WEEK IN PICTURES
Surprising history of Glasgow’s first youth hostel
hair cut than to go for a weekly shop?
Ms Sturgeon made all the small businesses spend thousands of pounds of their own savings and many had to take out loans on making their premises as safe as possible against the Covid pandemic and then shuts them down, knowing it could cripple them.
The First Minister has got a lot to answer for.
HIKERS and young people exploring Scotland often ended up spending the night in a police cell in Glasgow in the 30s and 40s – but it was all entirely innocent.
The city’s first youth hostel was created in the old Cathcart Police Station and Barracks on Clarkston Road in 1938.
For the princely sum of “one and thruppence” (one shilling and three old pennies), hostellers could sleep in a room which would once have housed far less savoury characters.
In his book, An Illustrated History of SYHA’s Youth Hostels 1931-2011, volunteer archivist John Martin explains that agreement had been reached between Glasgow Corporation and the Scottish Youth Hostelling Association (SYHA) as early as September 1937 for the plan to turn the old police station into a youth hostel.
The corporation agreed to pay 50% of the rent.
“The financial assistance of civic or county bodies in the setting up of a youth hostel was certainly not new on the continent ... but this was to be the first example in Scotland,” the book explains.
The hostel opened in time for the Empire Exhibition of May 28, 1938. Councillor Patrick Dollan, who would become Lord Provost, performed the opening ceremony.
Two open afternoons were held in the August of that year (so that, presumably, parents could see the kind of place in which their sons and daughters would spend their summer holidays and adventurous weekends).
In his book, Martin adds: “Just after the outbreak of war, the Scottish Youth Hostelling and Cycling News of October
31, 1939, was able to offer this encouragement: ‘Part is still in use, approached from Clarkston Road and one stair up. Bring own stove.’”
During the Second World War, the building was open to members some of the time, but was occupied “piecemeal” by the military, then the fire service.
Then it became the Polish Youth Hostel, where 43 young Polish refugees were billeted during training for military service at the age of 18.
By the end of the war, a new, larger hostel for Glasgow was sought.
In May 1945, plans to buy a corner building on Woodlands