It wasn’t too long ago that Glasgow was a truly industrial city, and before that a merchant city - there's generations upon generation of different buildings, structures, and spaces that date back hundreds of years in the city, that we might not even realise have such a storied history.
Old factories, warehouses, former churches and post-industrial spaces - we're a enterprising bunch when it comes to re-using out old spaces, so much so that we can forget that these buildings we see everyday were formerly used for an all-together different purpose.
The re-use of these old buildings is all-in-all a good thing, too many great Glaswegian buildings have been razed to the ground in the last 60 years.
Thanks to the listed building initiative however, many of the better presented spaces like the Templeton Carpet Factory were preserved for their architectural significance.
These spaces produced much more than just the products they manufactured, lifelong friends and even romances were made in the four walls of the factory - as Glaswegians worked ridiculously long hours before returning to slum tenement housing conditions.
The re-use of these old buildings is all-in-all a good thing, too many great Glaswegian buildings have been razed to the ground in the last 60 years.
13. Saint Luke's
Originally St Luke's Parish Church - the building was thoughtfully restored retaining stained glass windows and the pipe organ display which dates back to the early 1800's. Designed by Glasgow’s own James Wylson and erected in 1836/1837, its construction came to fruition thanks to extensive missionary work in the surrounding community and was initially used as a “chapel of ease” for the residents of the nearby Barony parish. Attendance fell and the building became derelict in the 90s, but was restored and re-opened as the venue we know it as today in 2013. Photo: Google
14. Sugo
Every Glaswegian knows Sugo by now - nestled in The Lighthouse, the original headquarters of The Herald when it was constructed back in 1885. This historic building was the very first public commission by Charles Rennie Mackintosh - it's one of the only ways you can access the old building now, as The Lighthouse has been shut to the public since the pandemic.
15. Lion Chambers
The architecturally unique Lion Chambers on Hope Street was designed in the Glasgow art nouveau style and dates from the early Edwardian era. It started construction in 1904 and finished in 1907. Options for its reuse have been discussed for more than a decade - but to this day the space remains derelict on Hope Street to this day. The building was home to many lawyers and artists for most of the 20th century, until they were evacuated in 1995 as it had become to dangerous to use for commercial purposes. It's lay derelict since - it's pretty safe from demolition, for the most part, thanks to it being A-listed. Most of the issues around the building stem from the experimental style of construction, the Hennebique System, which involves a reinforced concrete as its main material. Photo: Copyright Historic Environment Scotland
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