Basic Site Details

Name: Pollokshaws CDA Unit 2 housing, police station, library, schools
Town, district or village: Pollokshaws
City or county: Glasgow
Country: Scotland
Parish:  
Status:  
Grid ref:
Notes: Shopping centre, police station, library, nursery and primary schools, and housing. Also (Campbell's Nomination Paper) public houses and service trades.

Housing comprised 1500 dwellings in a mixutre of 16-23 storeys, low blocks of maisonettes (four-five storeys), and two-storey terrace houses. The site was developed generally from south to north, with later infill around the edges. The first development comprised one 20-storey, three 16-storey, two five-storey, and two-four storey blocks. From 1964, the height of the new towers was stepped up to 23 storeys, and the final multi-storey block (a 17-storey slab at the extreme south-west) was not finished until 1974.

Tall blocks in this development were the first 'factory-made' flats in Scotland. Of Bison construction, they were the first large Bison contract in Scotland and were manufactured by Concrete Scotland Ltd in its Falkirk factory.

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
 ClassificationOriginal classification?Notes
Item 1 of 4Housing  
Item 2 of 4Library  
Item 3 of 4School  
Item 4 of 4Police station  

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:
 AddressMain entrance?Notes
Item 1 of 3Kinnishead Road in the south-west
Item 2 of 3Riverford Road in the north-east
Item 3 of 3Shawbridge Street Is the axis in the development

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
 FromToEvent typeNotes
Item 1 of 41960s Build/constructionLibrary.
Item 2 of 42 September 1960 Scheme accepted£4.5m. Boswell, Mitchell & Johnston scheme approved by the Corporation's Housing Committee; 1,500 houses to be built in seven 16-storey blocks and four 20-storey blocks divided by a series of squares stretching from Kennishead Road in the southwest to Riverford Road in the northeast; the central square will include shops with covered walks, banks and offices and a roof-level restaurant; a new road system will be designed at Pollokshaws round toll with pedestrian underpasses per Builder p450
Item 3 of 419621974Build/constructionConstruction of the first 16-storey block began in mid-September, 1962, was completed at the end of November, 1963. Phases 1 and 2 will be completed by July, 1964, a total time of 110 weeks from start to finish (per Builder, 13 March 1964, p567).
Item 4 of 4January 1962 Contract offeredUnit No. 2. Phase 1 (416 houses). Several works contract. One block, 20 storeys, 89 houses; 3 blocks, 16 storeys 231 houses; 2 blocks, 5 storeys, 48 houses and 2 blocks, 4 storeys, 48 houses. Garages, lockups, pavings, steps, retaining walls, drainage (per Builder p226).

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
 NameRolePartnership GroupFromToNotes
Item 1 of 11James Laidlaw & Sons Ltd  19621974General contractor
Item 2 of 11Boswell, Mitchell & Johnston A19621974In association with A G Jury and Glasgow Corporation Architectural and Planning Dept
Item 3 of 11Eric William Hargreaves A19621974 
Item 4 of 11Frank Campbell A19621974 
Item 5 of 11Ninian Rutherford Jamieson Johnston A19621974 
Item 6 of 11Peter Mitchell A19621974 
Item 7 of 11Robert Scott Noble A19621974 
Item 8 of 11Archibald George Jury B19621974As city architect and director of planning
Item 9 of 11Glasgow Corporation Housing Department (later Architectural & Planning Department, Glasgow Corporation) B19621974With A G Jury as city architect and director of planning
Item 10 of 11T Harley Haddow & Partners C19621974Construction engineers
Item 11 of 11Thomas Harley Haddow C19621974Construction engineers

Clients

The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design:
 NameNotes
Item 1 of 1Glasgow Corporation 

Related Buildings, Structures and Designs

Parent Structure and Site

This structure is related to the following parent structure or site (click the item to view details):
 Building nameNotes
Item 1 of 1Pollokshaws CDAPollokshaws CDA was declared in 1958. It was the only CDA with a housing gain and involved the redevelopment of a derelict industrial area. It was divided into two units: Unit 1, the old burgh centre, and Unit 2, the south section (south of Riverford Road).

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 5Glendinning, M, MacInnes, R and MacKechnie, A1996A History of Scottish Architecture  p555
Item 2 of 5Glendinning, Miles1997Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75  Tuckwell Press Ltdp46 Pollokshaws CDA Unit 2 Photograph
Item 3 of 5Glendinning, Miles and Muthesius, Stefan1994Tower Block: Modern Public Housing in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Yale University Press: New Haven and Londonp228
Item 4 of 5RIBA1970RIBA Directory 1970   
Item 5 of 5Williamson, Riches, Higgs1990Glasgow (The Buildings of Scotland)  p563, pp564-5

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 6Builder2 September 1960  'Development of Pollokshaws Area' p450
Item 2 of 6Builder26 January 1962  p226
Item 3 of 6Builder13 March 1964  p567
Item 4 of 6Builder8 May 1964   
Item 5 of 6InterbuildNovember 1961   
Item 6 of 6Official Architecture and PlanningMarch 1958   

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
 SourceArchive nameSource catalogue no.Notes
Item 1 of 2RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers Frabk Campbell: F no 5665 (Combined Box 93)
Item 2 of 2Strathclyde Regional ArchivesGlasgow Dean of Guild GCA DG: Phase 1, 1961/601; Phase 2, 1962/598; trades block, 1964/436; Phase 3, 1964/653; Phase 2 ext, 1967/878; Phase 4, 1968/182; Blocks 28-30, 1971/153