Parkhead School saved from ‘at risk’ register after refurbishment

A DERELICT school in Parkhead has been saved from Scotland’s Buildings at Risk register after a multi-million pound refurbishment.

Parkhead Public School, on Westmuir Street, has been given a new lease of life after being abandoned in 1990.

The original school building was constructed between 1878 and 1887 before closing in 1963 and being used as a career office and resource centre.

It has now been brought back into public use for the first time since 1990 by the two-year project for Glasgow Building Preservation Trust with Parkhead Cross Townscape Heritage Initiative and Parkhead Housing Association.

Leading firm of architects, master planners and heritage consultants, Purcell, has completed the refurbishment and conversion of the former school into a community building with flexible office space for local businesses.

Parkhead Housing Association will manage the building on the behalf of the community and any profit is being reinvested into the local area and their charitable aims. One of the tenants will be Skills Development School and there will also be a public IT suite to allow locals to work on their CVs and upskill to increase employability.

A local artist has produced four woven banners by the community to be displayed in the building, based on the area’s history of weaving which previously provided work to over 20,000 people.