|
Perhaps the greatest architectural disaster to befall Scotstounhill was the felling of several ornate Victorian
Townhouses further west along Anniesland Road.
The impressive structures shown in this 1906 postcard view were inexplicably torn down during the 1960s to provide
space for a new shopping centre. As you can see from the overlapping 2007 photograph of the same site, the change
was most definitely not for the better. Only the terrace of Victorian villas to the east remain (barely descernible
by their tiled roofs, engulfed in foliage in the background).
Correspondence regarding the construction of Knightswood Shopping Centre shows that Application 26711 for a "shopping and
housing development" was lodged with Strathclyde Regional Council for their consideration on 1 June 1966. A consultation
took place later that year on 27 September — finding that "there is an immediate need for a shopping centre in this area".
It is not known whether the Victorian houses were standing at this point, however the City Architect at the time had no
objection in principle to a shopping centre on the site and accordingly, 40,000 square feet of floor space was created.
This Ordnance Survey map from 1895 shows Anniesland Road, with the Scotstounhill to Garscadden railway line running
parallel to the north. The two villas mentioned above are — at this point in time — the last residential structures
on the western-most boundary of Scotstounhill, as Anniesland Road curves towards the Clyde to meet Dumbarton Road.
On the map above, at marker 56 on Anniesland Road is a north-running avenue of trees crossing the railway line before
ending abruptly on the boundary of Muttonhole Farmlands (at this point, "Scotstounhill Farm"). In the next decade this road
would be named Crescent Road.
Three of the terrace of Edwardian homes to the right of the stand-alone villas (closer to Crescent Road) would remain until
circa 1985. At that time they had lain derelict for some years and plans to increase the development in 1990 put paid to their
shelf life. The site is now occupied by an unremarkable modern commercial structure, housing a Pizza Hut and a Farmfoods.
This enlarged section of a 1932 aerial view, taken from the south bank of the River Clyde, details the above houses and terraces on
Anniesland Road.
To the bottom of frame the railway line and bridge over Dumbarton Road can be seen; Anniesland Road curves at 90°
and is partially lined by trees; Kingsway is the broader road to the right.
This aerial view from circa 1965 shows Anniesland Road to the left (curving at its westernmost point) and the tree-lined
Talbot Terrace to the centre of frame. The railway line from Garscadden to Scotstounhill carves its way between these
two streets.
At this point the aforementioned houses on Anniesland Road remain untouched by modern development. A private road seems
to service the rear of these houses from Cairntoul Road. The wide-hipped, light
coloured building right of centre (facing Talbot Terrace) is the Cub Scout Hall which was torn down during the 1990s. To
the right of this Hall is the villa on Crescent Road with its sprawling garden.
 
|
