Pollokshields MAY 2005 • ISSUE 52HERITAGE PUBLISHED QUARTERLY Talking Rubbish! Calling all residents who want to be ‘Proud of Pollokshields’ to this year’s big clean- up day on Sunday 5 June! All welcome to join the work party from 10 am at Maxwell Pollokshields Square. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. The Environmental Protection Strawberry Services are giving their support with sponsorship from the Community Sunday Council, Pollokshields Pollokshields Burgh Hall & Maxwell Park Heritage, Churches ~ 1.30pm–4.30pm, Sunday 12 June ~ Together, CSV and the Southside Housing Association. And there’s a fun finale with Horse & Dray Rides, Red Cross First Aid Demonstrations, Cricket Coaching, a barbecue being organised for all helpers Football Fives, ‘Dr. Bike’ Clinic, DJ Workshop, Circus Skills, in conjunction with the New Victoria Gardens. Mounted Police, Gardening Advice, New Victoria Gardens Plant Sale, Stop Press – Plant Sale at New Victoria Glasgow Treelovers’ Society, & featuring: Gardens on 29 May: 2–4 pm! The Glasgow Wind Band Pavla’s Puppet Shows, Old Records, Books, Baking, Bric-a-Brac, AGM 2005 Health MOT’s – and special feature: Chair Denise Greaves Vice-chair Iain Dyer Treasurer Hilary Stanger ‘Hung , Drawn & Painted!’ Secretary Janet Lamb – show of artwork by senior school students. Committee: Ann Laing, Anne Laughland, Cordelia Oliver, Evelyn Lennie, Gill Tearoom & Café by En Croute Catering. Stewart, Helen Barnard, Helen Norman, Karin Currie, Kenneth McLaren, Niall Co-ordinated by Pollokshields Murphy, Sheila Ogilvie. Liaison group and supported by Ann Laing will continue as Pollokshields Glasgow City Council Cultural Heritage representative on the Community & Leisure Services, Community Council and Liaison Group; Niall Murphy Police, Community Health will continue to participate on the Glasgow Partnership, Southside Housing Urban Design Panel; Helen Barnard will Association, Churches Together, continue as local Planning Convenor, and Pollokshields Heritage & Karin Currie will continue as managing Pollokshields Community editor of the newsletter up to and including Council. this year’s November issue. Conservation of property values There is no doubt that the primary factor With the intrinsic high quality of our substantial stone influencing the value of a property is — buildings and their setting, even if they need to be completely location! says Hugh Campbell of Murray & re-slated and leadwork replaced – probably the biggest challenge in maintenance outlay! – the value is not Muir, Chartered Surveyors. significantly diminished. The cost of this can be written down over the years. Pollokshields is undoubtedly a highly prized location, So if ‘location’ is the outstanding factor in determining uniquely spacious, so close to the city centre but with all property values, how best can we protect it? the amenity value of a garden suburb, and the protection “Conservation may be more expensive in the short term, of conservation area status. Where the original features of but the traditional materials and methods will always pay a villa or tenement – cornices, fireplaces, woodwork, tiles back over time, and preserve the unique character of an and parquet flooring for example – are still in place, the outstanding neighbourhood.” market value is dramatically enhanced. The more the integrity of the fixtures and fittings is maintained the more the property is valued, although whether or not the building is ‘Listed’ does not generally affect its value. Clydesdale puts the clock back UPVC has the most detrimental effect on a property; the introduction of any inappropriate materials both internally and externally damages not only the character of the house, but can affect its value – and that of surrounding houses. It is also prohibited by the adopted conservation policies of Glasgow City Council. Pollokshields 1894 – old Ordnance Survey map Take a fascinating trip into the past courtesy of the Old Ordnance Survey Map of ‘Pollokshields 1894’, published by The Godfrey Maps with the permission of the National Library of Scotland. Of particular interest are the earliest villas (built by 1865) along St Andrew’s Drive, backing onto the canal, subsequently replaced by the Paisley Canal Railway line; the villas with exceptionally large grounds, like Lindholme, Woodlands, Ferndean and Nile Park (latterly Clydesdale Cricket Club has completed its celebrations of 100 years The Knowe), which with the exception of The Knowe, were demolished at its current Titwood ground in Pollokshields with the restoration in the 1960s to make way for blocks of flats; the Pollokshields Baths of a clocktower to the ridge of its roof, to the original 1904 design located near Maxwell Square; the bandstand in Maxwell Park; the by H E Clifford, the Burgh architect at the time. sheer size of the Tramway Depot! The £1,500 project was supported by a grant from the South Area It also includes some extracts from the PO Directory 1892–3 committee of Glasgow City Council. giving the names of people resident in some of the streets, and relates The clocktower, clearly visible in various old team photographs in something of the history of our suburb which takes its name from the pavilion, was removed around 1959, for unknown reasons, when the farm of the Shields, located near the intersection of Shields Road the roof slates were replaced by felt. Architect and club member and Albert Drive until demolition in the 19th century, and from the Frank Hurst produced measured drawings, from which a fibreglass Pollok Estate, established around 1270 and owned until this century reproduction has been manufactured, now sitting proudly where it by the Maxwell family. always should have been. ourselves? And how well does conservation greenspace provision was countered by Regenerating status serve Pollokshields – with its clear the council’s apparent willingness to sell sense of itself as the UK’s original, biggest off land gifted to the community; concerns Glasgow and best preserved garden suburb? about the relentless development of blocks Subtitled ‘Creating the Future out of of flats without any infrastructure Cathy Johnston, Head of the Past’ – suggesting that the past could provision; the perception of the City Plan Environment and Design at Glasgow provide us with a clue as to how to regain as a developers’ charter rather than as City Council's Development and genius loci – the talk was couched more in empowering local communities. Regeneration services delivered this terms of Glasgow City Council’s City Plan The absence of nuance is evidently year's talk at the Pollokshields and how it anticipates delivering Glasgow’s keenly felt, with several comments that Heritage AGM. Niall Murphy reports... regeneration; more about procedure than slow progress on conservation area A pithy introduction effectively laid direction. appraisals is leading to erosion of local down the gauntlet: times were when The resultant debate revealed the chasm character. Food for thought for Glasgow knew what Glasgow was, but between local amenity groups and the city Development and Regeneration Services after the turmoil of the latter half of the council's template for the future. The claim and clearly something to be addressed in last century do we have a vision for that there is growing attention to the next City Plan... Design Matters: The end of an era at Elmtree Contacts For almost 50 Planning Enquiries years the General Elmtree 287 8555 Nursing Home Development Control at 371 Albert 287 6070 Drive Enforcement (originally 50 287 6069 Dalziel Drive) was owned and Heritage & Design run by the Scott 287 8618 family. During —incl. Conservation this time it 287 8626 provided the Landscape services of a 287 8673 maternity unit, Land Services an x-ray room Parks and an 287 5064 operating theatre – for Roads many people Aerial photo taken in 1991 of Elmtree Nursing Home 287 9000 still resident in Environmental Protection Pollokshields today! This very large villa was “Recent changes in legislation Cleansing Distinctively built of snecked originally named ‘Clifton Hall’. requiring the provision of single 445 4200 red sandstone with rosemary (The Costigane brothers rooms with ensuite facilities Environmental Health tiled roofing in 1892 for William previously resided at ‘Clifton’ in would entail very substantial 287 6698 Costigane of ‘The Bonanza’ Nithsdale Road!) It first opened alterations being made to the Recycling Warehouse – silk mercers and its doors as a nursing home in property” says current owner, 287 2063 milliners in Argyle Street – it 1927, run by Miss Elizabeth Dave Scott. “Most of the original was designed by the Glasgow Clark. It was extended in the plasterwork and stained glass Fast track architect, John Gordon, who early 1970s and in recent years are intact and it probably now 0800 027 7027 himself resided in Pollokshields; became a retirement/care home lends itself more readily to Transport Police it was ‘B’ Listed in 1990. for the elderly. conversion into flats.” 332 3649 Community Police 423 1113 24-hour Police Behind Closed Doors Albert Road 532 5300 Crime Prevention The long- Academy abandoned Sgt Brian Hughes sawmill at the 1882-1962 552 5310 weir on the For a plain clothes police River Cart by Just published: A short history officer house visit: Pollok House of the former Albert Road Sgt Alan Shaw has been under Academy (now the Pollokshields 532 5313 wraps for many Primary School building) Community Council decades. contains some old photographs 423 1448 This water- of teams, photos of every City Council driven sawmill headmaster from its opening in by the Old 1882 to cessation of secondary Maxwell Park Ward Stable The turbines room of the Pollok Estate sawmill education in 1962, photos and Alan Rodger Courtyard – the accounts of sporting and 287 7013 site of the Laigh or Low Castle, – of which the late Sir John academic successes of FPs, info East Pollokshields Ward the seat of the Maxwells in the Stirling Maxwell was a founding on wartime efforts including Bashir Ahmad 15th century – also generated member – a project is being photos of two WW1 VC’s.