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This bit of Maryhill Road used to be lined with red tenements. Glasgow's tram system, which opened in 1872, connected Maryhill to different parts of the city up until 1962, when the system was closed to make way for the motor car. The photo above from the late 1950s shows both the tram and the tenements, where the McDonalds is now. The site is directly opposite Maryhill Central Train Station, which has since been demolished and replaced by first a shopping centre and later the large Tesco Extra that is still there. The McDonalds has a drive-through, making it a favourite take-away place during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Maryhill Road late 1950s, site of the current McDonalds

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Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"I go here with my son and friends to have fun and spend some time together."

The McDonalds is located right across the road from the popular Tesco Extra, making it the ideal place to stop for a meal before doing the weekly shop. 

McDonalds in Maryhill

This tour will show you Maryhill through the eyes of the local New Scots. Maryhill is one of the main dispersal areas for people seeking asylum and refuge in Glasgow. For many years, people from all over the world settled in Maryhill; It is part of the wider Glasgow community and many New Scots call Maryhill their home.  Since 2001, Maryhill Integration Network (MIN) has been bringing diverse communities together through art, social, cultural, and various other amazing projects. MIN understands that integration is not possible by working with only one particular group within the community and so encourages participation from people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities living within Greater Maryhill, the North West area of Glasgow and beyond. The images and stories in this tour come from MIN members who have lived in Maryhill for 2-6 years. This tour is presented as part of a series of three tours, the Warm Welcome Walks 2020, organised by the UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. For more information on the other walks, please visit https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/unesco/events/.

The new Burgh Hall building at Gairbraid Avenue was formally opened on Friday 26th April 1878. It came about due to the increasing population growth in the town of Maryhill and the lawlessness this created. The H.M. Inspector of Police for Scotland had insisted that the Maryhill Police Commissioners take steps to provide a more suitable building for police purposes. They allocated a portion of ground at the junction of Gairbraid Avenue and Wyndford Street, (now Maryhill Road) and plans were prepared which included the necessary police accommodation, court room, bathhouse, washhouse, fire station and a public hall to seat 900.   The design work was carried out by Duncan McNaughtan, a local Glasgow based architect. He was born in Rutherglen in 1845. Between 1868 and 1870 he worked in London and in 1871 returned to Glasgow to commence business on his own account at 178 St. Vincent Street. It would appear that he won a competition in 1876 to design the Maryhill Burgh Halls. It resembles a French hotel, a style that was relatively popular both in Glasgow and internationally in the 1870s.  Maryhill Community Centre is managed by Glasgow Life on behalf of Glasgow City Council as a resource for the local community. It is home to a range of community groups, most notably the Maryhill Integration Network. Maryhill Integration Network (MIN) was established in 2001 and became a registered charity (SCO37300) in March 2006. They are a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation with a voluntary Board of Trustees.MIN brings refugee, migrant and local communities together through, art, social, cultural and educational groups and projects, offering people a chance to learn new skills, meet new people, share experiences and take part in worthwhile activities to improve their lives and the life of their communities. MIN works in partnership to develop projects and services that meet the needs of the local community. These aim to build bonds and links within and between communities to encourage cross-cultural understanding and celebrate diversity. They understand that integration is not possible by working with only a particular group within the community and so encourages participation from people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities living within Greater Maryhill, the North West area of Glasgow and beyond.

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"Maryhill Community Centre is very important to me in the sense that I go there on Thursdays for the women’s group. They have helped me to integrate together with other women, I also learned lots of things there like beading, other arts and crafts, writing poetry etc. They have helped me in so many ways by putting a smile on my face and making me forget my worries. They have really supported my family, giving my son things that are educational to him. I also go there every fortnight on Tuesdays, to join Maryhill Integration Voices, who teach me about my rights, where they stand to speak on our behalves on things that matter to the people in the community, especially we the Refugees and Asylum seekers. Above all, Maryhill Community Centre is where I go with any worries on my mind and I come out with smiles and hope. In short, I see Maryhill Community Centre as my family." / 

"This community centre is very important to me, because I benefit a lot from different groups in this place such as Maryhill Integration Network’s (MIN) Women’s group and MIN’s Voice."


Maryhill Community Centre and Maryhill Integration Network

The Tesco Extra is built on the site of the old Maryhill Central Railway station. To the west of the station was a triangular set of junctions. Immediately to the west was Maryhill Central junction where the railway line to Kirklee diverged to the south and the Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway headed east to Bellshaugh Junction where the western side of the triangle (from Kirklee Junction at the southern point of the junctions) and the Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway met before the line to Dawsholm diverged to the north. The station served the nearby Maryhill Barracks and it was from this station that tanks and soldiers departed for Buchanan Street station in order to be deployed at George Square in the 'Red Scare' of January 1919. There was another Maryhill station to the north. The station was closed to passengers on 2 November 1959 on the Glasgow Central Railway route and on 5 October 1964 on the Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway between Possil and Partick, with the lines in the area being closed on 5 October 1964. The site of the station was then occupied by Maryhill Shopping Centre which was built in the early 1980s and rebuilt in around 2010 to consist of a Large supermarket with 4 retail units and car parking below. However, a space was left in the basement of the shopping centre to allow the line to be re-opened in future; this was still considered an option in the mid 1990s with the building of a large bingo hall on the cutting east of site left a channel for the original line to be re-opened below ground. In 1999, however, this prospect was put to rest with the sale of land for housing along many parts of the track in the Kirklee and Cleveden sections of the track along with the demolition of many of the bridges around the same area for safety reasons. Maryhill Shopping Centre was demolished in early 2010 and replaced by a new Tesco supermarket. The void beneath the supermarket for the railway station has again been retained to allow the future possibility of reopening the railway line.

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"Tesco Extra is important because I go there to do my shopping once in a while."

"This is Tesco Extra on Maryhill Road. It is the biggest shop in Maryhill, where people go to do their daily shopping."

EThis is Tesco Extra along Maryhill Road. I have been to the store several times, because this is the store I do most of my shopping in."


Tesco Extra

Maryhill Burgh Police was established in 1856, under the General Police Act of 1850. It was under the control of six Commissioners, three of whom were also Magistrates of the Burgh. In July 1856, the Commissioners appointed George Anderson as Superintendent of Police. A native of Brechin, he had first joined the Edinburgh City Police then transferred to the Stirlingshire Constabulary, serving at Denny and Milngavie. He subsequently served in the Detective Department of the Glasgow Police under Detective Superintendent Alexander McCall (later Chief Constable of Glasgow). Maryhill Police Office on Gairbraid Avenue was opened in 1878 as the headquarters of the Maryhill Burgh Police and was the headquarters for the Maryhill Division, Glasgow Police. It ceased to be a Police office on 13 January, 1978, when the new Maryhill Police Office on 1380 Maryhill Road was built.

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"I have not been to this place, but it is very important to have one within the community, so that in case of an emergency, one can be at rest that it won’t be long before help comes."

The police station is directly opposite what is now the Wyndford Housing Estate.

Maryhill main police station

DEBRA is the national charity supporting people suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) – a potentially fatal skin condition that causes constant pain due to unstoppable internal and external blistering. Working as a team to understand the needs of the entire EB Community underpins DEBRA’s core strategy. DEBRA offers practical, financial and emotional support to, and advocates for, EB sufferers; partners with the NHS to provide life changing specialist care and produce internationally recognised clinical care guidelines; and works with researchers investigating effective treatments to relieve the symptoms of EB and ultimately find a cure. For more information, please visit the website.

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"I have visited this charity shop many times. This place is important, because here you can buy used furniture that is still in good condition and many other things at affordable prices."

This place is a treasure trove for anybody in Maryhill!

Debra Charity Superstore and Donation Centre

A free public library had been in existence in Maryhill since 1823, when it was founded by a group of papermakers from Dawsholm Paper Mill. It was financed by charges for lectures and by donations from the local gentry. A new library in Wyndford Street (now Maryhill Road) was opened in 1905. It is one of the twelve libraries constructed with Andrew Carnegie's gift of £100,000 to the city of Glasgow in 1901. It is also one of the seven of these buildings designed by the architect James R Rhind. Soon after its opening, City Librarian Francis Barrett reported, "that the reading rooms, ... have been fully occupied, and that the juvenile reading rooms are being largely taken advantage of."

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"I go to the library to read, use the computer and borrow books or CD’s."

"People go here to study and do research."


Maryhill Library

Maryhill was probably selected because it lay nearest to Shamrock Street, then the West End Church of Glasgow. A suitable temporary place of worship was found in what was then known as the Oddfellows Hall. It was the ‘Public’ Hall of Maryhill and accommodated 250 to 300 persons. It opened its doors as as a place of worship on Sunday, 22nd February, 1855. The attendances were large. In the evening the hall was crowded to suffocation, the ante-room, which served as a vestry was crammed, and the trap door from one side of the room on the stairway was opened to allow people to hear, although they could not see the preacher, and many had to go away. On 16th July, 1855, application was made to Glasgow Presbytery for permission to become a fully constituted and erected congregation. This was granted by the Presbytery on 14th August, and on the 28th October, the congregation gathered to participate in their first communion. The circumstances of the congregation worshipping in a hall was not, at all, favourable to its growth, and steps were therefore taken towards the erection of a Church. The choice of a site for the Church was an important matter. Three places were under consideration—one beside the Odd- fellows Hall, where the congregation was worshipping; a second near the centre of the village, opposite the head of Kelvin Street (now Cowal Street); and a third in Wyndford. The last was ultimately chosen, and the erection of the Church commenced in the Summer of 1858 when Bailie McDowall laid the foundation stone. On Sunday, 1st May, 1859, the Church was opened for public worship when the Rev. Dr. Robertson preached in the forenoon. Near the end of 1900 the United Presbyterian Church and the United Free Church joined, and so in Maryhill there were then two U.F. Churches. The Rev. W. Duncan in collaboration with Rev. Mr. Gillison of Maryhill High Church agreed that, since the Church in Sandbank Street was pre-disruption, they should call themselves Maryhill United free Church, while this church would bear the name of Gairbraid United Free Church. The Act of Unity was dated gist October, 1900. In 1926 the congregation raised funds for the installation of electric light, and this addition proved a great benefit and added immeasurably to the comfort and appearance of the Church. About this time the question of the Union of the Churches came up for consideration. The union of the United Presbyterian Church withthe Free Church in 1900, forming the United Free Church, now meant that the two biggest religious bodies in Scotland, the United Free Church and the Church of Scotland, were carrying on similar Christian work, and they were almost indistinguishable in doctrine. The causes which had led to the Disruption in 1843, no longer existed, since the Patronage Act had been repealed in 1874, and other Acts in 1921 and 1925, and it was felt that, once again, the Church of Scotland should be united. This question which had unfortunately far reaching effects gave rise to a certain amount of bitterness in many congregations, and, in this, Gairbraid was no exception. Despite calls for unanimity, some members decided to leave when finally in 1929 the Union was consummated. During the summer of 1946, an ambitious Renovation Scheme was carried out, whereby all the woodwork around the chancel was completely renewed, including the pulpit, and also the entire Church repainted including the pews. At a special meeting of the congregation on Tuesday, 24th February, 1953, it was decided to commemorate the Centenary of the Congregation by attending to a long overdue task, namely the recovering and relaying of the floor in the large Church Hall, the purchase of 300 seats, the fitting of a false ceiling to the roof of the Hall, and various other alterations. By September 1954, that task had been completed.

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"I go here for worship."

About a hundred years ago the Glasgow Presbytery of the United Presbyterian Church resolved to plant

churches in certain parts of the City and suburbs where the denomination was not adequately represented, or not represented at all. It was sympathy with this movement, and encouragement from the Church Extension that led Dr. James Robertson and the congregation of Shamrock Street to look at Maryhill as a sphere for their efforts towards church extension. Scroll down to find out what happened next.

Gairbraid Parish Church

Glasgow club is housed in the former Maryhill Public Baths and Washhouses. The Baths and Washhouses is an important part of the streetscape in this area of Glasgow and a good example of an increasingly rare building type. It tells us much about the city's social history. Between 1876 and 1914 20 baths and washhouses were opened in Glasgow and only a handful now survive. Located on a prominent corner site, the exterior of the building has good Baroque detailing. While the interior of the building has been adapted to meet new requirements, the exterior is little altered. It remains linked to Maryhill Burgh Halls (now Maryhill Community Centre, see separate listing) to the East by an arcade which was part of the ground floor of a tenement building. Swimming clubs and bath houses were established in Scotland from the 1850s following the enactment of the 1846 Act to Encourage the Establishment of Public Baths and Wash-houses, which was established to improve general public health with access for all classes of citizen. With the rapid expansion of urban population, often living and working in unsanitary conditions, bath and wash houses were seen as essential public services. The Act, which affected the entirety of Britain, encouraged local authorities to open up these facilities in areas of dense population. While men and women did not mix at these facilities, women would have had their own separate entrance, however they would have to attend at certain times when the male pools were not in use. It would not be until the 1870s when separate ladies pools were being considered in bath and wash house design. These bath and wash houses increasingly to catered for recreational swimming and became a hugely popular social pasttime during the 20th century. Maryhill Public Baths opened on 30 May 1898. In 2006 the swimming pool was converted into a sports hall and an extension was built running at an angle of 45 degrees from the North East of the building to Maryhill Road to house a 25m pool, baby pool, steam room and changing facilities. The entrance was moved from the West elevation to a new reception area between the Baths and the Burgh Halls in Gairbraid Avenue. An old plaque inside the Maryhill Public Baths tells us that the facilities at Maryhill included a swimming pool 75 feet by 35 feet and twenty-five private baths for men and six for women, thirty-six wash-stalls and two washing machines in the "steamie". The popularity of Glasgow's public baths varied widely depending on the season. In the height of summer in 1938 there were 411,902 visits, compared to only 115,674 in December. The latter figure includes the traditional surge of visitors during the festive period.

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"This is Glasgow Club at Maryhill. This place is important, because there are different activities you can join to keep fit in the club such as swimming class, football club, judo class and gym. This adds up to the benefits of living in Maryhill."

Glasgow Club Maryhill

Maryhill Health and Care Centre provides the local community with a modern building able to provide healthcare in the 21st century. Construction for the £12 million project began in December 2014 and the new centre opened on 19th September 2016. The new centre incorporates GP Practices, physiotherapy, podiatry, community dental services, district nursing, health visitors, community mental health services, youth health service and health improvement teams offering services such as smoking cessation support. Other services may also utilise the community consulting rooms offering local access to addiction services, specialist children’s clinics and money advice. The innovative design of the new Health Centre delivers a modern, spacious, healthy environment with an inspiring and inviting civic space. This therapeutic environment is responsive to the needs of patient’s, staff and visitors, by creating a calm and uplifting building, able to respond and adapt to changing needs. In addition to providing improved and modern healthcare facilities, the Health &amp; Care Centre opens up the barracks wall surrounding the Wyndford Estate, by creating a notional and physical link to the canal network. The internal street / atrium that runs through the heart of the building, linking Gairbraid Avenue and Kelvindale Road, encourages this journey. The full height atria, creates views to waiting areas and reception points on level 1 which assist with way-finding in the centre. The skylights flood ‘the street’ with natural light, offering views to the sky, enhancing individual experience of the building by the positive use of space and natural light.

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"I have visited the health centre several times on appointment to see GP or nurse for different reasons. It is important to have one of these in the community for quicker access to health care services."

This new building opened in 2016 and features in Architecture Magazine (see link below).

Maryhill Health and Care Centre

Details of the construction phase: 19 February 1965The Parish of St Gregory Barbarigo was formed when the Archbishop appointed Fr Brendan Murphy as Parish Priest, to found the parish for the newly built Wyndford Estate and parts of the parishes of the Immaculate Conception and St Charles. 17 March 1965A lot of work went on to find a base to say mass and to house Fr Murphy. Then, at Easter, Father Hickey, Parish Priest of the neighbouring Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption, had just completed a new Presbytery and St. Gregory’s were able to acquire their old house in Bilsland Drive to serve as a temporary Presbytery for 6 years.St Mary’s School Annexe, which stood on Maryhill Road, had the two rear classrooms transformed into a little oratory and the first public mass was celebrated for the parish on St Patrick’s Day 17 March 1965. 28 March 1964Permission was granted for Sunday masses to be held in nearby Shakespeare St School, and the first two public masses were celebrated on 28 March. Thereafter, every Sunday morning an army of workers went into operation transporting an altar, seating, vestments, tabernacle, vessels etc. in order that mass could be celebrated. February 1971Archbishop Scanlan laid the foundation stone of the £160,000 church. A piece of rock from Massabielle hillside at Lourdes where our Lady stood during the apparitions to St Bernadette and where the spring of miraculous water has continued to flow, was enclosed in the casket placed under the stone. A set of Britain’s new decimal coins was also enclosed.

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"This place is important, because I sometimes worship here and come here for support. The church is also a food bank and gives food to people living in the community."

The church, dedicated to St Gregory Barbarigo, is strategically placed in the centre of the parish. The parish was founded in 1965 and the church, designed by Thomas S. Cordiner of Borthwick & Watson, was opened in 1971. The Kelvin walkway, which runs along the west side of the church, enhances the complex of buildings. One of the many attractive features of the church is the stained glass Stations of the Cross.

St Gregory Catholic Church

The Maryhill Hub opened to the public in July 2010, and provides a range of leisure, learning and recreational activities for the Wyndford and wider Maryhill communities. The centre is open to the public from 9am till 9pm, Tuesday to Friday and 9am till 4pm on a Saturday and offers a range of facilities including a café, gym and fitness centre, meeting spaces and a programme of activities throughout the year. The Maryhill Hub building used to be the St Gregory Primary School. The school gained local fame when parents and staff decided to occupy the building in 2009, after hearing the school was threatened with closure. A similar situation was found at nearby Wyndham Primary, also threatened with closure. The Glasgow Times covered the occupation. For further reading see the links below.

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"I have been to this place many times and this place is important because there are activities inside the hub you can do such as doing exercise at the gym and the computer section which you can use and where you can print for free."

Maryhill Hub

Glasgow Kelvin College is the newest of Glasgow’s three regional further education colleges, formed by the merger of John Wheatley, North Glasgow and Stow colleges in November 2013. The building in front of you used to be Stow College's West Campus from 2000 until the merger in 2013. The building was originally Garrioch School, built for the School Board of Maryhill in 1905, with a dramatic central columned window. To the south, the open land of North Kelvin Meadow had been used as sports grounds for the school, and was originally the site of a grandstand for the short-lived Kelvinside Racecourse.

Why this place is important to the local New Scots:

"Glasgow Kelvin college is important to me, because I studied some courses there, like health and social care and community pathways."

"I have visited this place many times during the course of my studies."

Kelvin College has 4 main campuses and 40 affiliated learning centres. This building is their West End Campus.

Tour of Maryhill, Glasgow: Stories from people

McDonalds in Maryhill

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information