The digs and the 'hood

Our accommodation is a top floor tenement flat in the west end of Glasgow. The term tenement flat

seems to be uniquely Scottish - and Glasgow tenements are of particular interest it would seem as they figure on many postcards!  Not sure if there's much difference from modern-day tenement buildings to what we may call a three (or more) storey walk-up.  But for the most part, they are very interesting buildings having been built in the 1800s of red (also beige and grey) sandstone.

The need for multi-family housing was due to the influx of workers at the time of the industrial revolution.  Most were merely one or two rooms with communal facilities.  Many became overcrowded and unsanitary and developed into sprawling slums (the most famous being The Gorbals).  Various housing reform schemes over the decades have vastly improved the conditions.

I assume our block is pretty typical.  We sit on top of a row of shops and the stairs are stone - they would at one time have been open - but now there is a door and we need a key to get into the stair well.

Despite the basic nature of the block and the area, our flat is very pleasant with two nice bedrooms, living room, small kitchen and newly renovated bathroom.  The big living room bay window and my bedroom window look across to the Woodside Library.

The Woodside Library is a grand structure.  It was built with funds from Andrew Carnegie and opened in 1905.  It was the biggest and grandest Carnegie library in Glasgow.

Unfortunately the glass dome was damaged and at the moment half of the library is inaccessible while repairs take place (we went in and quizzed a librarian to get the lowdown - we could see scaffolding through the windows).

Another interesting building in the area is the Woodside Baths and Wash House which opened to the public in 1882.  The Victorian swimming baths (pool) is the oldest in the city and has been recently restored.  So we have put our noses in there too.  It's now a modern fitness centre and I wish it was on my doorstep!
































The shops upon which we sit aren't that great - one is a church of some sort, two never seem to open and the two which do are a mobile phone outlet and a 24 hour grocery shop.  The latter is very nice and clean and certainly handy for getting the morning paper.

I will end this first blog post from Glasgow with a few words about being in Glasgow:  I'm not sure what I was expecting - but what I found was a really interesting city with the most amazing architecture.  Visitors are told to "look up" - and look up you must - to see all sorts of interesting and unexpected features.

The city feels friendly and cared for.  It would seem that the city and the people have come a long way from the reputation (and reality) of not that long ago when it had the lowest life expectancy in Europe.

It's Scotland's biggest city - but the population is actually less than Winnipeg - and everyone we've had dealings with so far have been super helpful and friendly.

This visit will just scratch the surface and I imagine a return visit will be planned in the not too distant future!