Fireman from famous Glasgow photo shares story of dramatic night
At the top of a towering ladder, a fireman is just visible as he directs a jet of water on to the burning building below.
Smoke fills the sky, as flames inside the building cast an eerie glow into the October night.
The building in question is the St Andrew's Halls, and Jim Gallagher remembers this moment well – because he was the man at the top of the ladder.
Jim, centre, with colleagues from Glasgow's fire service (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)
In the first of a two-part Times Past special feature about Jim's memories of Glasgow, he reveals the real story behind the fire that shocked the city.
'It was freezing, and I was up there for four hours,' says Jim, now 85. 'I was numb and shaking like a leaf when I came back down.'
It was October 26, 1962, and the drama began for Jim and his colleagues just before midnight.
'Our bells started ringing about 11.30pm, and we raced down North Street to Charing Cross – this was before the motorway, of course,' says Jim.
Retired firefighter Jim Gallagher, 85 (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)
'We were confused when we got there, though – no smoke, no flames, all you could see were what looked like wee bits of steam coming out at the pillars.
'We waited for our orders to go in.'
Jim adds: 'One of the men said, 'I think we've lost it,' but I couldn't understand what he was talking about – there was no sign of a fire.
'He told me to jump out the engine on to the street and then I understood. You could hear it 'breathing', the building, a kind of whoomp, whoomp noise, in and out ...
'Then all hell broke loose.'
As more fire crews and fire prevention teams arrived, Jim watched as the doors to the hall were kicked in.
'And of course, that let the wind in, and the place went up like a light,' he says, with a shake of his head.
'I was handed a belt with two big clips on it, and I knew what was coming. I'd done the drills. I knew I was going up the turntable ladder.'
Jim looking through old photos of the St Andrew's Halls fire (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)
Jim recalls being lifted 120 feet into the air, and the 'wham' of the water when it came out the end of the hose.
'It was some force,' he nods. 'The roof had gone by this time, and the heat was incredible. The water was just turning to steam as it hit the flames.'
Jim spent four hours at the top of the ladder. 'It was a cold October night and the uniforms weren't the fancy outfits they are now,' he says. 'We had a heavy jacket, some leggings and rubber boots – and the helmet, which was made of cork.
'I was frozen. I can still remember the mug of Bovril the Salvation Army handed to me – it was delicious.'
Despite the best efforts of Jim and his colleagues, Glasgow's premier concert venue was completely destroyed that night.
While up the ladder, he recalls, amid the smoke and heat, Jim spotted a 'stop gap' between the walls of the hall and the library next door.
'It was a big space, a fire wall created during the war, and that's what saved the Mitchell Library,' says Jim.
There were no fatalities, thankfully, but the loss of the hall was devastating to the city both architecturally and financially. Records in Glasgow City Archive include the firemaster's report, which notes the cost of the damage to be around £1 million.
Jim was brought up in Bridgeton. His dad was a carpenter and cabinet-maker, his mum ran the house and looked after Jim, his two brothers, Alan and Sandy, and sisters Margaret and Celia.
He now lives in sheltered housing in Kirkintilloch, where he enjoys regaling staff and visitors with his tales of working in the city.
Jim has been a police officer, a taxi driver, and a Glasgow Corporation bus driver, but he particularly enjoyed his four years in the fire service.
'It was a great job - the boys loved pulling pranks,' he says, smiling.
'All your uniform was stored on the fire engine, and occasionally, you'd pull on your boots to find them half full of water.'
Don't miss Tuesday's Glasgow Times for more of Jim's memories of living and working in the city.
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The Herald Scotland
13 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Are clumsy streetscapes threatening Edinburgh's heritage status?
'Whilst we may not be under imminent threat of being considered a World Heritage Site in danger, there is this steady, slow creep of issues which need to be addressed to reinforce the city's commitment to its inscription and the value that being a World Heritage Site brings,' says Terry Levinthal, director of the Cockburn Association. Conservation of the city's architectural heritage and its landscape on a macro scale has been relatively good (with a few noted exceptions), but small-scale interventions have been slowly slicing at the overall look and feel of the city. 'Death by a thousand cuts,' says Levinthal. 'One thing Edinburgh does not do well is streetscape, or how it manages the surfaces and the spaces in between buildings in an urban context.' Charlotte Square (Image: GordonTerris_Herald&Times) (Image: GordonTerris_Herald&Times) The Cockburn Association, whose civic guardianship of Edinburgh hinges on heritage as civic responsibility rather than nostalgia, has sounded the alarm about the state of the city's streets. Two months on from the association's public forum, On the Road to Nowhere? Edinburgh's Streetscape and Heritage Places, Levinthal is cautiously optimistic. It would take a very long and substantial decline for the city to lose its World Heritage status, or for it to be considered endangered. But decades of 'chronic undermanagement' and an ethos that streetscape insertions have nothing to do with World Heritage when 'of course they do' has given heritage enthusiasts cause for concern. 'One of the one of the biggest risks in a historic city is not necessarily just to do with altering buildings or building new architecture, but it's actually making sure that you look after the historic streetscape, which is the setting for all of these beautiful buildings,' says Fiona Rankin, the head of public realm conservation at Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH). She explains that the city's streets don't have the same protections as listed buildings, which leaves them vulnerable to a lack of coherent design and maintenance standards. 'It's the cumulative effect of lots of small interventions that can really start to change the character of a place,' she adds. Modern times have brought a myriad of new street objects, like EV charging points, bins, defibrillators, phone charging stations, seating, bollards, planters, sandwich boards, cycle racks and more. They change how people see the street, plucking it out of its historic context and clashing with the Old and New Towns. 'We have to minimise the appearance of these interventions and design them so they coordinate well with each other,' says Rankin. 'It's really important that they're not just installed on a random basis, but the whole street design is taken into consideration, the positioning and design of such objects.' Frederick Street (Image: GordonTerris_Herald&Times) Frederick Street (Image: GordonTerris_Herald&Times) Piecemeal funding from local and national governments has resulted in a patchwork of streetscape elements. A project gets designed by one team; other teams are responsible for different areas. Working separately means they don't choose the same materials, the same style of seating or they might install signage under slightly different guidelines, and everything lacks continuity. Rankin points to Picardy Place as an example. Cycle lanes, tram lines, street lighting, and pedestrian crossings have created a confused urban landscape. 'You end up with a sea of poles,' Rankin says. 'Poles with signage, poles for crossing the road, poles for holding up tram lines. Areas like that, to me, have a negative effect on the heritage location.' Rather than just following engineering guidelines, she suggests that urban realm works begin with the aspiration to have as little intervention as possible and to find the option that suits the heritage best. 'I think it's very difficult to retrofit guidelines for a historic place when the guidelines are generally written for new places, new streets, new junctions,' she says. The EWH is currently working alongside the City of Edinburgh Council to develop a standalone Street Design Guidance Factsheet on Street Design in the Historic Environment, which will be added to the council's suite of Street Design Guidance Factsheets. Rankin has been seconded two days a week to work alongside the local authority's World Heritage officer to ensure that processes of thinking within the council are putting heritage first. 'Making it the starting point, the baseline,' she says. With the council, they are currently looking at coordinating the street furniture so that bins, cycle racks and seating all come from one design. 'We have a huge amount to learn from historic cities,' Levinthal says. 'We have an approach at the moment which is just not working with that outstanding heritage value that Edinburgh has.' (Image: GordonTerris_Herald&Times) (Image: GordonTerris_Herald&Times) Edinburgh's Waverley Station (Image: GordonTerris_Herald&Times) One of the biggest changes within the council is the introduction of statements of heritage significance commissioned by EWH. The key is not to try and take what they have done in say, Copenhagen or Amsterdam or Prague or Berlin and try to replant it in Edinburgh. The specific issues that the capital faces requires its own unique approach. The heritage statements are set to be given out at the very beginning of a project, defining the importance of a location and its history. The hope is that they will allow designers to develop a keen understanding and analysis of what they are dealing with right off the bat so they can carry out their work from start to finish in a sympathetic way. The first major heritage statement has been commissioned for Princes Street and the Waverley Valley ahead of its forthcoming redevelopment. 'This statement will give those designers information that tells them what the priorities are, what's important, and should steer the direction of their design so that it is compatible and complementary to the heritage,' says Rankin. 'We're all guardians of this wonderful city, and we have one chance to get it right.' The redevelopment of Waverley Station is one of the biggest concerns for the Cockburn Association at the moment. Levinthal is anticipating the launch of a master plan consultation 'sometime soon'. 'It is very much a wait and see what that brings with it,' he says. Previous plans involved demolishing large portions of the category A-listed station. At this point, Levinthal says, it's just speculation as to whether a consultation would 'alleviate any fears or give cause for concern.' A glaring issue with maintaining the decadent fabric of the historic streetscape comes down to cost. Council budgets are tight. Temporary fixes, like the tarmac on Frederick Street or the ramp at Charlotte Square, can easily become permanent when they serve a good enough purpose. But, as Levinthal points out, Edinburgh's UNESCO World Heritage City status is the 'golden goose' for both the city's and the country's coffers. Edinburgh'sGeorge Street looking west (Image: GordonTerris_Herald&Times) Edinburgh's Waverley Station. (Image: GordonTerris_Herald&Times) The city welcomes more than four million visitors annually who contribute £1.2 billion to the local economy. And the main reasons tourists flocked to the Lothians was for a castle or fort (42%) and to view architecture and buildings (32%), according to a 2023 survey by Visit Scotland. While it's difficult to pinpoint just how much heritage contributes to the figures or any heritage-specific revenue, it's clear that historic attractions play a key role in Edinburgh's tourism economy. 'Just for that reason alone, it really justifies the investment in it and its added protection,' Levinthal says. The Cockburn Association is optimistic about the forthcoming Visitor Levy, which came into law in September 2024. The tax on overnight accommodation is expected to raise up to £50m a year by 2028/9 which will be reinvested in Edinburgh to manage the burden of propping up a flourishing tourism economy in an ancient city. 'The income, if properly redeployed to help deal with deficiencies like streetscapes and the management of tourist parts of the city, will help deal with concerns the we have with the undermanagement and under maintenance of places,' says Levinthal. He hopes that over time, the trend of places being in slow decline will be transformed. Protecting Edinburgh as a small heritage city 'that punches well above its weight globally' will be on the forefront of civic and political thinking. 'A lot of those death by a thousand cuts could be healed with income that comes from the Visitor Levy, if properly spent and applied,' he adds. 'I think we are at a very exciting but critical point in time,' says Rankin. 'The city is aspiring to grow and transition, and for that reason, we have to proceed carefully. We can't just forge ahead.' In due course, Charlotte Square will be levelled out, as it was before the 1960s, and the unsightly ramp will no longer be needed. The crusty black tarmac on Frederick Street will ultimately be replaced with granite setts. (Image: GordonTerris_Herald&Times) 'For all projects and wider work carried out in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, we take great care to ensure that it respects and where possible, enhances the special character of the area,' says Councillor Stephen Jenkinson, transport and environment convener at City of Edinburgh Council. 'This is in conjunction with making sure that project considerations are properly taken into account, including both the specific and cumulative impacts. 'Under our City Centre Transformation strategy, we're committed to improving our streets and public spaces, creating safer conditions for walking, wheeling, and cycling, along with reducing air and noise pollution. We're taking these goals forward with ambitious projects such as the Low Emission Zone (LEZ), George Street and First New Town and improving the setted streets in the Old Town. Occasionally, we need to make emergency temporary repairs to ensure the safety and usability of streets and spaces. In these instances, permanent solutions will be brought forward as soon as possible. 'We work closely with partners such as Edinburgh World Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland, along with other key stakeholders, including the Cockburn Association, to achieve this consistency and respect for our World Heritage Site – and we'll continue to do so in the future.' Marissa MacWhirter is a columnist and feature writer at The Herald, and the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. The newsletter is curated between 5-7am each morning, bringing the best of local news to your inbox each morning without ads, clickbait, or hyperbole. Oh, and it's free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1
The Sun
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Glasgow Times
19 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Fireman from famous Glasgow photo shares story of dramatic night
At the top of a towering ladder, a fireman is just visible as he directs a jet of water on to the burning building below. Smoke fills the sky, as flames inside the building cast an eerie glow into the October night. The building in question is the St Andrew's Halls, and Jim Gallagher remembers this moment well – because he was the man at the top of the ladder. Jim, centre, with colleagues from Glasgow's fire service (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest) In the first of a two-part Times Past special feature about Jim's memories of Glasgow, he reveals the real story behind the fire that shocked the city. 'It was freezing, and I was up there for four hours,' says Jim, now 85. 'I was numb and shaking like a leaf when I came back down.' It was October 26, 1962, and the drama began for Jim and his colleagues just before midnight. 'Our bells started ringing about 11.30pm, and we raced down North Street to Charing Cross – this was before the motorway, of course,' says Jim. Retired firefighter Jim Gallagher, 85 (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest) 'We were confused when we got there, though – no smoke, no flames, all you could see were what looked like wee bits of steam coming out at the pillars. 'We waited for our orders to go in.' Jim adds: 'One of the men said, 'I think we've lost it,' but I couldn't understand what he was talking about – there was no sign of a fire. 'He told me to jump out the engine on to the street and then I understood. You could hear it 'breathing', the building, a kind of whoomp, whoomp noise, in and out ... 'Then all hell broke loose.' As more fire crews and fire prevention teams arrived, Jim watched as the doors to the hall were kicked in. 'And of course, that let the wind in, and the place went up like a light,' he says, with a shake of his head. 'I was handed a belt with two big clips on it, and I knew what was coming. I'd done the drills. I knew I was going up the turntable ladder.' Jim looking through old photos of the St Andrew's Halls fire (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest) Jim recalls being lifted 120 feet into the air, and the 'wham' of the water when it came out the end of the hose. 'It was some force,' he nods. 'The roof had gone by this time, and the heat was incredible. The water was just turning to steam as it hit the flames.' Jim spent four hours at the top of the ladder. 'It was a cold October night and the uniforms weren't the fancy outfits they are now,' he says. 'We had a heavy jacket, some leggings and rubber boots – and the helmet, which was made of cork. 'I was frozen. I can still remember the mug of Bovril the Salvation Army handed to me – it was delicious.' Despite the best efforts of Jim and his colleagues, Glasgow's premier concert venue was completely destroyed that night. While up the ladder, he recalls, amid the smoke and heat, Jim spotted a 'stop gap' between the walls of the hall and the library next door. 'It was a big space, a fire wall created during the war, and that's what saved the Mitchell Library,' says Jim. There were no fatalities, thankfully, but the loss of the hall was devastating to the city both architecturally and financially. Records in Glasgow City Archive include the firemaster's report, which notes the cost of the damage to be around £1 million. Jim was brought up in Bridgeton. His dad was a carpenter and cabinet-maker, his mum ran the house and looked after Jim, his two brothers, Alan and Sandy, and sisters Margaret and Celia. He now lives in sheltered housing in Kirkintilloch, where he enjoys regaling staff and visitors with his tales of working in the city. Jim has been a police officer, a taxi driver, and a Glasgow Corporation bus driver, but he particularly enjoyed his four years in the fire service. 'It was a great job - the boys loved pulling pranks,' he says, smiling. 'All your uniform was stored on the fire engine, and occasionally, you'd pull on your boots to find them half full of water.' Don't miss Tuesday's Glasgow Times for more of Jim's memories of living and working in the city.
