A new book steps back in time to give a snapshot of how a city has changed - in its buildings and its industries.
Glasgow in the 1960s and 1970s in photographs by John R Hume is the latest publication from the local history house Stenlake Publishing Ltd.
As many will know, John is an architectural and industrial historian, author and photographer with many books and papers to his name over many years.
Affection
Long retired, he spent 20 years at the University of Strathclyde, researching and lecturing on economic and industrial history, before a career at Historic Scotland as principal inspector of ancient monuments, and then of historic buildings.
This new book is a collection of his photos of Glasgow taken with huge affection but often showing the warts and all of a city in transition, and in some parts forlorn and wasted with decrepit or half-demolished buildings.
John’s Glasgow of these decades could be scruffy and long uncared-for or well-kept like the Glasgow Underground Govan Depot or the Glenlee moored at Yorkhill Quay.
Highlights include the Erskine on the Renfrew Ferry service and an Andrew Barclay locomotive being loaded at King George V Dock.
In the West End, there are wonderful images of former tenements on Hyndland Street and their demolition in 1970.
I have attempted to bring some order so have divided them into three sections: the first deals with general scenes, then there is transport, and finally there are images of industrial subjects - John R Hume
Another photo shows how Mansfield Street and Dumbarton Road used to look before its modern appearance with new buildings and shop fronts.
One shows the upheaval and chaos of the construction of the M8 motorway in 1970 in the Charing Cross part of the city.
The photos are a wonderful introduction to the story of Glasgow in recent times for those not familiar with its past, while also a tender trip down memory lane for those who grew up and were familiar with the city of this era.
In his introduction to the book, John recounts how his interest in Glasgow, especially its transport and industries, grew through his schooldays and then his university days and then continued to eventually become a cornerstone of his life as he became Scotland’s pre-eminent industrial historian.
His work ultimately led him to become an important recorder of that industry in decay and loss through his camera lens.
In the introduction, John writes of the origins of the new book: “When I showed Richard Stenlake and Lewis Hutton a somewhat random selection of coloured slides when I was preparing images for transfer to Historic Environment Scotland, they suggested that I might put together some images of Glasgow from those that I showed them. This is the result.
Interest
“I have attempted to bring some order so have divided them into three sections: the first deals with general scenes, then there is transport, and finally there are images of industrial subjects.
“Richard also suggested that some information about how these photographs came to be taken might also be of interest. Hence these background notes.”
John signs off: “This summary may help readers to understand how I came to put together the images included in this volume. They were chosen primarily for their pictorial, rather than their historical, value. I hope you will appreciate their publication by Stenlake Publishing Ltd.”
