Tenements – Curious Bystander

Glasgow Doors Open Day 2025- Inside St. Mary’s Masonic Lodge

A Hidden Gem on Glasgow’s Dumbarton Road –

Interesting as always, Glasgow hosts a Doors Open Day every September. We’ve done so many things through this event over the years, so I thought—why not try something just around the corner from us? That’s how we ended up at St. Mary’s Masonic Lodge.

First thing that I thought, was that this was not an Orange Lodge that most people know. This is the Freemasons. I’ll admit, I brought all my usual bigotries with me … and wow, was I wrong.

I’ve never met people more open, more friendly, and more diverse in appearance and background. Everyone seemed genuinely interested in sharing and learning. It was incredibly hospitable.

First of all, the name caught me: St. Mary’s. I always thought, “If they’re Protestant, why do they believe in saints?” But they’re not Protestant—they’re Freemasons.

Second, our guide wasn’t even British. He was Spanish, I believe, and was wonderfully inclusive in how he explained the beauty—at least from his perspective—of the Lodge. He spoke about their charitable work, their visitors, and their humility. When someone asked what they actually contribute (financially) to, he said that wasn’t the point. The people who receive help know who the Masons are, and it’s not for anyone else to know.

As the photos show, the main hall looks almost like a church—or even a synagogue. It was plainly decorated, and not overdone. Very tasteful, very open. The building spans three floors, and each space had its own character—never barren, never gaudy.

The top hall? That’s where they have a bar and a small tea room—well, “restaurant” might be pushing it. Still, there was free food for visitors, and the walls were lined with paintings and photographs of Glasgow past and present.

What struck me most was something I’d never noticed before, even after walking past this building countless times: the windows. They’re designed to blend into the tenement style while still standing out. The stairs—the “closes,” as we say in Glasgow—lead only to one thing: the Lodge itself.

I’m glad I finally saw it and is something I hope they continue to share with the public in the future.

Edinburgh what a beautiful city – many different parts but for this trip I was in the West End– Part 1

It’s interesting because I have been to Edinburgh countless times in my life, normally as a day trip, but this time my partner had to attend a conference, so I went along, especially since it coincided with the Edinburgh Festival, the largest arts festival in the world.

It’s different because normally when I go to the festival, I just visit for the day and then come back. However, this is the second time in two years that I chose to stay overnight. The previous time, the prices were simply outrageous—nearly £300 for one night at a tiny hotel room the size of a broom cupboard. It’s disgraceful and explains why certain people are no longer attending the festival.

At the same time, I can understand why some of the hotels wish to make as much as possible; and many people are more than willing to pay it. In addition, it’s not just me who thinks this must be a problem, but for the performers, it must be nearly impossible to find affordable accommodation for their one, two, or even three-week runs.

Naturally, we decided to stay as cheaply as possible, and for some reason, our Travelodge was located in the West End, just out of the more expensive parts of Edinburgh, yet it was still a spectacular area to visit.

You only need to take a walk anywhere in Edinburgh, particularly in the town centre, to see the magnificent Victorian architecture. In this case, avoiding like the plaque anywhere near to the tourist areas. But even here in the West End of Edinburgh the buildings are spectacular.

The architecture is quite different from that of Glasgow, as it tends to be almost entirely white sandstone, as opposed to the red stone that we have in various parts of Glasgow, albeit, with plenty of white sandstone as well.

Naturally, on my first night there, we decided to go to the Edinburgh Festival, in this case to see a magician, Tim Licata. He was just fine, and of an Italian-American heritage. It also was not too crowded as well. Not sure why, though the show inside was close to a sell-out.

On the way back our walk we went through this area in the West End, that showed us a wee gem of a wine bar, Le Di-Van.

What a beauty! One could hardly believe being here, that I wasn’t on the continent or in France itself.

And it’s definitely one that I’ll be frequenting the next time I’m in Edinburgh.

Glasgow’s Doors Open Day -Time Travelling by Exploring Glasgow’s Tenement House

It’s interesting because I’ve been in Glasgow for 30 years, but I’ve never actually visited this part of the National Trust for Scotland. At the same time, it seems that virtually every accommodation I’ve used in Glasgow has been a tenement—tenements in the West End, tenements in the East End, and tenements in the South Side. The only time I haven’t stayed in a tenement was in the city centre, specifically in the Pollokshields area of Glasgow, which is a very nice inner suburb.

During the annual Doors Open Day in Glasgow, which took place a couple of weeks ago, I decided to visit the Tenement House located in the Garnethill section. It truly feels like a time capsule from 100 to 120 years ago.

The house was bequeathed to the city and later to the National Trust in the mid-1960s, after the owner neared the end of her life. I believe her daughter took over and rented some of it out. The National Trust acquired it in 1965.

It’s fascinating to have a conversation with someone and then, 100 years later, start that conversation again. Time stands still here.

The overall layout is identical to so many tenements here in Glasgow, from the bed recesses (now used as a kitchen table area or closet):

To the “pully,” which is rather horrifically referred to as a Victorian hanger by some:

Additionally, it seems the lady who owned it was fairly well-off. While I was in the bathroom, three older Glaswegian women were describing what each feature in the room represented. They noticed a gas connection in the wall, which was connected to the gas port at the time, providing some of the heating and hot water. This suggests that the woman who owned the place was probably middle class.

Even in the bathroom, with a little paint and minor repairs, it would fit right in today.

The most striking thing I saw was the letters and briefs that she had written and received throughout her life. It always strikes me that although we have everything from the internet to telephones and mass communication today, we’ve completely and utterly lost any form of communication via pen and paper. These letters were so much more eloquent and elegant than we use today; the words were utterly superior than what we could ever dream of crafting nowadays, even if we were to give up texting or emails.

Glasgow – A West End development

Glasgow has a history of demolishing and rebuilding, a cycle that repeated during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.

It is rumoured that the Glasgow City Council, or the City of Glasgow District Council as it was known back then, may have demolished upwards of 38,000 to 40,000 tenement blocks. I’m uncertain if these numbers refer to entire tenement blocks or individual flats within them. The exact count remains elusive, but the consensus is that this approach was a disaster.

Instead of demolishing, they could have refurbished them, preserving their charm and the character of the areas involved. Unfortunately, the mass exodus to new areas, not only decimated community spirit but also led these residents to move into unpleasant, grey high-rises. Approximately, only 75% of THESE structures still stand, as the remaining 25% have ALSO been demolished.

In recent years, particularly in the West End of Glasgow, there have been plans to revamp Byres Road. The COVID pandemic may have caused delays, but there’s a concerted effort to make the area more cyclist and pedestrian-friendly, while reducing car accessibility. Plans were presented to the local community for voting through a website or at a community library in the West End (I believe); btw, I did not vote..

Judging from the photos (before the completed work), it doesn’t align with my vision of something positive. It appears monotonously grey, reminiscent of the old, grey, high-rises that replaced the tenements?

Although there is a smattering of red, the cycle of demolish, build, demolish, build – seems to be replaced with putting up something grey with a touch of red.

Several issues will arise, especially concerning the bike lanes. Pedestrians are already walking in them, and it’s unclear how they will function once completed. Additionally, the angles could pose challenges, making it difficult for moving cars to navigate, especially when encountering parked cars. Already, buses are experiencing delays due to these cars parked almost in the traffic lanes; creating significant traffic jams until the opposing traffic moves.

The effectiveness of this scheme will depend on how well it is policed. Monitoring and enforcement will likely be the key to the success of this initiative.

I’m not holding my breath.

This week, Lisbon, cafe’s, etc – New Partick, Glasgow street art . . .

If you have been in Partick, in the West of Glasgow the last few weeks, there is a smattering of new street art:

I think that it’s both colourful and bright; a cure-all for our awful weather here in the West of Scotland!

My only complaint, is that it is replacing some of the murals that were created to celebrate the 2014 Commonwealth Games, that were held here back then. If you disagree, please go here, to add your opinions to Partick Community Council.

More this week from Lisbon, and various other things.

This week? I actually went to a Golf Show in Glasgow & had a nice walk to get there

And it, Bunkered Live 2022 – SEC, Glasgow, was not only fascinating with the amount of people, almost ALL men, who were there but also with the different stands that were there. But first, I had a nice walk there through the Sandyford area of Glasgow – Very pleasant. This area has undergone a transformation recently, with gentrification, more students and an incredible amount of class restaurants / cafes popping up.

The first part passed by the old Kelvin Hall, which has been purchased by Glasgow University a few years ago, as the yooni is undertaking a large refurbishment / new builds project in the area. And then passed by the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, and several other highlights such as the cherry blossom trees and a mosque from the Ahmadiyya part of Islam.

The next continued through some tenements of Sandyford, before we went through the 80s looking overpass / tunnel, to finally arrive at the Scottish Exhibition Centre (SEC).

It was the number of “contests” at the exhibition, that seemed to me where all the “real men” who were there, were interested in. These ranged from “Golf Darts”, to sand trap skills, to a chipping contest to get closest to the pin.

Equally, a number of stalls had nothing to do with golf. These ranged from, believe or not, someone from the WWF and / or the Scottish Wildlife Trust, to an organic cat food stall, who I believe were from the Republic of Cats? Who would’ve thought! Who knows, they must have done some research as to just who would attend.

Kensington Gate Gardens, West End, Glasgow

Following on from a few days ago, when I started to showcase some of the private parks / gardens in Glasgow; my personal favourite is this diamond (below) in the West End (Ed; Again?!).

This is also located directly in front of some of the finest examples of red tenement housing on Earth. Please visit and walk by if you are ever here Glasgow – it’s only a 10 minute walk from Hillhead underground station.

Looking north towards Kensington Gate and their wonderful Tenements

Neighbourhoods in Glasgow – Hillhead – Part 2

Continuing from a few weeks ago, we’ll look at the central part of Hillhead, and not the circular route around the edges.

New Gym at University, Various shots in the middle of the Campus, Language Building

The area between the edges is largely part of the University of Glasgow, and is a mixture of tenements, student accommodation, Hillhead High School, and the university itself.

Community Garden on extreme north of Hillhead

There exists a new type of community garden; good luck to them as the property prices in this area are sky high!

Various, with a “gate” to the area on the north side of the neighbourhood, and I believe the final shot may have had a church in it some time ago

There’s an older look to the tenements, with a mixture of accommodation, as well as offices for the University.

Various shots of some brutalism and other non-trad buildings, the last being the university Library

Finally, there is the yooni itself, that has a combination of both traditional and many horrid pieces of brutalist 60s “works of art”!

Glasgow’s Tenements – Hyndland

Continuing the theme that shows off some of the truly stunning, Victorian tenements that we have to offer in Glasgow, I took a walk in the West End (again!) of the city, to the Hyndland quarter.

Thereupon, Kingsborough Gardens, complete with private park, was meandered through. What a world class street! And the hooses (Glasgow slang for “houses”) were amazing!

Equally, there exists a private park in the centre, between both sides of the two lanes; picturesque, subtle, practical – and I just love, the use of the word “proprietors”!

CB