Millions flocked to visit city’s Empire Exhibition
LOOKING back 85 years to the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow, it is difficult to c o n v e y t h e s h e e r excitement that seized the Second City as the event promised a bright new future for Glasgow and the Empire.
Less than a year after it closed, however, the Second World War began and less than a decade after the exhibition, the Empire itself was moribund as India gained its independence to start the process of de- imperialisation and the word Commonwealth began to replace Empire in the cataloguing of nations.
Even before during and after the exhibition itself, there was criticism of the event for promoting an idealistic view of the Empire while ignoring Britain’s exploitation of peoples and their resources – India, for example, refused to provide a pavilion.
The development of the Exhibition also took place against the growing menace of Hitler’s Germany and Italy’s Mussolini while much further away, Japan had shown its increasing militarism by invading Manchuria as early as 1931.
Many people wondered why Glasgow and Scotland were showing off when the threat of war was real. Yet it went ahead and was very successful, despite the summer of 1938 being noted for the wet weather – the highest summer rainfall on record – that cut the attendance figures.
The exhibition is often viewed through the mists of nostalgia, which is why today I am sticking to the facts and figures rather than personal recollections of the event, though anyone seeking such reminiscences could do worse than seek out the memoirs of 1938 by Alistair Borthwick and Bob Crampsey.
The facts themselves are truly staggering, reflecting huge credit on all those involved in briefly making Glasgow the centre of internationalism at a time when some nations were lining up for a fight.
There were just 19 months between the exhibition getting the green light and the opening ceremony, with most of the 100- plus temporary pavilions and buildings constructed in a 12- month period after the driveways and boulevards had been laid down in Bellahouston Park to the plan by Thomas S Tait with industrialist Cecil Weir in overall charge.
Paid for by a subscription fund and government contributions, the construction project employed 10,000 people while the staff taken on to run the event numbered nearly 900. Some £ 10 million was raised by subscription and government funds while Individual countries paid for their own pavilions as did more than 60 private companies and a relative newcomer to British life – the BBC. In all there was over 1m sq ft of exhibition space.
The main thoroughfares were designated as Avenues and Scotland had its own Avenue that featured a life- size model of a Highland village called The Clachan – it would become one of the most popular exhibits. Also to become very popular were the two largest buildings, the Palace of Engineering and the Palace of Industry which faced each other.
The only permanent building which still stands at Bellahouston was the Palace of Art.
Reflecting the advance of women was a simple but beautiful pavilion dedicated to the Women of the Empire. It was designed by local architect Margaret Brodie and had a fashion theatre and tearoom, all run entirely by women.
According to the official records, the Dominion Avenue hosted the pavilions of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa with Colonial Avenue hosting Ceylon ( now Sri Lanka), Cyprus, Hong Kong, Malaya, Malta, and the West Indies. There was a magnificent pavilion for West Africa, dominated by Nigeria whose Government insisted on Thomas Tait designing it.
East Africa and Southern Rhodesia shared a pavilion to the rear of which was a reconstruction in miniature of the Victoria Falls – when I say miniature it was still 120ft long and 14ft deep and 25,000 gallons of water per minute roared over the precipice.
The British Pavilion provided by the UK Government was huge and impressive but probably the most attractive building was the Peace Pavilion which emphasised the work of the League of Nations. The British armed forces also had their own installations and with the war drums beating they did good recruitment business.
Some 19 restaurants were located around the Exhibition, plus snack and milk bars and three churches which were reported to be packed for services, especially those that featured prayers for peace. Church attendance would have been higher but for the fact that Exhibition did not open on Sundays.
Across from Bellahouston, Rangers FC gave Ibrox Park for the sporting events and also the opening ceremony.
This took place on May 3, 1938, and was performed by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in front of nearly 150,000 people – far more than could have been accommodat
Crowds flocked to the exhibition in huge numbers from day one
ed at Bellahouston. The King spoke about Scotland’s role in the Empire before the royal couple toured the Exhibition in the company of the chief organisers, including Exhibition President the Earl of Elgin.
It was no surprise, and was welcomed across the city and Scotland, when King George knighted Cecil Weir a month later.
Paying one shilling per adult and sixpence for a child, crowds flocked to the exhibition in huge numbers from day one. Many bought season tickets for 12s 6d and made numerous visits.
Though the Empire Exhibition had serious intent, it was definitely not an event for just science, industry and art.
There was an amusement park whose main organiser was Billy Butlin, and pipe bands played around the park almost every day.
A series of concerts were organised featuring classical and jazz music and this being Glasgow, there was plenty of dancing, mostly in the open air.
The BBC broadcast live from some concerts while the stage featured a series of dramas under the guidance of James Bridie.
Military displays were held in the park while Ibrox hosted both an inter- service tournament and an Anglo- Scottish football competition which was won by Celtic who beat Everton in the final. The unique trophy based on Tait’s Tower is in a prime position in the trophy room at Celtic Park. When the Empire Exhibition closed at the end of October, some 12.8m people had visited what remains the largest exhibition ever held in Scotland.