Scottish Cars & the industrial heartland of Titwood Road

The last article in the series on Strathbungo’s commercial motor garages, but this one covers much more than just Scottish Cars. You wouldn’t believe it now, but Titwood Road was once a hive of industry, covering cars, photography, catering, indoor tennis, bowls, boxing, engineering, boot making, cold storage, veterans, and a large dairy. Almost all evidence of this has now vanished.

Titwood Road

Lane off Waverley Street, the original line of Titwood Road

Titwood Road was originally a farm lane that led over the railway where Crossmyloof Station now sits. The tenements of Waverley Gardens were built with their back courts facing directly onto the lane, but in 1922 the road was realigned a little further north, providing new plots for the Pollok Estate to feu on the south side of the road. At the Pollokshaws end, these plots were used for housing, as extensions of the Moray Park development of red sandstone houses by James Wright (Strathbungo’s Gardens) and the white houses of William Todd Aitkenhead (Carswell Gardens). From opposite Carswell Gardens up to Minard Road, the plots were all feued for commercial purposes.

Scottish Cars Ltd

Scottish Cars certainly made an early impact on Titwood Road, but all trace of them has now gone.

The firm was established at 154 St Vincent Street and 320 Pollokshaws Road in November 1919, selling Hallford waggons by J&E Hall. By 1922 they were selling Hillman, Lagonda and Italian Bianchi cars at the Kelvin Hall motor show. A further company, Scottish Cars Service & Garage, was formed at the same address with £2,500 capital, and they erected a garage at 85 Titwood Road the following year.

First garage by Scottish Cars, April 1923. Source: Glasgow City Archives 8-3241

By 1924 they were an agent for Beardmore, and extended their Titwood Road facility with a second identical building. In addition to car sales and servicing, they provided garaging for their customers’ cars, with individual lock-up stalls in the building.

Second building by Scottish Cars, August 1924, now with their name proudly displayed. Note also their smaller new infill building to the right. Source: Glasgow City Archives 8-3242

Interior of garage, with wooden lock-ups for private cars. August 1923. The advert on the back wall is for Kemshall Tyres. Source: Glasgow City Archives 8-3244

Business was evidently good, as in 1928 they extended to a third building on Titwood Road, and bought the fourth plot too. The advertising suggests they were agents for another somewhat obscure Italian make, Ansaldo.

Third garage, now branded Scottish Cars, Garage & Service Ltd, 1928. Source: Glasgow City Archives 8-3244

Advert for Ansaldo Cars. Source: London Illustrated News, BNA.

In 1929 they appeared on a list of Austin dealers, telegraphic address “However, Glasgow”. The last record I can find is of them selling a Fordson Tractor there in 1948. They appear to have relocated to East Kilbride in 1951, but then ceased trading around 1955. In 1934 the directors of the company were reported as Mrs AL Gourlie & NEJ Gourlie F.I.M.T., of Kincraig, Haggs Road, Glasgow . There is scarcely any other information about them.

Moray Park Covered Tennis Courts

(See also the article on Moray Park)
Around 1925 a large building was erected at 75 Titwood Road, to the left of the Scottish Cars garages, for use as indoor tennis courts, possibly the first in Scotland. Taking its name from the Moray Park sports grounds opposite, soon to be developed into Strathbungo’s Gardens, the Moray Park Covered Tennis Courts must have dominated Titwood Road at the time.

Moray Park Covered Tennis Courts on Titwood Road, February 1925. The pale roof of the Scottish Cars garage can be seen to the right. Source: Glasgow City Archives D-CA8/3240

Front elevation and cross section, showing the sheer size of the building. Taken from 1936 plans to convert to an indoor bowling green. Source: Glasgow City Archives 1936/246

Had you played there you would have had the opportunity to be coached by a former Scottish Champion, Mrs Robin Welsh. Although from Edinburgh, she chose Strathbungo because covered courts were so rare at that time. She had turned professional in order to take up coaching as she came to the end of her playing career. Her real name was Mary (Molly) Welsh, nee Gray, and she won the Scottish Championships six times, 1905, 1913-14 and 1921-23.

Tennis coaches. Sunday Post, 20 Feb 1927. Source: BNA

The courts struggled financially, and in 1926 the site was bought by well known Glasgow showman AE Pickard. Speculation suggested it might become a motor garage, a dancehall, a picture house or a skating rink . However the courts were still in use in March 1927 when Glasgow’s first indoor tennis tournament was staged and reported extensively in the papers. Notably on the first day, Mr JS Richardson, 67, died on court during a singles match. However after that tournament there is no further mention of the courts in the press.

Death on court at Moray Park Covered Tennis Courts. Dundee Evening Telegraph, 8 Mar 1927. Source: BNA.

The closure of the courts was announced in the Herald in December 1927 after only three years, due to a lack of public support. In 1929 Pickard submitted plans for minor alterations, with a lean-to around the building perimeter, but these were abandoned.

In February 1932 the Glasgow magistrates permitted the building to be used for a one-off night of boxing matches. This did not go down well with the locals in Strathbungo’s new Gardens houses, as conveyed by correspondent “Not Again” in a letter to the Herald.

Letter to the Glasgow Herald, 1 Feb 1932. Source: Google Newspapers

Later that month Pickard submitted a planning application for additional toilets and raked seating, the plans clearly showing the intention being for conversion to a boxing venue, with a ring marked in the centre of the auditorium. These too were abandoned, possibly as a result of the local adverse reaction.

Scottish Indoor Bowling Club

The building eventually became the Scottish Indoor Bowling Club, the first indoor green in Glasgow. It opened on 30 Sep 1936 with eight greens under the rooflights, the Lord Provost throwing the first, silver, jack . Thomas S Logie, a former president of Wellpark Bowling Club, was the club secretary. He was also a Scottish International, and secretary of the Scottish Bowling Association until his death in 1951 .

Thomas Logie, of the Ex-Presidents Association, third from left, 1938. Source: Glasgow Bowling Clubs Ex-Presidents Association

Thomas Tannahill

The bowling club closed in 1945 and Thomas Tannahill & Son, agricutural and marine contractors, moved in. Thomas Tannahill started out c. 1900 as a shop-fitting business, as illustrated by this 1934 picture in the Virtual Mitchell of a shopfront under construction in Shawlands. Initially I admired their handiwork, until I realised this was the “before” image, the pattern being repeated the whole length of the tenement, including the close entrances.

Shop front prior to work. The original curved glass, fanlights and decorative woodwork. Source: Glasgow City Archives

They replaced it with this, all very 1930s, but that was the beginning of the end for the original decorative style. The shop is now part of Stalks & Stems, next to the Corona Bar. Only the fanlights above the closes survive from the original design.

Shop front after Tannahill’s work for Matrunola Hairdressers. Source: GCA

The only other reference I can find to their business is a criminal case quoted on law websites illustrating the principle that intent to commit a crime can itself be criminal. In HM Advocate v (Thomas) Tannahill & Neilson 1943 the accused were working at a building contractors and came up with a plan to use sub contractors messing with books to defraud their customers money. They only got to the stage of attempting to get the subcontractors to agree to this, and were successfully charged with incitement .

The engineering firm was on Titwood Road for five years, after which the building was incorporated into a creamery, speaking of which…

The Co-op Creamery

The Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society (SCWS) acquired both the Tennis Courts and the Scottish Cars buildings in the early 1950s, complementing their motor department, which was already established further up Titwood Road (see below). They subsequently opened a depot on the current Caldwell-Wright premises on Waverley Street, apparently for distributing hospital supplies, and the Southern Motors car showroom on the corner of Pollokshaws Road (now McMillan’s) – they appear to have been building a small empire based on Titwood Road.

Having acquired the tennis court building c. 1952, the SCWS’s first proposal was for a creamery, but this was quickly changed to a grocery store (presumably warehouse, not shop) with a cold storage room, and a separate boot repair factory under the same roof. However within a couple of years they did go ahead with the creamery. The Scottish Cars site was extended with a fourth largely identical shed on the remaining ground connecting it to the tennis courts, and the depot came to support delivery vehicles and eventually a fleet of electric milk floats that delivered to the southside and to local schools.

The well-known photographer of disappearing Glasgow, Streapadair, began work there driving a milk float, and you can take an online photographic tour of his 1978 southside milk round.

Inside the creamery 1978. Source: Streapadair

Exterior of milk depot. Strachan Kerr catering and the future Henry’s Cars are visible further up the road. Source: Streapadair

Further pictures show the site in 1989.

CWS Creamery, former covered tennis courts, 1989. Source: Alex Petrie, Flickr, modified

The former Scottish Cars garages, now managed by the Co-op, 1989. Note also Strachan Kerr catering, and the edge of the current Henry’s Cars, the only survivor. Source: Alex Petrie, Flickr, modified.

In June 1995 Robert Wiseman Dairies purchased the CWS milk distribution business for £6.6m, and the following month announced the closure of the Titwood Dairy. Mr Wiseman said the creamery did not meet the high standards customers demanded and he also claimed the dairy had been the subject of repeated complaints from residents over noise and traffic movements . By October Wiseman had planning approval to replace the site with modern flats.

Modern flats built on the Scottish Cars / CWS Dairy site in the 1990s. Source: Google Maps

89 Titwood Road – Blackadder / Strachan Kerr

Plan of the Blackadder Photographic Lab, with proposed extension. Source: Glasgow City Archives 1926/195

The adjacent building at 89 Titwood Road housed the William Blackadder photographic laboratory in the 1920s & 30s, but in 1941 became the catering firm Strachan, Kerr (sometimes Kerr, Strachan), which had been founded in 1931 in the Tradeston area. The company provided catering for weddings and events in Glasgow, but was wound up in 2003. The building was replaced with a small block of flats by Westpoint Homes in 2003.

95-97 Titwood Road – Dare & Carter

Beyond Strachan Kerr, the plot at 97 Titwood Road was initially used as a yard by the firm of John Adam & Co, masons and builders, contractors, property assessors and valuators. The motor engineering firm of Dare and Carter bought the plots of both 95 and 97 Titwood Road in 1925, and on 95 Titwood Road, they built a new garage. The building was designed by Gardner & Glen, well known for their cinemas, but also the architects of Strathbungo’s Gardens (“Moray Park”). Note the ornate canopy over the central entrance. Although not too clear from the elevations, there was a central office building with two wings, and a much larger open shed behind.

Elevation of proposed garage for Dare & Carter, 1925. No photo exists of this incarnation. The canopy was removed by the Co-op. Source: Glasgow City Archives 1925/660

Cross section and plan of proposed garage for Dare & Carter, 1925, including the canopy. The main entrance was not originally intended for cars. Source: Glasgow City Archives 1925/660

The yard next door continued in use by John Adam until 1939 when they moved to Pollokshaws Road and Dare & Carter extended their garage over the entire site.

Dare & Carter were founded as a partnership between George Ernest Dare of Pollokshields and F Farrar Carter of Kings Park . They also had premises at 100 Darnley Road until around 1940, and which later housed the 3rd Glasgow Coy Boys Brigade, though it is now under the Hutchesons’ Grammar athletic track. Dare & Carter remained in business in Titwood Road until 1946.

Commercial Motor reported the acquisition of the garage by the SCWS in 1946 .

S.C.W.S. PLANS CHAIN OF REPAIR SHOPS.

A CHAIN of garages and service IA depots for motor vehicles is being planned by the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society. The society has acquired a large garage at Titwood. Glasgow, as an auxiliary to two other major establishments in the city.

The management is proposing that vehicles should be overhauled, reconditioned, and repainted within 18 days, ‘during which time retail societies may obtain the loan of other vehicles.

The site was then used variously for servicing the Co-op’s fleet of lorries, by the advertising department and as a motor hiring business. An abandoned planning application from 1972 shows it as Marlborough Motors, though still owned by the Co-op.

Henry’s Cars

St Andrew’s Garage was established in Maxwell Street in 1927, the building surviving until replaced by an extension of United Wholesale’s warehouse c. 2012. The business was bought by Alex Henry in 1979, and due to expansion, they purchased the Dare & Carter warehouse in 1991 for use as a pre-delivery inspection centre . They expanded to other sites, including in 1998 the Honda dealership further up Titwood Road, opposite Morrisons. In 2009 the Dare & Carter site was converted to selling used cars, then in 2012 a SsangYong dealership, and in 2019 a Suzuki dealership. It was during this latter refurbishment that the main entrance building and right wing were demolished, leaving only the left wing, and the main warehouse behind, of the original Dare & Carter site. This is now the only remaining industrial building on Titwood Road as it approaches its 100th birthday in 2025. Will it make it?

The Dare & Carter building as a SsangYong dealership in 2014. The main building survives, with two wings and the warehouse behind. Source: Streetview

The Dare & Carter building as a Suzuki dealership in 2020. The main entrance building and right wing have been removed. Source: Streetview

111 Titwood Road – Ex-Servicemen’s Club

This small H-shaped building housed the Pollok Division Ex-service Men’s Club. The club was founded in 1921 and the building was one of the first on Titwood Road, first appearing in the 1923 PO Directory. It finally closed in 2021 and was demolished in 2022 to permit expansion of Henry’s forecourt.

And thus concludes the tour of the former “industrial heartland” of Titwood Road, now reduced to the one car dealership.

Additions and corrections are welcome.

References