A collection of then and now photographs of Strathbungo and the surrounding area. See how many you can spot, before dragging the slider to reveal. When done, hit the Reveal button for more info. More to come. Enjoy!
Where is this street scene?
Can you name the street? Look carefully and you can see a railway footbridge at the far end.
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This is Princes Square from Pollokshaws Road. The street was renamed Marywood Square in the early 1930s. The footbridge at the far end crossed the railway line to Darnley Road, but was taken down in the 1990s.
Take the trolleybus
Shouldn’t be too hard to spot this one.
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Trolleybus TBS12 on route 108 along Nithsdale Road passes the Salisbury Crescent and the Strathbungo Drinking Fountain on 8th August 1963. (Image: Charles Billette, reproduced with permission.) The photo was discovered as part of an investigation into the mysterious long lost drinking fountain, and this the only known image to show it in any detail. The McGills service 121 passes the same spot on 3rd May 2020. From electric to diesel in sixty years; that’s progress.
Take the train
But from which local railway station?
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Pollokshields West Station seen from the Terregles Avenue entrance, in 1987 (Ewan Crawford, Railscot), and again in 2018. The station opened when the Cathcart Circle was completed c 1894. The station originally included a large station house much like the sole surviving example at Maxwell Park, but it was demolished not long after this photograph was taken.
The newsagent, and Gavin Wright the Builder
Where was this newsagent? And who was Gavin Wright?
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The site is now McMillan’s Bar & Grill, although they have repainted it since I took this shot. Must go and take it again! To the left of the photo, where the petrol station and M&S sit now, were two houses that belonged to Gavin and his brother James Wright. Their parents were based at a garage and motor hirer in Tantallon Road (latterly Whitecraigs, the Suzuki dealership that was demolished for flats some ten years ago, some may remember it). They became wealthy house builders, and their projects included Strathbungo’s gardens. Sone of their new houses on Titwood Road are visible in the background. Annie Vennard was Gavin’s mother, and gave her name to one of Strathbungo’s streets.
You can read a fuller version of the Wrights’ story here
W H Packham
Where was W H Packham’s Garage?
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I don’t know much about W H Packham’s business on Torrisdale Street, although they did have a stand at the 1936 Scottish Motor Show at Kelvin Hall, where they displayed their Vulcan 21 ton commercial vehicles.
It is now the Phoenix furniture warehouse.
The Queen’s Garage
Can you locate the Queen’s Garage?
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The original Queen’s Garage survives behind the modern cladding of Arnold Clark’s, at Pollokshaws Road and Calder Street, photographed here in 2015. It sold BMC cars (Austin/Morris) in the 1950s and Vauxhalls in the 60s, and still sells Vauxhalls today. You can’t fill up on the forecourt any more though.
Thanks
A word of thanks to Grant of PastGlasgow, who pointed me to the plugin that allowed me to show before and after photos with such ease. He also likes creating then and now photos, including some of the southside.
Wonderful memories. My father had an office and workshop at 567 Pollokshaws Road opposite the Queens Garage. I remember him filling the car there with petrol at 4/11p per gallon and the Guinness advert with the Toucan (My Goodness, My Guinness) on the gable wall behind the garage.
March 4, 2018 at 3:09 pm
Great work, you are doing a fantastic job with these memories, I used to live on Allison St and we still socialise in Strathbungo.
Thanks for the considerable time and research you put into generating interest in the beautiful City of Glasgow.
Kind regards
Carol-Anne
September 18, 2019 at 10:08 pm
Wonderful memories. My father had an office and workshop at 567 Pollokshaws Road opposite the Queens Garage. I remember him filling the car there with petrol at 4/11p per gallon and the Guinness advert with the Toucan (My Goodness, My Guinness) on the gable wall behind the garage.
May 8, 2020 at 12:13 pm
Great work, really interesting and love the slider. So much has changed!