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| Govanhill is on the south side and is a mixed area in terms of class and of ethnic groups; most of the latest group to come to Scotland, the Roma, who arrived from eastern Europe in the early 21st century, settled here. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govanhill |
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| The park sign says do not feed the pigeons, as they are vermin. Thankfully most old and new Scots, several of whom have had the term 'vermin' applied to themselves, tend to ignore this instruction. This wee group of doos are waiting for their regular feeder |
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| Govanhill Park is clean and well maintained |
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| Colourised railings |
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| Jim's Barber Shop, Calder St, beside the Baths |
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| Kingarth Lane |
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| Kingarth Lane on opposite side of Calder Rd |
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| Govanhill Public Baths |
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| This is what visitors expect to see in Govanhill, dumped furniture. Seems no worse than Hillhead to me in that respect |
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| Beside the Cobbler is the Govanhill Community Baths Trust, a local community initiative to save the much-loved Baths from closure. See www.govanhillbaths.com |
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| Mixed communities such as Govanhill are often described (rather hopefully) as 'vibrant', but the adjective is fitting here - within the gates beside Mod Girl is a dance studio |
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| Govanhill Health Centre |
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| Homeopathic Clinic |
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| Govanhill Public Library |
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| All human life is here, including the kitchen sink |
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| Note refurbishment; lot of it going on in April 2010 |
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| Southside Studios |
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| UK Learning Academy |
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| Westmoreland Gardens |
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| Now into Victoria Rd - to get to Queens Park you go past Happy Days |
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| One of Glasgow's fine old cafes |
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| We are in Crosshill now, on the other side of Victoria Rd,where you could sit in this chair and watch the world go by |
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| Queens Park station on right |
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| Cheap licence plates |
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| Crosshill Post Office - voted Scotland's best PO in 2009 |
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| Nail grooming and criminal defence |
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| Sunbed salon; note untraditional sort of orangeman approacing |
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| Narrow entrance to big snooker tables |
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| Hair salon and another sunbed salon: note chair being held down by owner to prevent its escape |
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| View up Victoria Rd to Queens park |
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| Another view up |
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| View down Victoria Rd from Queens Park entrance |
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| We're on the other side of Crosshill now (Crosshill Station on left), in Cathcart Rd, heading down from Hampden Park on the afternoon of Scottish Cup Final day, 15 May 2010; see http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/05/hampden-park-dundee-united-v-ross.html |
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| Maison Ronnie; Glasgow's hairdressers are worth a photoblog of their own |
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| A Beauty shop |
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looking down Dixon Rd |
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| At an angle on the corner of Dixon Avenue and Cathcart Rd, we find The Dixon Halls, built 1878. Scots Baronial (along with the neolithic brochs) is one of the few architectural styles native to Scotland, and this building is a splendid example of the form |
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| Just off Cathcart Rd is this odd little building |
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| For this rather forbidding Govanhill RC church, see Churches |
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| Coplaw St, looking towards Govanhill Park, where we began this section. Forsyth House on right, one of many Community Health Partnership schemes in Glasgow |
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| Looking back up Cathcart rd |
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| Larkfield Community Centre. See http://govanhill.eveningtimes.co.uk/mini-sites/larkfield-centre/ |
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| Something to do with the Millenium |
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| Patient pigeons. Like their pals in Govanhill Park across the road (see top of post), they know they will be fed |
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| Cathcart Rd on the right now leads you to the Gorbals - see http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/04/gorbals.html |
Brilliant photos!!! I was born in Govanhill and baptised in the Forsyth Memorial church (now Forsyth House). My grandparents lived in Govanhill St in the very early 1900's. Thank you!! Ruth
ReplyDeleteRuth,
DeleteI too was born in Govanhill. Went to Victoria School. My Sunday school, BB was in the Forsyth Memorial Church and my uncle and aunt were married there. There was a boy in my class called Ian Thomson and I wonder if he was your brother. I lived at 124 Govanhill Street ( now demolished)
Thank you Ruth! Will add to the Govanhill section at some future point - fascinating area
ReplyDeletehi,i came from carfin st 1937-1957,emigrated to castlemilk,worked in the coblers in calder st in 1949 it was called"silver shoe repairs" owned by mr silver from giffnock,happy happy days. phil mack
ReplyDeleteJust wondered if you knew my maternal grandparents Tom and Isa Gorrie who lived in Govanhill Street?
DeleteMy husband John o donnell worked in silvers1953 as a delivery boy with billy Morrison and Jonny mc knight who were cobblers
DeleteHi Phil - some of my Townhead pals went to Castlemilk in late 50s and they loved it.
ReplyDeleteGovanhill/Crosshil is great area.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Chilean guy who lived for a whole year in Glasgow, and came to love Govanhill, Victoria Road, and Queen's Park. Such good memories. That green door right beside Queens Cafe, that was the entrance to my flat. Man, these pictures almost made me cry, I miss it so much. Thank you for posting, and I hope to be back soon :) Greetings from Santiago :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon!
DeleteGreetings from Canada,
ReplyDeleteI am researching about my grandmother Margaret Brown. Her family lived at 562 Calder Street. She was born in 1904. Parents were mary and Robert Brown and siblings Elizabeth (1908) and Robert or James (1910). If you know anything about her family I would love to hear from you.
Regards from Canada, Valerie
Hi vallygirl - am a Townhead boy myself I would suggest asking some of the community local representatives for good local sources - see list at wiki
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govanhill#Community
Nice Scotsman piece here
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/govanhill-glasgow-s-ellis-island-1-2783217
had to ruin the nice pictures, with snide comment about
ReplyDeleteforbidden catholic churches, I see things never change in
scotland, thankgod im in Canada bigots.
somethings never change was enjoying pics, then read snide
ReplyDeletecomment about forbidden catholic churches, for christ sake its
the 21st century, put away ur sash hen and grow up, thank god
i live in Canada and my kids don't know what a protestant is.
Hi weehen. You misintrepret me. Our Lady of Consolation is a classic example of eccesiatical modernsim and as such is a widely admired building - myself, however, well, like many people I find the style 'forbidding' whether RC or Church of Scotland or whatever. Nothing to do with 'forbidden'!!
DeleteIt may well come to be seen as a modernist. masterpiece, like St Peters seminary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Peter%27s_Seminary,_Cardross
I can't love St Peters but that a building of world significance has been so badly neglected shames Scotland.
on the site of the Majestic cinema
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos - brings back some good childhood memories. Only picture missing for me is the Bluebird Cafe in Cathcart Road. I left Glasgow for London 28 years ago and don't get back too often. However, I've just returned from my wee gran's funeral and took my kids on a quick tour of Govanhill. I was delighted to see the Bluebird Cafe still there and with the same owner behind the counter. He's been there 40 years and seems to be the last remaining icon. My kids got to taste macaroon and soor plooms for the very first time!
ReplyDeleteTa Ellen x
DeleteI grew up in Govanhill, it's so nice to see so much of it still intact :)
ReplyDeleteJust leaving a comment about this "Just off Cathcart Rd is this odd little building". This was actually a cinema, I believe. During the building of Our Lady of Consolation, the slight grim church with the brutalist architecture, it was designated for use as a Catholic church to take the overflow from Holy Cross. This would have been in the late 60s. The reason I know this is that I was baptised in it :)
Many thanks Marie I did wonder! Am running way behind with posts, will be doing one on Govanhill Baths Open Day in a few weeks.
DeleteI also need to update my comments about Govanhill Park above - it is not so safe these days alas.
"Odd little building" was the Govanhill Cinema. It actually stood back-to-back with the Calder Cinema which fronted Calder St. Happy days!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Anon (see Marie's post above)
DeleteDoes anyone know how old the tenements and shops on the block where the cobblers was in Calder street is? I think think that Our Lady of Consolation chapel has been demolished. I was Brought up as a catholic in the area, that particular building would have to be without s doubt the ugliest one I have ever seen Holycross on Dixon avenue is lovely
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteNote: this was duplicate of Duke's 29 May post I mistakenly put up twice!
DeleteMy dad working in Sime the Butchers in Cathcart Road from the 30s to 1970. There was an Italian cafe next door the the guys name was Ernie.
ReplyDeleteLoved looking at the photographs, many happy memories of growing up in Govanhill in the late 50's and early 60's. Born in Jamieson St, went to Victoria Primary and then Queens Park.The Bluebird Cafe was great when I was flush ;-) Thanks.Harry Hughes
ReplyDeleteTa Harry!
DeleteHarry Hughes did you have Mrs Cochrane as a teacher ...I think I remember you
DeleteHiya.
ReplyDeleteCan anybody please tell me if they remember any scout groups in Govanhill during the period 1960-80s.
Thanks
cubs meet in holycross school.. the scouts meet at holycross halls on albert road
Delete%th Glasgow South Annandale st, 174th Glasgow Hollybrook st school (Batson St entrance)
Deletedoes anybody know / remember James Dickie from Croshill
ReplyDeleteThere were two Scout groups in Govanhill itself in that period. The 5th which had its own hall in S Annandale St (and was one of the oldest in Glasgow) and the 132 (Mackintosh's Own) which met originally in Holy Cross primary school in Daisy St then in Holy Cross church hall. There was another Scout group in Polmadie and the 93rd (Norman) which met in a hall off Pollockshaws Rd.
ReplyDelete