Townhead to Duke St to George Square: an October Light Show

Welcome to my wee photoblog on Glasgow, where we feature the  joys and unjoys of walking and cycling through a fascinating, beautiful and often badly run city. For the blog's origin and an alphabetical list of posts  see the 'Introduction' post  -

http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/02/introduction.html

On this fine October evening we are going to take a stroll from St Mungo Avenue in Townhead down the High St,  into Duke St,  then along Ingram St and into George Square.

Townhead Badminton Club (see their Facebook page), St Mungo Avenue. 

One of Glasgow's ubiquitous Ruchill Security signs. 

Road bends down there on right -  and Buchanan St Bus station will be on your left across the road

Glowing sandstone red over on the right in St James Rd (where we are now heading) is my old secondary school, City Public - now a resource  centre

The janitor's house - I remember our janny in the early 60s. This is a listed building and like so many listed buildings in Glasgow is very likely being left to decay so it can be demolished

The pleasingly named Nasa Store; get your shopping in before you ascend

Old Collins buildings on the right 

Now in Weaver Street. This was formerly a bank, now an evangelical church. See
http://www.destiny-church.com/
The great Scottish artist  Joan Eardley had a studio close by in Parliamentary Rd and did fab portraits some of the kids who lived in Weaver St

Now in Cathedral St

Strathclyde Uni Campus - up about here used to be Taylor St 

Student Village

These houses were here when I was a child - glad something of the home turf has survived. . .

. . .and of course the Royal Infirmary and the Cathedral

This used to  be wasteland with a bomb shelter in the 50s

Now in Collins St where I was brought up. Building now demolished

Up ahead in the Rottenrow were flats we called the Tony B (not sure about the origin of the name)

Here Townhead Public baths adjoined our home on the 2nd floor. The first Open University Humanities A100 foundation course in the 70s focused on the baths in a TV programme - described them as of great historical importance. So of course the Council demolished the building so they could sell the land to Strathclyde Uni.
The programme showed my mum's two cats on the window ledge - alas, the programme is now also lost like most old OU programmes. Wiped.

Back of Provands lordship, the  oldest house in Glasgow, on left; we used to jump on its (unhistoric) midden. And just on the right there. . . 

. . .is the girls' entrance, pretty much all that is left of my old primary school, Townhead Primary. Like a Roman arch in the desert. . . 

. . .while the top of the boys' arch rests here on the other side of Provands Lordship for some reason.  I imagine that in some distant future, an archaeologist will uncover this stone and believe he has found the last resting place of the Glasgow Boys

And so we head down the High St

Looking back up High St

Duke St down there

Steps back up to High St

Now on Duke St. For more pics of Duke St see
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/03/dennistoun.html

Glassers Lane

The Lampost - popular pub with locals

A  'new quarter for Glasgow'

Glasgow Cross at bottom of High St. See
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/04/glasgow-cross-trongate-and-argyle-st.html

We are crossing over into Ingram St on right

The Rottenrow is up at top of street in the middle

Ingram St; I used to do an Evening Citizen  paper run from this street. Scottish Daily Express used to be printed here on  left. Some of the Express printers were among the richest Communist Party members in UK outside of Hampstead. Jobs here were like gold dust, indeed were gold dust

The wonderful Ramshorn Kirk

Now in George Square; the pink smoke up there is from a fire up Port Dundas way 

Glasgow is a city of frequent fires; including chip-pan fires, fag fires, insurance fires

Christmas lights up - it's  actually going to be called a Christmas Festival this year thanks goodness - see
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/03/george-square.html