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Glasgow Photos 1980


Lambies Lost Doo
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Stumbled on this via twitter. French photographer took some pics of Glasgow in 1980.

 

What an utter shit hole it looks. Like a dystopian film directed by John Carpenter. Interesting stuff would be good if others recognise locations as I'm struggling. I'll be using this in my ammo when my Dad starts back with the "things were better back in the day" etc.

 

 

Individual Photos

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&VBID=2K1HZOQITGMX4E&SMLS=1&RW=1225&RH=647&PN=2#/SearchResult&VBID=2K1HZOLA786EB7&SMLS=1&RW=1225&RH=647&PN=2

 

 

Easy navigation

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_4&IID=2K1HRGPKGLIU

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I'm sure that scratching the surface of any city in Britain in the 80s would uncover similar scenes.

 

My first experience of Glasgow was in '85. I came up for a job interview which was on a Monday. I asked my prospective employer, the Citizens' Theatre, to book me into a hotel for the weekend so that I could 'interview' the city.

 

They put me up in Babbity Bowsters. Had a great weekend. Managed to get to see Loudon Wainwright III at the Pavilion.

 

On the Sunday evening I decided to walk to the Citz to see how long it would take in the morning. It was, of course, raining. As I crossed the bridge to the notorious Gorbals I heard the sound of running footsteps behind me. I whirled round ready to repel the Slasher of Gorbals Street. In his place there was a woman inviting me to share her umbrella.

 

Embracing the people of Glasgow was an easy decision to make, leaving behind me the real slasher, Margaret Thatcher, and her No Society gang.

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for a photographer purportedly being on an assignment to be honest there's not really much there - looking through the 90 or so snaps there are a lot of repeat scenes - up in barrowfield / govan etc whilst a few look really staged (the hoovers and the chairs anyone?)

 

not very intelligent photography at all in my opinion ... give anyone a camera and send them to the bleakest outposts of any town right now and these sort of shit-hole snaps would come back ... for intelligent photography and social commentary of Glasgow over an extended period I'd be looking at someone like Oscar Marzaroli for instance or the myriad of amateur photographers who documented their neighbourhoods and uploaded material to Urban Glasgow

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The hoovers and chairs I reckoned was probably sale items at Paddy's Market or the Barras. Also thought the women pushing the pram full of bags of clothes was from round about that area as well. There are a lot of photos there that could tell a story,just all displayed in a bit of a higglety pigglety fashion. Enjoyed looking at them all the same!

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The very first one - looking down on a red brick building with a tall chimney is the old Shettleston Baths viewed from Tollcross park around Anstruther Street.

Had an Aunt and Uncle stayed in that street and remember a "big boy" pushing me into the pool when I was about 4.

Thought I was going to have a very short life!

 

The one with large, heavy cranes and a woman with a blue umbrella could be the south side of the river, roughly where the Quay cinema complex is now.

I think it was a coal or iron ore loading place and it may even have been called Springfield Quay, as the leisure place is now.

I remember that road being cobbled, though, so I may be wrong.

 

The 3 or 4 after that are around the Duke St./Shettleston Road junction where Sir William Arrol's works were.

 

The Hillman Imp and the one with "Clyde" on the wall are Millerston Street, between Duke St. and Gallowgate, mainly looking towards Gallowgate.

The scene in Tutti Frutti where Vincent Diver is told by his wife that he had "the second-lowest sperm count on record" was filmed there.

 

The Squirrel Bar is in Stevenson St. at the Barras and favours a green & white colour scheme these days.

Which goes some way to explaining the high jaikie content in the picture!

 

The two guys fighting by the city map display is Bothwell St. looking west.

Nice to see a Fiat Strada again. (Known as the Ritmo in the rest of Europe, but deemed to sound too like a lawnmower to sell well in Britain!)

 

The one with the brown Mini Clubman is Waterloo St at Hope St.

 

The woman with the red coat and three old boys on the corner is, I think, Shettleston Sheddings.

i.e. the junction of Old Shettleston Rd./Shettleston Rd and Westmuir St.

The light coloured building in the background was a City Lighting Depot for many years.

 

The woman carrying a child, with a bigger girl walking alongside, is Clyde Street at the foot of Stockwell Street. (Clutha Bar area)

The large curved roof building was the Fish Market.

Central SMT bus behind and a brown Simca car.

 

The bloke in long coat walking past a lifebelt is on the King George V Bridge, view is looking north.

--- Somewhere I've got a picture of the bridge being load tested just before it was opened in 1928.

There are numerous tramcars and loaded carts stopped on the bridge and a fat polis sergeant controlling traffic.

 

If you're still awake.....that's the best I can do for now.

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Rid Skwerr impressive work.

 

I was born in 1978 but can remember city centre - top of Buchanan Street before galleries and royal concert hall, merchant city empty and creepy and waterloo st and surroundings not the best at night.

 

With the renovation, rejuvenation and rebuilding of much of Glasgow since 1980 it's much improved. Folks friends who emigrated to Australia came back for first time since 1971 couple years back and could not believe the change. They even questioned if they had made the correct choice!

 

Could it be argued that Glasgow improved hugely under a Labour Council and Conservative government? *Puts tin hat and looks for fox hole.

 

 

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