Bob Law's blog: The Changing Face of Glasgow

Home » Bob Law: photographer, walker and writer » Bob Law’s blog: The Changing Face of Glasgow

Bob Law’s blog: The Changing Face of Glasgow

(Seat with a view. Charles Rennie Mackintosh Statue, Anderston, Glasgow)

Like any large city Glasgow is constantly evolving and one of the delights/changes/bewilderment for any city dweller is watching this happen. Entire areas appear to be transformed almost overnight with new structures replacing old.

The Anderston District of Glasgow is an area that has seen such change. Functional residential buildings have transformed the area with 540 new affordable homes replacing 1960s blocks. Alongside this more unique new structures have also appeared. You will also find the beautiful Central Gurdwara Singh Sabha Temple – and statues; Andy Scott’s statue of Glasgow’s famous artist and architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, has pride of place in Anderston.

(Charles Rennie MacKintosh Statue. Glasgow)

A new family of hippos replaced the original hippos, the public art work for the original Anderston Housing Scheme.

(Hippo Family. Anderston. Glasgow)

The people that notice transformation most are often overseas visitors, citizens of the city in their youth who come back to districts they once knew well, 20 or 40 years later, only to find it a very different place from the one they left.

Permanent residents of any city can also be caught out by this effect- a new building suddenly springing up and having little memory of what once stood there for 200 years- despite passing it frequently. Structures that are taken for granted, almost invisible, gone for good and replaced with something new.

The Bridge is a good example of this as I had to really think hard to remember what it replaced. It’s at the corner of Argyle Street and West Campbell Street.