where the artist died in 1928.

However, during those four years, Mackintosh had concentrated on painting landscape watercolours, inspired by the Catalan region and the glowing colours and crystal clear light that makes this corner of the Mediterranean so unique.

Although well-known for its associations with many artists, until a few years ago, mentioning the name of our famous Glasgow son along this coastline might have produced some baffled expressions. However, a new-found local appreciation of Mackintosh and his watercolour work has led to the creation of an art trail and L’association Charles Rennie Mackintosh en Roussillon, the enthusiastic organisation that runs it, is also affiliated with the CRM Society in Glasgow.

One of the small seaside communities that make up the Pyrénées-Orientales, Port Vendres is  a more quiet and reserved neighbour of the better-known Collioure and lies less than 10 miles from the French-Spanish border.

Both these towns were once fishing villages, although the 1905 arrival of Henri Matisse in Collioure changed all that. The founder of fauvism (a translation of beast-like), Matisse fed upon the vibrancy of colour and quality of light and soon he was followed by fellow artists such as Andre Derain, Raoul Dufy, Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso to ensure Collioure’s status as a magnet for artists and art-lovers who throng its streets and waterside restaurants.

They still haul anchovies, and a few more fish besides, into Port Vendres though. It’s a deep water port, so is an important centre for the local fishing industry, guaranteeing the freshest produce for the restaurants that line it. It’s nowhere near as busy as Collioure, though some impressive looking yachts pull in past the fishing boats to park right at the quayside, allowing their owners and crew to step off the gangplank and straight to their table of choice.

A few yards further along, you can still see the apartment where Toshie and Margaret lived. The mustard-yellow corner block above the Banque Populaire on the Quai Pierre Forgas has the same balcony, perhaps with the same metal rails, where they once sat, looking out over the port.

It’s a delight to follow in these footsteps. Pop into the town’s Mackintosh gallery and museum, in the peaceful gardens of Le Dome, then let the Mackintosh Trail lead you through the beautiful Catalan country, where olive groves and vineyards sit side by side with giant cactus, at the point where France is closest to Africa. There are 13 panels on this trail that allow you to “stand where Mackintosh stood” to view scenes such as the quayside at Port Vendres, the lighthouse and the Chateau Royal in Collioure.

Summer starts early here and lingers too, great for out of season. At the other end of Mediterranean France, the Cote D’Azur has an undoubted allure. Here though, where the sea meets the mountains, where the sun makes every building glow, and the water sparkles with life, Mackintosh found beauty, inspiration – and happiness.

* See www.tourisme-pyreneesorientales.com  and www.sunfrance.com for more information.

* At the invitation of the hotel, we stayed four nights at the Hotel du Golfe www.hoteldugolfe-argeles.com – and tourism site www.port-vendres.com offers plenty of info on apartments and hotels in the town, plus loads of general info.

OCTOBER 2, 2012

Famine memorial move: ‘we’re children of survivors’

Glasgow has agreed to to set up a working party to look at creating a memorial to victims of the potato famine and the council’s business bureau on October 10 will decide how to move this forward.

The memorial would also pay tribute to the important role migrants to this city from the Highlands and from Ireland have played in shaping its development.

Partick West councillor Feargal Dalton proposed the memorial in a speech to the city council last month, when he said Glaswegians were “the children of survivors”.

Although the potato blight of the 1840s affected large parts of northern Europe, it was in Ireland and in the Highlands and Islands – where poverty ensured people were solely reliant on one crop – where the potato blight was most devastating, with a death toll of around one million. Those who cold afford it escaped to America but many of the most poor migrated closer to home. At its peak, there were around 1000 people a week arriving in Glasgow, making it one of the most rapidly expanding cities in the world, similar to New York.

Dalton quoted an article from The Glasgow Herald of the time that described the misery of those who were flooding into the city, detailing how the authorities were overwhelmed but still tried to help.

The councillor said: “Despite the negative reaction of some there were many who acted with compassion and charity. In today’s terms millions of pounds were raised. “We are their children. We are the children of survivors.”

Dalton believes the memorial would acknowledge the fact this spirit of Glaswegian generosity remains, as the city continues to support people currently affected by famine from across the world.

The memorial, however, would also pay tribute to those victims of the famine and create an educational focus for future generations, while telling an important part of the Glasgow story.

Dalton said: “I’m delighted the motion received unanimous support.

“A memorial will bring us into line with other great cities such as New York, where they make sure to acknowledge and celebrate their diversity. We do too in Glasgow and any memorial will simply be a physical recognition of that fact.

“A memorial will highlight that in world of continuing poverty and famine, Glasgow is very firmly on the side of justice and is a beacon of hope to those in the world who continue to suffer. The council’s business bureau is due to meet on October 10 when details of the working group will be determined and announced shortly thereafter.”

OCTOBER 1, 2012

North Park House: History turns full circle

RONNIE SCOTT writes about the former BBC Scotland headquarters on Queen Margaret Drive, North Park House.

Pic – North Park House in 1970. By H B Morton, from “A Hillhead Album” (Hepburn Trust, 1973).

North Park House, which is currently being transformed into a corporate headquarters for the G1 Group, is probably best known as being the headquarters of BBC Scotland for 70 years until 2007. But it was home to a reclusive Glasgow pottery owner and later to a pioneering women’s college and medical school before housing the national broadcaster.

The blond sandstone block, which looks over Queen Margaret Drive in solid counterpoint to the lacy and spacey lightness of the Kibble Palace, was built in 1869 by John Bell. With his brother Matthew, he owned the Glasgow Pottery, which employed more than 500 people in Kyle Street, Port Dundas.

Bell chose a site well away from the city centre, and bought up extra land to insulate him from the noise and bustle of civilisation. To design a house in keeping with his merchant status, Bell chose the fashionable Glasgow architect J T Rochead, who was also responsible for the nearby Buckingham and Grosvenor terraces as well as the celebrated Wallace Monument near Stirling.

The design, based on an Italian Renaissance Palazzo, incorporated a series of galleries for John Bell’s extensive collection of paintings, sculpture and fine porcelain. Like all Victorian collectors, he also had a wide range of zoological, geological and archaeological specimens.

The space given over to Bell’s collections included a “secret” gallery, which was entered through a concealed doorway in the ground floor. Looking directly at the front of the house from Queen Margaret Drive today, we can see the front of the family home on the right of the block. To the left, behind a sheer stone wall, were the galleries.

The BBC doubled the height of the left-hand block, but even at two storeys high, the north wing offered Bell’s varied collections almost as much floor space as the house. Behind the building were a tennis court, a bowling green and a market garden.

When the Bell family occupied the house, there was no Queen Margaret Drive to interrupt their view of the Botanic Gardens. Until the 1930s, Hamilton Drive (named after the owners of an earlier North Park House) ran from the top of Byres Road, along the south side of the Bell home, then took a left turn to cross the River Kelvin. This can be seen on the 1913 Ordnance Survey map of Glasgow.

John Bell died in 1880 and was buried in the Glasgow Necropolis alongside his wife Emma, his brother Matthew and their father, also John. The family grave is marked by a monumental Egyptian doorway, also designed by J T Rochead.

Glasgow University considered buying the house for its Botany department, presumably because it was so close to the Botanic Gardens, but that scheme fell through. The building was bought by Isabella Elder, widow of John Elder, the owner of Fairfield Shipyard in Govan, who devoted much of her time and money to supporting women’s education. At that time, women were not allowed to attend any Scottish university.

Mrs Elder gave the building to the Association for the Higher Education of Women, which established Queen Margaret College – named for Queen Margaret of Scotland, who was also a supporter of women’s education – there in 1883. A medical school was opened in 1890, designed by John Keppie and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and a student union was formed in the same year. The medical school, for so long hidden in the middle of the sprawling BBC complex, can now be seen at the east end of the North Park House cluster.

The college merged with the University of Glasgow in 1892 and the premises continued to be used for the education of women until being sold to BBC Scotland in 1934. The college name persists in the university, in the Queen Margaret Union, Queen Margaret Settlement and Queen Margaret Halls of Residence in Kelvinside.

After BBC Scotland flitted to Pacific Quay in 2007, its five-acre site was sold and plans were drawn up for a luxury hotel, to be called The Hamilton, and a housing development with 159 townhouses and apartments. This scheme became a victim of the recession and the site lay vacant until this year. The current plans for the refurbished North Park House include a private dwelling, bringing the history of this prominent West End building back to its domestic beginnings.

The Ordinance Survey map of Glasgow in 1913 shows North Park House with uninterrupted views over Botanic Gardens. Ronnie Scott collection.

North Park House is currently being refurbished as the corporate headquarters of the G1 Group.

OCTOBER 1, 2012

Street sm-art: Wall to wall talent

Street art, graffiti, murals – the lines are increasingly blurred as some of Glasgow’s greyest walls are being redrawn in glorious technicolour. It all started with the gable-end mural pioneers of the 1980s. Now with contemporary wall artists transforming our city, the council, together with both public and private organisations, are investing in the potential – and power – of public art.

Following on from last month’s (September 2012) unveiling of the remarkable Alasdair Gray mural in Hillhead subway station, here are just a few of the more familiar wall art examples to be seen on West End streets …

Transported. Pic, above, by Russell F Stewart (one of the participating pupils, whose pencil drawing, second left, was incorporated in the design). Australian street artist Sam Bates (Smug) worked with young people from Willowbank Primary School, Hillhead Primary School and Hillhead High School in a series of workshops at the former Museum of Transport at the Kelvin Hall before creating a 90-metre long mural showing transport through the ages. The mural is at Kelvinbridge, close to the subway entrance, by the park walkway – previously a magnet for graffiti. This community arts project was funded by Glasgow city council, Strathclyde Police and the Clean Glasgow initiative.

Making a splash. Pic by Russell F Stewart. Okay, this is pushing the West End boundary line right to the Kingston Bridge on the Broomielaw. But it’s worth the shoe leather. Smug (aka Sam Bates) is renowned for his photo-realism and these huge glistening swimmers appear to have hauled themselves up here from the Clyde. The 2009 murals – here and in two other city locations – celebrate the 2014 Commonwealth Games and are part of the Clean Glasgow Campaign, commissioned by Glasgow Community and Safety Services.

Gable End, Maryhill Community Central Halls by Daniel Travers. Pic by Russell F Stewart.

Western Baths by Leo. Pic by Russell F Stewart.SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

The Great Italian Biscuit Bake-off: Garibaldi v Bourbon

RUTH ALLEN savours an historic tale with a little-known Glasgow twist.

Pic: Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Rome. By Ruth Allen.

A long time ago in a land far away – well hidden from the critical tongues of Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry – a crucial ‘battle of the biscuits’ was taking place, between Garibaldi and the Bourbons. In the Italy of 1860, the Garibaldi in question was Giuseppe Garibaldi, the hero of Italian unification. In a bid to join the south of Italy to the newly unified north, he had daringly invaded the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies with his legendary ‘thousand red-shirts’ The largely mercenary troops of the young Bourbon King Francis II just melted away after initial resistance, allowing Garibaldi free entry to the capital Naples, from where he handed the south to King Victor Emmanuel II, the soon-to-be king of unified Italy.

But what is the Scottish connection to these events – apart from the (disputed) claim both biscuits were created by Scot John Carr? Two other Scotsmen provide the link, one our national hero William Wallace and the other the largely unknown Glasgow radical businessman John McAdam (1806-83), who worked tirelessly for political reform at home and nationalist aspirations abroad. It was McAdam who was at the centre of a network of organisations in Glasgow and beyond which provided financial support and practical assistance to Garibaldi’s cause.

Of a total of £15,000 raised nationally for Garibaldi, a quarter came from Glasgow and Edinburgh alone, much of it gathered at fund-raising concerts in City Hall as well as donations from well-off sympathisers. Glasgow workers, who had been active in organisations such as the Friends of Italy and the Committee for Emancipation of Italy from 1851, gave up their Saturday half-day holiday to make munitions for the cause.

Recruiting offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow were overwhelmed after a newspaper advert appealed for volunteers for a ‘Scotch Company’ to fight with Garibaldi.  In Glasgow 400 volunteers were whittled down to 50 ‘tartan-shirts’, who set off for Italy in September 1860 financed by the Garibaldi Fund Committee.

McAdam made frequent trips to Italy to meet Garibaldi, negotiating the return of the surviving volunteers in February 1861. His close relationship with the ‘Italian William Wallace’ paid off soon after, when McAdam canvassed the great liberation fighters of Europe for letters of support, which were used to raise cash to build the Wallace Monument in Stirling between 1861 and 1869. Garibaldi’s thanks to the people of Scotland and tribute to his fellow freedom fighter can be seen in Stirling’s Smith Art Gallery and Museum. The relationship ended in disappointment when Garibaldi’s grand tour of Britain in 1864 was cut short before his planned visit to Glasgow – either on medical or government advice, no-one can be sure which.

The full story of Garibaldi and Italian Unification can be followed at the Museum of the Risorgimento in Rome’s Victor Emmanuel II Monument – for free. From the dozens of hotels within a stone’s throw of the Monument, our choice was the Duca d’Alba, http://www.hotelducadalba.com/  named after the 1839 Donizetti opera about the oppressive 16^th century Spanish Viceroy, with its ‘Hymn to Liberty’ chorus which echoed the aspirations of the Italian unifiers.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2012

The Bandstand … going live

GINNY CLARK reports on the restoration plans for Kelvingrove’s famous bandstand.

The sun always shines in our summer memories. I remember a real sizzler, 1979. Sitting on the slopes of the bandstand in Kelvingrove, cradling my months-old first daughter on my lap, the sounds from – I think – a Radio Clyde-sponsored concert drifting out over the park, the contented hum of the crowd, the occasional hiss of an opening beer can, as a Saturday afternoon melted away.

It’s been upsetting for many WestEnders – and supporters from all over the city and beyond – to see the sad decline of this fabulous building and great local venue. Pleas, petitions and plans in recent years have generated the will to secure its renovation  – and now it looks like the Kelvingrove Bandstand and Amphitheatre really will be brought back to life.

Glasgow Building Preservation Trust are leading a £1.8million project, supported by a number of local groups together with Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council, to not only restore the bandstand and performance space but also to equip it with modern facilities. The aim is to ensure it is properly accessible for local people and visitors – and open in time for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

It’s hoped a critical second stage of funding will be secured in October, with Glasgow architects Page/Park leading the design team. Originally built in 1924, the B-listed bandstand eventually closed in 1999. The only bandstand to survive in Glasgow, Scotland only has two others that include amphitheatres  – with that of Kelvingrove having a unique clam-shell shaped oval.

On Sunday, September 16 glasgowdoorsopenday.com provides a rare opportunity to explore the building and check out the renovation plans.

Can’t wait for the sun to shine again on the Kelvingrove Bandstand and Amphitheatre.