LOST BUILDINGS

Just a handful of the hundreds of buildings that remain only through pictures

1. Grand Hotel Built in the 1880s, this site of many wedding receptions and parties was a favourite (second only to the Grand Central Hotel) among Glasgow’s wealthy folk. Guests included Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley when their travelling show came to Glasgow in 1892. Charing Cross suffered greatly when the construction of the M8 began in the 1960s and despite the best efforts of campaigners, the hotel was demolished in 1969. It remains one of Glasgow’s biggest losses, both sentimentally and architecturally.

2. St Enoch Station and Hotel (pictured above) The 1960s proved to be a difficult time for many Glasgow buildings and it was network rationalisation that triggered the demise of this beautiful red sandstone hotel and station. Described as ‘a really sad loss’ by both Norry Wilson, this mainline station operated from 1876 until its closure in 1966. According to Norry: ‘The great and good stayed there from footballers to politicians’. Both buildings were demolished in 1977, a year after its centenary.

3. Elgin Place Church Built in the Greek revival style in 1856 by architect John Burnet, it was used as a church for almost 100 years. After closing its doors in 1962, it sat vacant for 20 years before being remodelled and turned into Cardinal Follies nightclub. It was renamed several times before a fire destroyed the interior structural supports in 2004. The building was demolished in 2005 and triggered a debate over suitable uses for historic buildings and the cost of building insurance for old buildings.

4. Queen’s Park Church Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson’s churches were celebrated by fellow Scottish architects such as John Jeffrey Waddell, who said, ‘They remain the grandest achievement in church architecture since the Middle Ages.’ Completed in 1869, Queen’s Park was the fourth and final church designed by Thomson but was destroyed when a German bomber dropped an incendiary bomb in March 1943.

5. The Chalmers Memorial Free Church Many people are unaware of the church Alexander Thomson built in 1859 on Ballater Street in the Gorbals. It was altered a number of times in its life, with Thomson returning to make adjustments in the 1870s by adding a hall and enlarging the church. The east aisle and entrance were demolished to make way for the widening of the adjacent railway in the 1890s. The congregation left the building and it became a paper merchants then a cork factory until it was destroyed by a fire in 1971 and was subsequently demolished.

6. The Glasgow Apollo/Green’s Playhouse Built in 1927, the former Green’s Playhouse was once the largest cinema in the city and included a ballroom. It was renamed the Apollo in 1973 and became the city’s most iconic rock music venue and one of the best known in the UK. Johnny Cash was the opening act with the Rolling Stones performing the following week. Other stars included Diana Ross, Paul McCartney, AC/DC, Blondie and The Clash. In the 80s as music trends changed, and the building literally began falling to bits, the era of the Apollo drew to an end. It closed its doors in 1985 and was demolished in 1987.