A Glasgow Album: Welcome to Glasgow 4: Rutherglen to Gallowgate, Part 1

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 see the 'Introduction' post -
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/02/introduction.html
An alphabetical list of all posts so far can be found at the end of this post

Today is 25 March, 2011 and we are going to walk from Rutherglen to Gallowgate, completing along the way our visit to the Dalmarnock Athletes' Village area. I tried to post this whole thing earlier but my 512 RAM Mac Mini is dying and crashed on me, so I am going to split this walk into two in the hope they will post. Part 1 is to Dalmarnock and the 'Athletes Village'; part 2 is from the Village to the Eastenders pub in Gallowgate.

For the previous posts see

Welcome to Glasgow: the Dalmarnock Rd
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/09/welcome-to-glasgow-dalmarnock-road.html
Welcome to Glasgow 3: Charing Cross station to Dalmarnock station
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2011/03/welcome-to-glasgow-3-charing-cross.html

o here we are in Rutherglen main St, having taken the 20 bus from Kelvinbridge. For Rutherglen see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutherglen

As on other high streets, plenty of discount stores

And as all over the west of Scotland, plenty of sunbeds

e're going to cross the road here and walk past Rutherglen Old Parish Church and then the Town Hall

Mournful wee dog

For Rutherglen Old Parish Church see

http://www.sacredscotland.org.uk/church/rutherglen-old-parish-church

From the site:

'The present church was designed by the architect J J Burnet 1902 in Gothic style, the fourth on this site since the original foundation in the 6th century. The gable end of an 11th-century church still stands in the graveyard supporting St Mary's steeple (15th century). It contains the church bell 1635. Stained glass including a First World War Memorial. Communion cups dated 1665 are still in use. The churchyard occupies an ancient site, at its gateway two stone offertory shelters, and a sundial set above its entrance dated 1679.'

Note odd wee tree on right

Looks like a tree-man, or maybe a Rutherglen Ent

Wedding Fair at Rutherglen Town Hall. For this fine Scottish baronial building see

http://guide.visitscotland.com/vs/guide/5,en,SCH1/objectId,VEN105469Svs,curr,GBP,season,at1,selectedEntry,home/home.htm

St Columbkille's. built in the 1940s. See

http://www.sacredscotland.org.uk/church/st-columbkilles-church-rutherglen

Shops look more upmarket this end

We're turning left down there, where the tower is growing out of the bus

Looking back

More motorway

Dalmarnock Bridge up ahead

Dalmarnock Bridge sculptures

They look oddly familiar, these two

Dalmarnock is the most easterly of Glasgow's bridges. See
http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/Heritage/HeritageTrails/ClydeBridges/dalmarnockbridge.htm
(For its rather unfortunate ghost, see the first trip out to Dalmarmock)

Ground behind the fence has been cleared since we were last here

Welcome to Glasgow

We will now descend to the Clyde Walk Way

The walk way is closed off. . .


. . .so we head back onto Dalmarnock Rd. . .

. . .and turn right here

The Commonwealth Athletes' Village will be erected behind that fence

We are in Baltic St, headed for Springfield rd up there

In Springfield Rd

Looking back down Baltic St

Corner of Springfield Rd and the idyllically named Sunnybank St

Ardenlea St round on the left is where a grandmother was evicted yesterday to clear the way for the demolition of the street for the Commonwealth Games Athletes' Village

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12855031

As noted in the previous trip to Dalmarnock, it is also where Jeremy Paxman's great-grandmother lived in poverty and about which Jeremy famously cried. There are still tears to spare in Dalmarnock. See

http://www.bbc.co.uk/whodoyouthinkyouare/past-stories/jeremy-paxman.shtml

Millerfield Rd

Back and pondering whether or not to wander down to gate. Decide it's not worth it. Note cop car in distance which cruised slowly past me minutes ago. Looks deserted but actually it's like a trainee shooting gallery with cops and security in yellow jackets popping up unexpectedly. They are all really nervy after yesterday so we shall bid these sad streets farewell

Note CCTV on top of pole

Heading back up Springfield Rd; nice wee doorway there

I bet you thought Tipu Sultan died at Seringapatam in 1799; actually he moved to Dalmarnock and opened a pizza place

Blue sky emerging ahead; going to be nice day

The Athletes' Village. See
http://www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk/commonwealth_games.htm

The whole shooting match is projected to cost £245 million. This is what is to happen:

'The winning bidder will build up to 1,500 homes in the east end of Glasgow. These will house 8,000 athletes during the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and provide a mixture of private and affordable homes after the Commonwealth Games end.'

And here (with suitably annoying music) is a preview of what the 'legacy' is supposed to be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK6eAh_T7o8

The trouble with this video is of course that nothing in real life ever resembles architects' visualisations - these show slim, attractive people doing slim, attractive things in slim, attractive settings, and the east end of Glasgow is not really such a place. The poverty of real life will leach into the marketing image.