Names for buildings at campus revealed
THE names of the streets and buildings at the new Barclays Glasgow Campus – set to bring thousands of new jobs to the city – have been unveiled.
Barclays has worked closely with Professor Murray Pittock and his team at the University of Glasgow to uncover and pay tribute to the rich industrial heritage of the Tradeston area after staff voted to name the campus buildings in recognition of the city’s heritage.
In the early 1800s, Tradeston was developed as a manufacturing district by Trades House, which was a union of Glasgow’s craftsmen including bakers, tailors, weavers, joiners, coopers, hammermen and maltmen.
The project team researched as far back as the 1500s to find inspiration and local historical references for the names of the five buildings which form the campus.
These will be Clyde Place House – the B-listed Kingston House, which dates back to 1878, is being restored to its original name; Tradescroft – developed in the 1790s after Trades House purchased the plot of land which was previously part of the larger area of the Barony of the Gorbals; Windmillcroft – the area of Windmill Croft dates back to the 1700s, named for its windmill sitting on the banks of the Clyde just to the west of the site; Wellcroft – likely named after wells or springs in the location which later became the start of the Paisley and Johnstone canal built to support the local coal industry; Grays Hill – just to the south of the campus site, the area was commonly called “clay holes” thought to be due to the leftover materials used by the local brickworks.
The street traversing the campus development will be named Clyde Place Lane leading to Clyde Place Square, an outdoor community event space.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Barclays campus is a fantastic development for Glasgow and it’s great to see it reach this milestone. Glasgow grew out of the River Clyde and it is so important that the city’s history is remembered in our modern developments.
“I’m delighted that Barclays has chosen to draw on the industrial heritage of the area to name the streets and buildings and look forward to seeing the campus opening later this year.”