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Glasgow Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Secrets of Glasgow's very own 'Domesday Book' revealed
This tongue-in-cheek title is an ode to the oldest government record held in The National Archives. The original Domesday Book is a survey of English land in the eleventh century and is perhaps the most well-known archive item in the UK. Sadly, Glasgow's Domesday Book cannot boast such an illustrious history. (Image: Glasgow City Archives) Our volume consists of biographical notes and cross-referenced newspaper obituaries of Glasgow councillors. It was compiled by local authority officials to cover 1890 to 1975 but also includes retrospective information back to the 1850s. As such, it's an invaluable launchpad for any research into councillors for Glasgow Corporation and its predecessor, Glasgow Town Council. Me and my colleagues have used it many times over the years to help questing researchers. (Image: Glasgow City Archives) Understandably, many people are interested in the careers of former Lord Provosts. The origins of this civic role date from medieval times when Glasgow was a burgh. In modern times, Glasgow's Lord Provost has been the city's principal civic representative at home. I wrote recently about James Welsh, who served as Lord Provost during the Second World War until November 1945. James Welsh (Image: Glasgow City Archives) The Domesday Book provides an excellent, though brief, summary of his political career in the city. He began in 1913 and completed thirty-six years of public service, many of those spent representing the people in the wards of Dalmarnock and Maryhill. In addition, he was elected as the MP for Paisley in 1929. (Image: Glasgow City Archives) His entry also notes that he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow in October 1945. Last year, we took in his official and personal papers which chronicled his time in office. When I started out as a new archivist at Glasgow City Archives, part of what intrigued me about the Glasgow Domesday Book (apart from its name) was that it was the first internal finding aid within an archive collection itself that I had come across. Finding aids are key for any collections-based service like ours. To help researchers, we create catalogues (hard copy and online) and indexes (names, places, subjects, organisations and buildings among other terms) as well as making use of internal finding aids like the Domesday Book. It is an archive item itself but was compiled as a finding aid by clerks from the Town Council (later, Glasgow Corporation). The clerks would have gone through meeting minutes, obituaries and other sources to summarise the careers of former councillors for use by future researchers. The Glasgow Domesday Book is a manuscript volume and was clearly a living document, being added to throughout the years by various clerks. In the entry for James Welsh, you can see that there are examples of several different clerks' handwriting. As a finding aid, the Domesday Book helps researchers to navigate their way through our other sources searching for these same councillors. For example, the Book gives dates which helps users to narrow down their search of our Glasgow Corporation minutes. It also helps them to find their councillor in our annually printed lists of magistrates and town councillors of Glasgow, a source which confirms which committees each councillor served on and when. READ NEXT: The unusual link between Glasgow and 'dark history' of the pineapple 9 pictures which tell story of famous Glasgow store with link to Rennie Mackintosh 'Gran's report card' discovery reveals story of 'lost' Glasgow school If a councillor became Lord Provost, then researchers can use the archives of the Lord Provost's Office. These are a rich resource which include correspondence, press-cutting books, committee minutes, files on public events as well as photos of civic occasions. Some films presented to the Lord Provost are held on deposit at the National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive. As many Lord Provosts were merchants or business owners, some of their personal papers have survived to form part of our collections. For example, we hold the family trust volumes of Sir James Bain (born in 1818) and the papers of Sir James King (born in 1830) during his time in office. Interestingly, the Domesday Book doesn't record other notable information. For example, Dame Jean Roberts, a former teacher, was the first female Lord Provost and served from 1960 to 1963. One of her predecessors in the role, Sir Patrick Dollan, was the first person from an Irish-Catholic background to hold the office when he became Lord Provost in 1938. Neither entry records these facts. Nevertheless, the Glasgow Domesday Book is outstanding in its own way, forming one of the many access points into the collections of Glasgow City Archives.
Irish Post
20-05-2025
- Irish Post
Glasgow exhibition wants to hear from Donegal people
Throughout the 20th century, waves of emigration from Donegal to Scotland shaped the social fabric of both places. Seasonal migration for work — in agriculture, coal-mining, construction and transport — saw thousands of Donegal men and women cross the water each year Mary McGinley, Derryreel, Falcarragh pictured with her co-workers on Glasgow Corporation trams in the 1950s (pic courtesy of Mary McKeown) DONEGAL County Council wants members of the diaspora in Scotland to submit a short video of their experience of working in Scotland between 1940 and 1990. They are promising a prize of a return flight for two people between Donegal International Airport and Glasgow Airport for one of the submissions. The video should be smartphone recording of a few minutes, recounting what it was like coming from Donegal, landing in Scotland, and getting a job. The videos will be part of a new exhibition entitled Working Over By , currently being developed by the Culture Division of Donegal County Council in partnership with the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies. SS Lairdsgrove formerly SS Magpie which plied the Irish Sea route until 1950, taking emigrants largely from Donegal, Derry and Antrim to Scotland (author Laird Lines, image in public domain) Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer told The Irish Post : 'The idea is simple but powerful: to gather and share personal stories of Donegal men and women who made a life, temporarily or permanently, working across the water in Scotland 'If you have a story to tell, you're invited to record a short video - no longer than five minutes - using your smartphone by Friday, May 30,' Councillor Gallagher said. 'It might be your own memory or that of a parent, grandparent or relative. The project team is especially interested in what the work was like, what the working conditions were, and how it felt to be part of that community of Donegal people who worked in Scotland.' Many people from Donegal found employment in Scotland between 1940 and 1990 including on farms, buses, roads, building sites, tunnels, bridges, dams, hydro-electric schemes, shipbuilding, domestic service, hotels, shops, biscuit or chocolate factories, health service, religious life and teaching. Some went for seasonal work and came home regularly; others stayed and built new lives there, often maintaining strong ties with home. 'Through the Working Over By exhibition, there's an opportunity to record and share those memories for future generations,' Councillor Gallagher added. Some of the submitted videos will be edited into a film that will be shown as part of the exhibition at the Donegal County Museum in Letterkenny, County Donegal in summer 2025. It is planned that a travelling version of the exhibition will tour in Scotland from August 2025. It's a chance to contribute to a lasting record of the working lives that shaped so many families and communities on both sides of the Irish Sea. Councillor Gallagher said: 'One lucky participant will be chosen at random from the selected entries to win a return flight for two between Donegal International Airport and Glasgow Airport.' Full details on how to enter are available on the County Donegal Heritage Office, Donegal County Council website at: DONEGAL DIASPORA PROJECT See More: Diaspora Project, Donegal, Emigration
The Herald Scotland
19-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Clyde Tunnel: How Glasgow icon was built and human cost
Following the end of World War II, the local and national government was keen to improve infrastructure in Glasgow but faced a problem connecting the two sides of the River Clyde. Downstream of the city centre, areas like Govan and Finnieston were important shipbuilding centres, with the river also providing an important trade link to the Americas and what remained of the British Empire. It was therefore deemed impossible to construct new bridges over the Clyde – planners would have to go under. In 1948 the Glasgow Corporation - as the City Council was known then - was given the power to construct a two-lane tunnel at an estimated cost of £3million – around £86.5m in today's money. The Clyde Tunnel under construction (Image: Free) Of that total 75 per cent would be provided by the national government, with the city picking up the remainder. As tends to happen with large infrastructure projects though the costs soon began to spiral, reaching £4m by 1953 and £5m a year later. Proposals were made to reduce the project to one tunnel with two entrances, bringing the cost back down to just over £3m, but by 1957 the projected cost had soared to £6.4m for that option and £10.3m – almost £200m – for the original plan. On June 26 of that year a ground breaking ceremony was held, Lord Provost Andrew Hood using a silver-plated spade to dump the first soil into an iron barrow, and work could finally commence. To make way 250 tenements were demolished, along with a church, several bowling greens and some allotments. To construct the subterranean passage, deep tunnels were driven into the soft earth below the riverbed, with the structure reinforced as workers inched forward. Read More: A look back at the era of sharp suits, when Glasgow nightlife reigned supreme Those working on the tunnel were offered a decompression chamber on entering and leaving, with 'the bends' a real risk for people working in a compressed air environment. Sitting in the chamber meant avoiding adverse effects but also adding an hour to the beginning and end of a shift. Two died due to rapid decompression, while signs were put up along Govan Road informing residents that should they see a man staggering down the road, they should consider he may be a construction worker suffering the bends and not a local drunk. Conditions below the river were grim. Sixteen men at a time toiled in a circular cage, hacking away at sections of rock before shoring up the passageway behind them. The Herald's correspondent described the burgeoning underpass as 'an obstacle course of hazard and glaur'. Workers construct the Clyde Tunnel inch-by-inch (Image: Newsquest) Deputy resident engineer Graham U Biggart lamented 'the Clyde must be the hardest river in Britain to go under', with workers digging and chipping through solid rock at one moment only to be confronted with gloopy sand and mud the next. They used shovels and picks to advance as little as 9ft per day, 21ft below the bed of the Clyde. Progress was not rapid. Three years into the project The Herald spoke of the 'dismal tale' of mounting costs, with some querying whether tolls should be introduced when the connection was finally finished. This was rejected by the Scottish Home Department, who reasoned that the nearest bridge was just three miles from the tunnel and even the smallest charge would discourage its use. Read More: J.M. Barrie and the tale of the greatest – and worst – cricket team ever assembled In 1961, a year behind schedule, work had advanced to the stage it was possible to walk between Linthouse and Whiteinch – albeit by shuffling along ledges, dodging pools of water and 'the climbing of many ladders'. The Whiteinch tunnel was finally opened on July 3 1963 by Queen Elizabeth, and was described as 'only a first step' in a road redevelopment scheme which would transform the city. Laid out in the 1965 document 'A Plan for Glasgow', an inner ring road was to be constructed that would form a box encircling the city centre. The city was deemed to have 'few buildings of historical importance', while the 'graceful arcs and curves' of the new ring road would 'become Glasgow's architectural fashion-setter'. In the event only the north and west sections were ever completed, forming today's M8 which cuts through the city at Charing Cross. Queen Elizabeth opens the Clyde Tunnel (Image: Newsquest Media Group) The following day's Herald ran an eight-page supplement including a first look from the newspaper's motoring correspondent, who was suitably impressed by the 'fluorescent strip lighting of the greatest brilliance' and 'first class' tyre adhesion and grading. Less than a year later, shortly after the five millionth vehicle had made the crossing, the second tunnel was opened to the public just three months behind schedule. Despite running massively over budget, the Clyde Tunnel was a success. Estimates before its construction had 9-13,000 cars crossing underneath the river per day but 22,000 made the journey on its first day of operation. That has led to numerous repair works being carried out to a structure experiencing more wear than expected, while five years of work between 2005 and 2010 were needed to bring the crossing up to European safety standards. The Mont Blanc fire of 1999 which claimed 39 lives saw new laws brought in which meant installing a fireproof layer around the existing structure, with the upgrades costing almost as much as the tunnel itself. In 2016 the Glasgow Times reported that the operating cost for the Clyde Tunnel is around £1m per year, with an infrastructure report stating it needed around £25m in funding to ensure its long-term viability. The decline of shipbuilding and freight on the Clyde has meant a number of bridges have been constructed since the tunnel was completed, including the Kingston Bridge as part of the aforementioned ring road scheme, and the Clyde Arc which opened in 2006. Still though, six decades on, 25 million people per year travel through the passageway those men picked and scraped into existence below the bed of the Clyde.
Glasgow Times
30-04-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
Burning baffles and drinking pubs dry: How Glasgow celebrated VE Day
ALMOST 80 years ago to the day, Glasgow Corporation was preparing to host a public celebration of the end of the Second World War in Europe. After almost six years of worldwide warfare, peace in Europe heralded a return to ordinary life and the lifting of wartime restrictions. It was an occasion which merited thanksgiving and it was the Lord Provost's office which was responsible for arranging Glasgow's civic celebration in George Square. (Image: Newsquest) The victory announcement had come on May 7, 1945. People rejoiced to hear it on the radio shortly before 8pm that evening. It had been a long expected and much delayed announcement. Glaswegians had been gathering in George Square throughout the day. They were joined by press photographers hoping to catch an image of the crowds bathed in the floodlights and festoon lighting yet to be switched on. Blazing lights after the blackout years were much anticipated - blazing bonfires, too. These appeared across the city, on vacant pieces of ground as well as on the streets themselves. Police put a stop to this latter practice and enlisted the National Fire Service to extinguish the fires and prevent damage to the street surfaces. The doors of air raid shelters were ripped off in the relentless quest for fuel. Other potent symbols of wartime were also targeted. A total of 258 baffle walls in the East End were pushed over. Baffle walls were brick structures built at close mouths to protect the building from the effects of a bomb blast. A street in Kinning Park showing baffle walls at the close mouths, 1944 (Image: Glasgow City Archives) However, they changed the familiar layout of the streets and were a hazard themselves during blackout conditions. Many people were injured by walking straight into them at full speed. It wasn't surprising that Glaswegians were glad to see an end to them. • Victory in Europe, George Square Ceremony Programme, May 1945 (Image: Glasgow City Archives) The following day, May 8, was VE (Victory in Europe) Day. There was a holiday atmosphere in Glasgow. Many buildings were bedecked with flags, crowds thronged the streets and, once more, people were drawn to George Square. This time, the authorities had laid on entertainment for the large crowd. Broadcast music and pipe bands accompanied singing and dancing among those gathered. George Square was not particularly suited for such a large crowd but the police did their best to help people enjoy themselves. A member of the Mounted Police cleared a space for people to dance an eightsome reel. Everywhere, people danced, in the streets and in the city's dance halls, the opening hours of which had been extended along with those of other places of entertainment. Sadly, some celebrations were cut short. Certain licensed premises had to close early due to their stocks of liquor being exhausted by early evening. READ NEXT: 6 photos which tell story of great Glasgow department store Lewis's READ NEXT: The story of why this famous North Glasgow area had a different name for decades It was clear that the authorities had been expecting somewhat riotous celebrations from Glaswegians. However, the Chief Constable of Glasgow Police, in his report to the Lord Provost, declared that 'the citizens of Glasgow conducted themselves in a most exemplary and seemly manner throughout.' Wednesday, May 9, 1945 saw George Square being converged upon once again, this time for the civic ceremony at 3pm. The event was planned meticulously and the process chronicled in a file of paperwork now held as part of the collections in the City Archives. While people assembled in the square to await the beginning of proceedings, selections by the Band of the Cameronians were played. The Lord Provost was joined by representatives from the army, navy and RAF, as well as various civic dignitaries including the Deacon-Convener of the Trades of Glasgow, the Town Clerk and the City Chamberlain. Lord Provost James Welsh (Image: Glasgow City Archives) As part of the ceremony, Lord Provost James Welsh addressed the crowd. First and foremost, he paid tribute to the three fighting services and their auxiliaries. However, he also looked to acknowledge those who had worked to protect Glasgow's citizens and who had attempted to mitigate war damage on the home front. These included the Civil Defence Department of Glasgow Corporation; the police; the National Fire Service, the Observer Corps and the Voluntary Services. Welsh's remarks acknowledged the role Glasgow's industry had played in producing vital ships and munitions for the war effort. However, his speech also held a note of caution as he asked jubilant citizens to remember that 'our kith and kin are still enduring the hardships and dangers of War in the East.' What are your memories of the VE Day celebrations in Glasgow? Email or write to Ann Fotheringham, Glasgow Times, 125 Fullarton Drive, Glasgow G32 8FG.
